Issues with Socialism

Alright....

This weekend a bunch of us from WHCA got together. Several came from out of town, and some of us live here in the Colorado Springs area, and some in Denver.

This is my old "gaming group". We've been friends since the early 1980s. The conversation eventually degenerated into politics. I made a couple of sideways comments about the Obama administration and basically closed down most of the conversation suddenly.

So... I pressed.

"So, some of you apparently voted for Obama?"

One confirmed he had, then went on to defend himself with, "Obama hasn't done anything worse than Bush did...."

And some took one side and others took his side of the conversation.

Basically - this group was a group of damned good military men, for the most part Conservatives. All worked for Reagan and Bush (sr) and all of them believed at one point or another that Reagan was one of the best Presidents of all time.

now, my issue. The one guy frankly stated "Yes, I am a socialist.'

This is very disappointing to me. This is a man whom I would have normally trusted with my life any any other time in our history. Now, I am not so sure of him.

He believes Socialism is the WAY TO Go.

This bodes very badly for America my friends.

We WILL go down and we will do so without much of a fight with friends like him selling us out.

Rick, your meeting is a good example of why I think we're watching the end of this nation as we love it.

Like I've said for a long time: I'm not yet convinced the majority of folks in the nation don't like the direction we're going.

If we don't gain some ground (House and Senate) this fall - we're in serious trouble, and might not turn things around.

If we don't take the White House in 2012, it's all over but the crying.

I can't fucking believe I said and believe that.

:worry:

Sad days indeed.

I'm concerned because I made a statement, pretty emphatically in fact, over one of his comments about how things swing back and forth.

I said something like, "You know I agree about this, the pendulum swings back and forth. There was a major push after Carter to put Reagan in office, and we all know Carter was a loser"

He agreed with that part... then I went on, "And I see a huge push back now after a swing to Clinton, back to Bush - and now we will see a far Right Push..."

He actually LAUGHED at me and said I was full of shit, it wasn't going to happen. Somehow I think the Left thinks there aren't any right wingers out here. He believes that there aren't enough of "you guys" (he pointed at me).

I'm not mad at him, I'm disappointed though. Very, sincerely disappointed. I've fought in battle next to this guy (Not real battles, make believe with wooden weapons, in the SCA) and he's a great fighter. Big man, smart. But sees Socialism as the way to go.

Socialism is what begat Hitler.

Hilter begat the murder of 6 million Jews and the Holocaust.

This is what I see for our future. People who believe in a cause because they can't see the final outcome.

If you talk to anyone who remembers World War II and the Nazis, you will discover that the Nazis were the ruling party and the Germans were the dupes who fell for it. They were good people pressed into service to die for Germany.

It's just plain nuts, Rick.

Some people just cannot see the forest for the trees. They live in an echo chamber that reinforces their false beliefs. They believe that penalizing work and rewarding sloth they will achieve greatness. I am cynical enough to believe that personal greed means that they believe they can feed off of the trough before it is empty. For someone who's never been at the trough, the concept is foreign but for those who nose out others for a larger portion, filling the trough is important.

Quote:

---

I am cynical enough to believe that personal greed means that they believe they can feed off of the trough before it is empty.

---

This isn't cynicism, this is fact.

My friend even made some veiled comments about "people have been living off the government for a long time" and "You were paid by the government"...

So, it's a form of justification because I worked for the military (and WORKED) and was paid by the government, somehow that is seen (and this isnt the first time someone has tried this argument with me) that I was "living off the fat of the land".

I don't believe that those who WORK do that. It's only those who are getting the free ride.

I think I want to move this public.

Any problems with that?

I don't see any issues with it.

Everyone is invited to comment on this.

Please.

First of all I should state that Adolph Hitler was one evil son of a bitch. The National SOCIALIST Party needed to be liquidated. However, Germany was in an economicly similar state to the US during the height of the depression. If Hitler had not come along, it is my belief that another character would have risen to power.

I remember being taught that if we do not study history we are doomed to repeat it. There are many parts of history that we seem to be doomed to repeat.

While there are many who feel that we, being the United States of America, are headed toward a completely socialist government, I believe that as long as there are citizens who are
1. Armed
2. Literate
3. Willing to vote

we will remain a Republic for many years to come.

In a way we are becoming a hybrid republic/socialist country more everyday. Maybe not such a bad thing.

There are countries where discourse such as this would be grounds for execution. We are truly blessed to live in America.

Quote:

---

In a way we are becoming a hybrid republic/socialist country more everyday. Maybe not such a bad thing.

---

It is a VERY bad thing.

When Socialism comes in, you lose your freedom, not only to do what you want, but to NOT DO what you don't WISH to do.

Socialism needs YOUR money to run the wheels that grind your freedoms into pulp. Socialism requires that YOU pay for everyone else. You can't keep YOUR money for YOU and YOU have TOO MUCH MONEY - so you give it up for others.

What a bunch of bullshit Socialism is.

It seems crazy that someone would read the definition, "System of social organization in which private property and the distribution of income are subject to social control" and think that "social control" is a good idea your property.

I'm guessing that people who like socialism either a) Don't have enough property, etc that they want or b) Don't really know much about it and just like it because of some propaganda they've read.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by magnetman

i'm guessing that people who like socialism either a) don't have enough property, etc that they want or b) don't really know much about it and just like it because of some propaganda they've read.

---

right!