As we head into election season, both locally and nationally, now is a good time to explore a new term being thrown around the political arena: Democratic Socialism.
What is this ‘New Socialism’ that people are talking about? Will it solve any of my problems? Can I get a free education? Do I still have to work? Has it worked elsewhere?
One would assume that it is inherently different from traditional socialism which has resulted in global atrocities such as:
• Stalin’s Soviet Union; 15+ million executed.
• Mao’s China; Tens of millions executed.
• The killing fields of Cambodia; 1.5 million executed.
• North Korea, Ethipoia, Yugoslavia, East Germany, Vietnam…
• And the present-day humanitarian disaster in Venezuela.
Well you can put lipstick on a pig…
The DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) is a radical left-wing organization with local chapters around the United States, including Saratoga Springs. Yes…it is already in our back yard. According to the organization’s website:
• “We are socialists because we reject an economic order based on private profit.”
• “We are socialists because we share a vision of a humane social order based on popular control of resources and production…”
• “At the root of our socialism is a profound commitment to democracy, as means to an end. As we are unlikely to see an immediate end to capitalism tomorrow.”
• “We are activists committed to democracy as not simply one of our political values but our means of restructuring society.”
To summarize, under socialism YOU no longer make a profit, only the ruling elite do (and it is a HUGE profit.) They will decide who benefits from your labor; the political elites control resources and production…say goodbye to long showers, cool air conditioning and juicy hamburgers; the system that created the most prosperous, powerful and multicultural nation in the history of the world will no longer exist; and a bunch of Orwellian elites will be restructuring society as they see fit.
As any indoctrinated socialist knows, their quintessential defense of socialism is Denmark (for some reason they never cite Venezuela, Cuba or the Soviet Union?) So, let’s take an honest look at Denmark. While Denmark does have high taxes and high government spending, both hallmarks of socialism, Denmark is a full-on free-market capitalist society. It is consistently ranked as one of the top-ranked free-market economies in the world and it is very easy to open a business (The antithesis of socialism). Denmark also has no minimum wage laws and some of the strongest individual property rights in the world. And, the people of Denmark do NOT call themselves socialist.
While some services in Denmark are ‘free,’ the Danes pay for it through high taxes. The average Dane pays 50% of his/her income on consumption and income taxes. Also, private health care and private schools, which are becoming ever more popular, are available for those who want to use it.
While the big battles against socialism are being fought on a national stage, we have several candidates running for local office who support the Saratoga DSA. To understand the importance of stopping this movement on the local level, let’s step back in time and revisit a quote by Norman Thomas, the American socialist and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America:
“The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of liberalism, they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.”
As you can see, we are far past that point as many candidates openly reveal their affection for socialism. I believe we already have at least one socialist on the Saratoga Springs School Board (I am not sure how we allowed that), and I know at least one candidate running for Supervisor is a member of the Saratoga DSA: Tara Gaston.
If you want to learn more about local candidates who support socialism, I recommend you visit the Facebook page: Moving Saratoga Forward.
If you want to hear firsthand accounts from those who fled socialism, you can visit the Facebook page: Young American Against Socialism. (Run by Upstate New York native Morgan Zegers).
In closing I implore you, on behalf of our forefathers who died fighting socialism; on behalf of the millions slaughtered around the globe in the name of socialism; on behalf of those suffering today because of Socialism…Stay vigilant and do as our forefathers did: Stop Socialism in its tracks.
God Bless!
-Chad
