I could not resist writing this article. Bernie Sanders was vilified and mocked for his firm stance that he was a Democratic Socialist. He knew the scorn he would face from the right wing and other detractors for making that statement. Only Bernie knew at the time he was bringing that word out in the open for public debate. The word socialism has been thrown against the wall by the Republican Party since the days of McCarthy. If you are too young to know who Joe McCarthy is, you will need to go look it up.
The Republican Party has for decades tried to build a direct link between socialism and communism. In their minds and the minds of their constituents, they are the same. I assure you they are not. The social programs we had in the middle of the last century are what made America stand above all others in the treatment of our citizens and helped drive the economic engine that created a living standard that was unmatched in the world.
I had seen the following list on the DAILY KOS and I wanted to borrow it for some time. Now is the time. I hope you enjoy it.
The next time you fall out of bed in the morning and prepare to go about your day, think about how many of these items you are going to encounter or use. If you are insistent that socialism is the ruination, you should abstain from using any of those services. Can you do it?
Socialism Is Responsible For All Of This
1. Military
2. Highways and Roads
3. Public Libraries
4. Police
5. Fire Department
6. Postal Service
7. Student Loans and Grants
8. Bridges
9. Garbage Collection
10. Public Landfills
11. War
12. Farm Subsidies
13. CIA
14. FBI
15. Congressional Health Care
16. Polio Vaccine
17. EPA
18. Social Security
19. Museums
20. Public Schools
21. Prison System
22. Corporate Subsidies
23. Veteran’s Health Care
24. Public Parks
25. Every Single Elected Government Official
26. Food Stamps
27. Sewer System
28. Medicare
29. Court System
30. Bird Flu Vaccine
31. GI Bill
32. Hoover Dam
33. Zoos
34. IRS
35. Free Lunch Program
36. The Pentagon
37. Medicaid
38. FDA
39. Health Care for 9/11 Workers
40. Swine Flu Vaccine
41. SSDI
42. Beaches
43. Corporate Bailouts
44. State Construction
45. Unemployment Insurance
46. City & Metro Buses
47. WIC
48. State Snow Removal
49. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
50. CDC
51. Welfare
52. Public Street Lighting
53. FEMA
54. Public Defenders
55. SCHIP
56. Amtrak
57. NPR
58. Department of Homeland Security
59. OSHA
60. State and National Monuments
61. USDA
62. Government Scholarships
63. Health and Human Service
64. Census Bureau
65. Department of Energy
66. Border Protection
67. Department of Education
68. Secret Service
69. Peace Corps
70. Department of Justice
71. National Weather Service
72. The White House
73. Government
74. The Law
75. Civilization
Now there will be those who have read this and are certain that I am a socialist. So there is no ambiguity, I will tell you I believe everyone deserves fairness and an opportunity. And from that point I will leave you with the thought that I have many more opinions on the subject of fairness.
Thanks Jerry,
Jack L. Wilson