No, I Don't Like Democratic Socialism

Leftists either have no imagination or they are hoping you don't have any. They constantly set up and knock down straw-men arguments and talk about matters as if a large, intrusive central government is not only capable of solving most problems in life, but the only way to do it.


You may have seen this graphic depicting Tired Leftist Imagery which is making the rounds because Senator Bernie Sanders, candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States, is openly a Democratic Socialist. Some say Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton is a Democratic Socialist as well, but lies about it. I think she's more of a Hillaryist than anything. But I digress.



I saw a good response on Facebook to this image posted a Clint Johnson who wrote:

The problem with statists is they believe that because we are against the state forcing people at gunpoint to pay for the ruling class undertaking grossly inefficient actions that are first and foremost geared to enrich cronies and buy votes for power mad sociopaths... we are somehow against the goals that the propagandists use to rationalize their self serving power grabs.

It is like saying that if I am against slave trafficking for the sex trade, I must be against sex and wish to give up anyone ever having children.

Brilliant.

I like to note that there are three branches of the federal government, as well as state and local government. In addition, there are charities and other voluntary associations. It is entirely possible for someone to want a program to address a problem or handle ongoing tasks, but not want a federal government agency to handle it. By the way, we have a governing document in this union  called the Constitution of the United States of America.  It spells all of this out (the three branches, their enumerated powers, what is left to others like the state or the people).

Let's take each specific thing in the graphic one by one.



Military - The military is something assigned to the federal government by the Constitution, and it is lead by the President as Commander-in-Chief. The President is elected through the Electoral College system. Can we really say the military is run by a system of Democratic Socialism? We want to retain the military and we want it to be really, really good at breaking things and killing people, not a place for social engineering.

Air Travel - This was invented by private citizens, and unlike many other countries, we don't have a government airline (socialism), nor do we need one. We have real choices in airlines, can charter a plane, fly our own, etc. If we do not like an airline, we don't have to suppor them anyway. I don't argue for the privatization of air traffic control, the FAA, or the NTSB, but I'm willing to look into arguments to do so.


Driving - Automobiles were invented by private citizens/companies, and there have always been private roads. We could get by just fine without federal funding of roads. Take a good look at the pump area next time you're at a gas station to see how much you're paying in federal taxes for every gallon of gas.


Water - This falls from the sky, from clouds that no government created. People can capture that water and also dig wells. Most of our water supply is handled by state and local governments.


Public Schools - Our education system was better before the creation of the federal Department of Education. We got along well for two hundred years without that Department. We don't need federal programs for education. Most public school matters are handled at the state and local level, currently. However, there is private schooling and homeschooling, which are usually superior to public schooling. I'm all for separation of state and school. I can't use the public schools in my state because they are deficient, go against American values, and undermine the other values I'm also trying to instill in children. The public education system as it is now is a relic of the past, defended by guardians of the past to fight innovation, customer service, and efficiency.

Big Bank Bailouts - I'm fine giving up these bailouts. However, to be fair the banks have to be freed from certain requirements and pressures, such as providing mortgages to people who can't afford them.

Border Patrol - Defending borders is an essential function of the federal government.


TV & Radio - We certainly don't need public broadcasting. The FCC makes sure one broadcaster doesn't interfere with another's signal, but with cable, satellite, and cell tower technology the need for broadcasting radio and television programming over the airwaves is rapidly diminishing. Equating, say, ABC Network Television with "Democratic Socialism" is quite a leap to make. The programming is financed, produced, and broadcast by businesses NOT owned by the federal government.

Cell Phones - The devices are manufactured and sold (unless you're talking about an Obamaphone) by private businesses, and the carriers are private, albeit regulated businesses. In fact, it was market competition after the breakup of the telephone company that fueled lower prices for calls and rapid innovation. If anything, local governments hinder the placement of cell phone towers as residents use the power of that local government from preventing private property owners from having towers erected on their property.

Insurance - This is a rather broad term. My health, homeowners, automobile, and life insurance would all exist without the federal government, and probably without the state government being involved as well.

Police - Most law enforcement is state and local, not federal. And yes, some people would be just fine without the police if they were allowed to hire private armed security and allowed to defend their persons and property and get restitution for crimes against their persons and property.

Fire Protection - Again, most of this is local and state. Federal fire protection usually exists to protect federal forests.


EMS - These services are usually private now.

Public Libraries - The Library of Congress is a good idea. and governments should have to keep their records available and public. Otherwise, especially in the age of modern communications and electronic hardware, public libraries, which again tend to be local, are antiquated.


Public Parks - Some are federal, most are state and local. In reality, most do not exist primarily for the benefit of the people, but for the convenience of government programs and projects. It's a fallacy to say there would be no such thing as parks without the federal government or any government.

Money - Well that's a jumbo bucket of worms, but this is something enumerated in the Constitution.

Corporate Subsidies - I'm fine with those going away, but as with the bank bailouts, there needs to also be a lessening of government interference in how corporations operate.


Federal Disaster Relief - The people who vote for Leftist politicians tend to be the type of people who do not prepare for disasters. This is a debatable one, I think. States could form voluntary alliances for mutual aid. This is really a shell game since all it is doing is taking money from one place (or borrowing against the future) and funneling it to another location, with federal employees skimming some. Why not eliminate the skimming?

The Internet - While the origins of the Internet can be traced back to government programs, it is something that could have originated without government involvement.

Patents - This is another power enumerated specifically in the Constitution.

Safe Food - How did humanity ever survive before government got involved in food safety?!? Sure, some people did die, but those were the rare cases. I don't see why competing private organizations couldn't certify food safety. If an organization didn't do a good job, it would soon be out of business. Restaurant chains suffer significantly if they don't keep their food safe. The latest was Chipotle, which had a problem even though there are all of those federal, state, and local programs for food safety.

Democratic Socialists are lazy and greedy, and apparently they are often smart-asses as well. We're for limited government, not no government, as the DS mob implies. Their enthusiasm for the use of what amounts to government force in more and more of life leads to bullying. It is ridiculous to say that if we like having fire departments, we also have to support "free" health insurance, higher education, housing, etc. It's not free. Someone has to pay, and there's never going to be enough money to pay for everything everybody wants. So who decides what gets funded? How do we decide? Voluntary transactions or coercion at the barrel of a gun? Free markets provide more efficiency, choices, and innovation than democratic socialism.