Socialism: Brought to You by the Republican Party

Why won't anyone (anyone!) among our nation's leaders call this government bailout business what it is -- corporate socialism?

I could never imagine that the ultimate free marketeers have begged and pleaded for the big, bad, slow, inefficient, socialist government to take over major pillars of the free market economy that they hold as high as Mom, God, and heterosexual marriages.

"Too big to fail," they say.

But no one is ever small enough to get shoved out at the curbside of high gas prices, declining wages, crappy health insurance, and a sad education system.

Socialism indeed.

Let's take all the risk in life away from the big guys and force the American family to pay for their multi-trillion dollar mistakes (not to mention their mullti-million dollar golden parachutes). Then let's say that the government is the only way to save the free market.

Ridiculous forays into sub-prime mortgages, tax cuts that the wealthiest don't need, privatization of public education and Social Security -- and, of course, a war that has made gazillions of dollars for the war drum and oil drum moguls.

These are perfect (perfect!) uses of the government as socialist father to the capitalist oligopolists.

Then they hide it all behind a conservative ideology and theology that says that getting rich for rich's sake is not only patriotic but godly. You deserve (deserve!) to be as rich as I am.

Too big to fail!? These guys are too big to succeed.

Comments

[bugdog]

Let 'em all fail. The biggest lie ever is the idea that we the people need them.

And open season on fatcat... No bag limit...

[The Hedonistic Pleasureseeker]

Liberal, conservative, communism, capitalism, socialism are "trigger words" that entrench us in unhelpful ways. Try NEO FEUDALISM!

The Class War is eternal. It is waged primarily by the super-rich against the middle class. Oligarchs view a strong middle class as a threat. The superrich are utnumbered (that’s why they call us “the masses”) and as such suffer a terror the slaves can’t even relate to. Oligarchy fears revolt.

It is appalling sad to see liberals blaming "capitalism" for our country's ills. Do they even know what capitalism IS? Probably not. "Hard" currencies that don't inflate, small government and low taxes, and small business capitalism serving the Little Guy - hasn't existed in this country for a century. One could argue our Republic ended with the Civil War, the Federal Reserve Bank, or the New Deal, or Nixon.

Central banking and economies fueled upon debt are THE two major planks of the Communist Manifesto. Production in the hands of "The State" is communism AND corporatis­m/fascism. The Fed just marching in and making decisions that belong to CONGRESS (you and me) is the sign that this country as envisioned by our forefathers is DEAD.

Central control in the hands of a handful of moneyed elites is feudlism, period. To call it communism OR corporatism OR socialism OR fascism only demonstrates the extent that we've been duped. Far from being polar opposites they are different words meaning essentially the same things to the Little People: "Bend over, your RULERS will drive."

[All in All]

I wonder if Our Universe would be the way that it is now, if all that was & is in it still worked liked some of these type of People in Our Society.

[Maschine]

But nationalize health Care......­.NOOOOOOOO­OOOO.....t­hats to socialist.

What a country. You gotta love the irony.

[DuganS1]

How is the fed giving AIG a $85 billion loan at 12% and wiiping out the shareholders a bailout? And how is an option to take control of some of my own social security money and investing it myself a bad thing? I could triple the returns s.s. is giving me right now by simply buying some municipal bonds.

[MilwaukeeDan]

Mr. Fowler, great post, spot on.

[allwrite]

Heard on the Randi Rhodes show

Backwards Socialism: The investors take the profits. The people take the losses.

[ully]

can media and press whos behind Obama link?? and how much money he accept from Wall street crack down ?? Biden and Hillary knows ?? both knows how arogan Obama ! !

[lisakaz2]

As if your comment makes any sense. But , tell me -- who is his equivalent of Ms. Golden Parachute Carly?

[francoise]

Whatever one calls it, whether it's socialism or not, we should all be thankful that all governments and suvereign funds in the world are all trying to stop this huge disappearance of wealth.

Billions have evaporated yesterday. The wealthiest ones might be poorer, or even ruined, which will I guess satisfy many bitter envious people.

However the poorest ones worldwide are poorer too.

It's not good for anyone when there's less wealth around.

Less wealth to invest in research for anything, medical progress, green energies, education, entreprises creations.

Because money does not only pay for evil weapon industries and crappy consumerism, but also for art, culture, organic food, and progress.

Let's hope that the world's main banks will succeed in saving our wealth.

[The Hedonistic Pleasureseeker]

Are you being facaetious? It's hard to tell.

Central banks that issue debt and "fiat money" (paper money as opposed to hard-backe­d,/commodi­ty based currencies) are specifically designed to facilitate the mass transfer of wealth from the plebes (you and me) to the banking class. It's a massive Ponzi scheme.

You mean you didn't know?

[Rule Of Law]

"The banks will save us..."

I almost wet myself. LOL

[Stanley]

There is not "less wealth" as you said. What is happening is a recognition of the illusion of wealth that was created. The emporer has no clothes but that doesn't mean he did and lost them. He never had them at all. We just agreed to be fooled because of our own greed. We a-greed. Get it. We are complicit because we didn't want to face the truth, as we ran up our credit card bills to by plasma tv's to watch the liars lie to us in 42 inches of High Definition glory. Well now its time to get a hoe and some seed because the truth is coming whether we like it or not.

[arvay]

The Republicans, ironically, are nationalizing -- or at least socializing -- the nation's financial industry.
The precedent is being set that the government has the authority and even obligation to regulate and even supervise such critical parts of the economy. That means, for example, the healthcare industry, the oil companies and other energy companies, the defense industries, automobiles, heavy industry and the like.

If Obama and the Democrats take control, a system of governmental oversight and planning -- a national economic plan -- could be put into effect. All of these leading industries' leading minds could voluntarily help design the plan -- or face a kind of "draft." Help or find yourself unable to find work.

Time to get tough, and screw these people out of power, yank them out of their gated communities, drain off their unreal financial gains and make them work for a living.

Plus, the Obama administration could cherry-pick among the Bush-enabled "security" measures to keep tabs on those business renegades who'd try to undermine the system, while freeing most Americans from unwarranted scrutiny.

Electing McCain means that the same cowboys will ride roughshod over the rest of us, under the guise of some toothless "reforms." That will lead to chaos and possibly martial law, imposed by a neofascist government.

That's our choice.

[dtrobert]

Corporate Socialism has another, better known name:

Fascism.

[Rule Of Law]

dt--I've posted that same thinking elsewhere. Though the hedonist would mildly disagree, preferring Feudal to Fascist, I say that given the Bush Family's history of supporting Fascists and attempting to overthrow the country, that Fascism is what THEY have in mind. The problem here is that most folks don't really understand the meaning of the word, so here's one--

“A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.”

Other elements of Fascism include:

* Powerful idea of nationalism
* Powerful executive control in government
* Lower human rights outlook
* Military reigns supreme
* Corporations wield great power
* Idea that National Security is at great risk to some threat
* Identifying of enemies/scapegoats that unifies citizens in Patriotism
* Mass media controlled by State and Corporations
* Fixed elections
* Rampant corruption
* Unlimited power held by police force

[ssaz]

Because the republicans use the word socialism only when referring to efforts to actually help people in this country. They don't consider bailing out "privately" held institutions socialism because it affects their investments and stock values. What's the byline so oft repeated by the republican party about "socialized" medicine... we just can't afford it.... it's too expensive... Let me see, we can pay for a war costing nearly a half-trillion dollars, bail out one financial institution after another, subsidize big oil through tax credits, but somehow providing critical health care or assistance to the millions of children and families forced to declare bankruptcy because of lack of coverage is just not palatable... that's socialism! What the crap has happened to this country. The right-wing right to lifers will argue until blue in the fact to defend the life of an unborn fetus but not think a second about sending someone to the electric chair. I don't think you can have it both ways! Either you're right to life or not... I feel like I'm living in some sort of bad B Movie!

[shaunmarie]

Ok, maybe I am a left wing conspiracy theory nut..... its possible. Though, I tend to think that "conspiracies" generally consist of a group of folks all acting in their own best interests, and in this case - they all seem to have the same interests....

But this FEELS like the end of a big con game, the final fleecing of the American public before this super friendly administration is replaced, and these companies become re-regulated.

See.... the individuals at the top of these firms aren't going to suffer. The truely influential wealthy people have already bailed out. The people who are getting hurt are those folks who have their money in mutuals, 401k's, who have small managed portfolios or employer managed funds.

I suspect this was one last huge transfer of wealth from the middle to the few at the top of the food chain..... and that this was inevitable, avoidable - but there was NO REAL INCENTIVE for those at the top to avoid it - because those at the top still made a profit.... AND THE TAXPAYER WILL BE LEFT TO CLEAN UP THE MESS AND TO REPLACE THE MONEY THAT WAS STOLEN.

[leftLibertarian]

Is Obama for or against these bailouts?

[ratface]

Obama would never have gotten us into this mess in the first place........In my losses in the market in less than a year, I have paid off someones $300,000 mortgage!!!!!! When my retirement money runs out, the gov will say..........Hey, why didn't you work harder....­.....don't come to me for help when you are 80!!

Those Republicans who deregulated and turned loose the crooks should be hung by their you know what on the steps of the Congress so that we can watch their sloooow death. I would pay for tickets to watch.

McCains son, more Bush sons involved in Banks & Brokers houses.........do they ever stop stealing??­??????????­?????????? The answer is NO, they will not stop until they have every cent any of us ever earned.

If Obama does not win, you can kiss this Country goodby.......

[Sundialsvc4]

If all that I have to do is to mutter "Republican = bad_guy, Democrat = Change(TM)," then I've got you right where I want you.

I've presented a bait to you and you have swallowed it, and now you regard those who have swallowed the -other- kind of bait that I have also thrown into the same water as "the source of what ails you."

My name is Karl Rove. (Pardon me.... "eeee-ee-ee-yuck!" ... sometimes it don't pay to "play pretend.")

The Good Book Says, "by their fruits shall ye know them." So, before you hitch your wagon to any carefully-arranged picture or any financial platitude, go surf some facts. These are Senators. When they show up, everything they do at work is recorded at http://thomas.loc.gov. "There's the fruit." Go look for yourself.

Nothing that has happened in the last eight years happened without two Congressional votes. They're right there. Go look for yourself.

There are more than two candidates on the ballot in every state.

[dtrobert]

Almost every one is *for* the bailouts, CONSIDERING the current situation. The consequences of failing to bail out AIG would have been catastrophic.

The problem is what got us in this mess in the first place. And that is, without a shadow of a doubt, the deregulation frenzy of the Gingrich-era congress. Deregulation = chaos; the invisible hand does not, nor has it ever, existed, since the conditions for its operation have always been, as Adam Smith himself quite clearly realized, utopian.

Deregulation is a utopian fallacy.

[dtrobert]

Here the Adam Smith quote (probably the most forgotten in these times):
"""
People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices. It is impossible indeed to prevent such meetings, by any law which either could be executed, or would be consistent with liberty and justice. But though the law cannot hinder people of the same trade from sometimes assembling together, it ought to do nothing to facilitate such assemblies; much less to render them necessary
"""
Wealth of Nations, Book 1, Chapter 10.

[ebwada]

I always love when people quote Wealth of Nations. When was the book written? Is there any way it can still be relevant? The maximum speed of transportation at that time was about 11 miles an hour ( with a good horse).

A purely capitalistic state is about as realistic as a purely communistic state. It just won't ever work.

[jakeweed]

Wall Street Socialism
Posted 9/17/2008 2:08 AM EDT on thetimesherald.com

Yes, that is what it is when the government uses taxpayer money to bail out these mismanaged Wall Street firms. Only thing is, with this kind of socialism there not a pretense of a benefit for all. The management and CEO's of these companies looked around and said; hey, there are no more rules or regulations governing us anymore, so lets bet it all. The government will bail us out. AIG was even saying that the taxpayers were going to give them a $85 Million dollar loan before anyone from AIG supposedly talked to the US Treasuary Dept.

These companies have backed loans and investments the Mob wouldn't touch. Yet, if you asked a room full of congressmen to raise their hands if they supported spending $100's of millions of taxpayer money to help these gamblers, almost every single one would raise their hands. In fact, the stench from far right guard Republicans would bring tears to your eyes. Yes, some Democrats would raised their hands buying into the theory that the financial sky will fall if they didn't.

Ask the same group of congressment if they supported spending $100's of millions of taxpayer money to provide healthcare to every US citizen and you can bet your left cheek that not a single Republican would raise their hand. I always find it curious that the GOP say they are for the common man and small business

[Sundialsvc4]

Just subtract the colors (Red and Blue) from your comment.

Go look at who actually voted for these bills. Guess what: you'll see very familiar names. And you won't see a significant party difference.

http://thomas.loc.gov ... the Library of Congress. The Congressional Record.

Also Wiki "Military Industrial Complex." A General who wore five(!) stars on his lapel before becoming President of the United States had a few warnings to give us all in January of 1961.

[SimonNZ]

God, Guns and Gays! These are the most important things in our nation!

Give me another big s#!t sandwich please! They're delicious!