Lions, Tigers and Socialists...

I bet there's a lot of things you get sick of. I'm right there with you. One of mine is the use of the word socialism and the ignorance surrounding it. Republican and Democrat, liberal and conservative, bending twisting and deliberately turning it into the boogeyman. Donald Trump vowed in his recent State of the Union that the United States will never be a socialist country. He'd prefer a monarchy, clearly.

We are being warned about the march to socialism by right wing commentators. They've been riding that hobbyhorse for decades. The issue is really hot now as we move closer to the 2020 election. The conversation and I use that word lightly will make it's way through the general public who intentionally refuse to learn the true meaning of western democratic socialism and the despots who have called themselves socialist while destroying their own people and stockpiling resources for themselves. Which is exactly what happened in Venezuela so ignore Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump's references to that country.

The United States is a socialist country, we simply choose to say we're not. We prefer capitalism until capitalism brings us to our knees and only acts of socialism through government action save us from complete economic collapse, see the financial crisis of 2007 and the massive bailouts and infusion of cash.

The two biggest socialist programs in the history of the world are Social Security and Medicare. If you don't think they should exist then look your elderly relatives in the eye as you strip them of it. For most of them, it's all they have to survive on. To the people on it who rant and rave about socialism but would die without those programs and vote for people that want to get rid of it, what is wrong with you? For those who don't need it but take it and rant and rave, stop being a hypocrite. You are not required by law to sign up. But you won't find anyone who doesn't.

Public roads, police, fire, and education are all socialist. Subsidies of all kinds like agricultural where we pay farmers not to grow specific crops at certain times or to withhold selling something. Go after those farm subsidies and see how fast capitalist conservative Senators from Iowa bash your kneecaps in.

Corporate America has no problem with socialism when they need "tax" incentives to expand or build new facilities. Cities that put up the funding of new sports arenas for the NFL and then let those private sector companies reap the financial rewards of taxpayer dollars have no problem with that form of socialism, which in my opinion is the stupidest expenditure of public funds in this country.

We are all socialists. We are a society. We are social beings. We need each other. The only people on this planet who are not socialist are hermits who live in the wild building their own hut, living off the land and sitting in the dark, if you want that, have at it.

The questions we have to answer are about fundamental fairness and equality at the starting gate, do we care about all of our citizens or only a select few, will we use our resources wisely and invest in a better tomorrow or accept the status quo of if you can make it great, if not oh well. How much do you care? Are you prepared to stand up to injustices and say no, even if it means you will suffer?

Do not be fooled and persuaded by those who purport to be learned experts on issues and throw around buzzwords meant to rile your emotions and lead you to a false conclusion. Do your homework and understand the true meaning of words and most importantly live your life by what you say you believe in, it will be harder than you think.