Mrs. Axelrod Comes In From the Cold

Growing up, our family was not poor, but my Dad and Mom had to often make trade offs to make ends meet. As the oldest, I was more aware of a few of these trade offs, and I was more willing to do my part to help out where I could. I say this to let you know that while I endured some small hardships on occasions, I never went through mind numbing poverty. We always had shoes, and we had nutritions food on the table. So, when I speak of the mind numbing poverty, and the utter hopelessness of living in a socialist system, some may think I have no knowledge of what I speak. They are right, of course. I have no direct experience, but like a lot of people, I can read, and empathize with these people. So, when talking about socialism, I often urge you to read what others who have been through it themselves have to say. Such is the article by Alla Axelrod in today's American Thinker entitled Why an Honest Russian Immigrant Hates Obama.

Mrs. Axelrod's piece is unfortunately marred by making side trips to some of America's problems as well, thus diluting her story. She makes good points, but now is not the time to deal with them.  In spite of some of the editorial issues with her piece, please go and read it.  Notice that everyone in a Communist system makes the same, low salary, whether they work hard or not, whether they invent a better way of doing something or not, whether they invent a new product or not. It doesn't matter whether you are a an engineer, a doctor, or a janitor. There is no incentive to innovate or discover something new, because the individual who does so can not profit thereby. Indeed, one feels in such a situation that the best thing to do is not to be noticed. Remember that it is the nail that sticks out that gets hammered.  Also note that somehow, (surprise!) the leaders managed to exclude themselves from the misery they imposed on everyone else.  The way to riches in the Soviet Union was through politics, and politicians create nothing, only suck off the production of others.

Mrs. Axelrod's article is also marred by the fact that we do not elect "rulers," though some of them seem to believe they have been so elected.  We elect servants to carry out certain duties as prescribed in the Constitution.  Our Presidents do not "reign" and are only our chosen executives for a term of office.  But as a Russian immigrant, she can be forgiven for using that terminology.  And of late, with so many now thinking that they can pass anything they take a notion to, and it will pass Constitutional muster, perhaps she is more right than I am.

Many people continue to believe that if only the "right people" could be put into power, then the Communist system would finally work, the lion would lie down with the lamb, peace and justice would reign, everyone would sing Kumbiaya, and peace and plenty would rule the land.  But who are these "right people" who would take the same salary as everybody else, and would create just laws that benefited everybody, and would see that everybody had everything they needed?  Well, during their reign of terror, the Weather Underground thought they were the "right people."  Thoroghly familiar with all the latest Marxist theories, they were the ones who could bring the pure Communist system to a corrupt America. But listen to former undercover FBI agent Larry Grathwohl talking about the estimated 25 million people they thought would need to be exterminated to bring about their plans. I guess maybe Bill Ayers wasn't the "right people" after all. Nor was Pol Pot and company, nor was Fidel Castro and his merry band of revolutionaries, nor was Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, or Saddam Hussein, or...  You see, the right man has never been born, and never will be.

Is America corrupt?  Yes!  But the reforms we need are not to make of America another socialist state.  What we need is to put our government back into the box the Constitution confines it to.  It is enough to be our President, he need not be "the most powerful man in the world," though as long as the rest of the world is in thrall to socialist ideas, he will be of necessity.

Superstorm Sandy is still howling its way across the landscape.  New York City, the New Jersey shore, Long Island and Rhode Island seem to have taken a very hard hit from this storm.  Did any other country offer to help out?  No?  Did any other country offer food and water, or other aid to the displaced?  No?  We go to help wherever in the world disaster strikes.  Maybe our prosperity seems excessive to some, and yes, we waste it on silly things too often, but its good to be properous at times like this.  Just a thought.