Just Say Why

Obama Comes Out in Defense of Marriage Equality

I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together; when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.

Will this affect his chances of reelection? Why?

Types of Governments Versus Types of Economies
Matthew K.

Okay, let’s see how far we can get in illuminating the differences between Fascist, Socialist, Communistic, and Capitalistic types of governments and as types of economies.

Communistic Governments

This is the most important thing you’re going to read in this essay. Communism is not a form of government. You may want to stop and go back and read that sentence again. However, communistic countries have always devolved into oligarchies or dictatorships where the rich and powerful become oppressive and eventually ruthless dictators. But, a dictatorship is no more a form of communism as is a toaster.

Communistic Economy

Communism, as defined by the father of communism, is a society in which there is no private property. That is the one defining characteristic of Communism. In a small commune, communism works just fine, everyone knows everyone else, everyone is glad to do their fair share to make the community work, everyone shares in the profits and everyone works together to overcome hardships.

Communism is sometimes viewed as a natural evolution from Socialism and from Capitalism.

Communism in large scale has always failed because the power vacuum at the top attracts ruthless and brutal dictators.

Socialistic Governments

Just like with Communism, Socialism is not a form of government, it is a type of society in which people take care of one another and people share in the management of their capitalism.

Socialism as Economy

As stated, Socialism is a type of society where the purpose of society and capitalism is to benefit society.The workers play a vital role in the management of the companies and share more equitably in the profits.

There is plenty of confusion regarding Socialism. Part of the confusion is in the Soviet Union’s reference to Socialism in their name, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. But, the USSR was an oligarchy, much like America is becoming and this oligarchy was not interested in letting the people share in the management or proceeds of their businesses. The USSR was also nothing like a Republic. The USSR was more Communism than Socialist.

Unlike Communism, Socialism works hand in hand with a strong economy as well as a capitalistic economy. There is no conflict between these two. Look at today’s China for a good example of how Capitalism can coexist with other economic systems.

In Socialism, the workers can be actively involved in advancing a Capitalistic agenda, for the benefit of the workers and for society.

When you hear the word, Socialism, think of the word it is derived from, Society. It’s purpose is to allow society to be involved in commerce, and not just as slave labor.

Fascism as a Government

Unlike any of the other types of economies, Fascism is a type of government. It is a government in which the corporations control the government. The government is merged with the big businesses (and their wealthy owners) and the purpose of government becomes a tool to benefit the rich and the businesses and everything is taken from the people to make it happen.

Fascism as an Economy

As an economy, Fascism is a system in which the people have no control over the management of the businesses and have no share in the profits. Under this system, the government quickly starves the people, expecting then to work for lower and lower wages for the benefit of the rich. This always leads to revolution, often bloody and expensive.

And, this brings us to Capitalism.

Capitalism as a Form of Government

Capitalism, is not a form of government any more than the other three. However, Capitalism is a hungry beast that will devour a society if it goes unchecked. This is obvious in the USA, today. Capitalism is devouring the people and the economy and the government.

Unlike the risk of dictators in the other types of economies, there is no power vacuum that attracts dictators, there instead is a small group of rich and ambitious oligarchs who will try to take over control of the government. When they succeed, they change the laws to allow for fewer regulations on business, more tax breaks and welfare (subsidies) for the businesses, and less and less services for the people. They make it harder and harder and eventually impossible for the people to have any say in their own government.

Capitalism as a type of Economy

Capitalism is best described as a system where money makes more money. It’s where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The system works great when there are good strong regulations in place to stop the rich and powerful from influencing the government.

Capitalism works well with both Fascism (Capitalism out of control) and Socialism (well regulated Capitalism) but conflicts with the true tenants of Communism.

Conclusion

America has been deregulating our businesses like it’s going out style, ever since the 80s, and look where it’s gotten us. Businesses and their wealthy owners own most of our wealth now, they own most of our government, they want more control of our political process and want to take voting rights away from more people.

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What is Happening to America?

Matthew K.

No matter how much you hear on Fox news about how we need to give more tax breaks to the rich and how providing services to the poor is just Fascism, or is it Communism, or is it Socialism, Americans are waking up to the reality that we’re rushing headlong into being a country we don’t want to be and certainly one our forefathers never imagined we’d be embracing.

But with Socialism and Fascism and Communism being used as scare words to influence the weak minded, the words are losing their meanings. That’s a bad thing. If we don’t know what they mean, how can we know what aspects we need to avoid? Just avoiding them because it’s a word the media is using, isn’t a smart way to be.

The previous article about the differences between socialism, fascism, and communism is a great read. I only wish there was more room to do a full blown comparison. Maybe I’ll find some time to add my two cents. In fact, everyone reading these pages should be talking about this. How can we avoid Fascism if we don’t really know what it is? Why should we avoid Communism if we don’t really know what it means? Were our forefathers really Socialists?

We can only vote to make this country better when we understand these things. Read the previous posts and get a handle on the definitions and on the pros and cons of each. And more than anything, turn off the corporate news that is only trying to blur the difference between them and make them all sound like bad words, rather than failed or successful governments.

And, lastly, I can’t express enough how important it is to realize that there is a difference between a financial model of each of these and the model of government. In other words, what is socialism as a government? It is nothing. Socialism is a set of policies, not a form of governing the people. Dictatorships and Oligarchies (today’s America), and democracies are governments.

Poisoning Our Information
Dave Speck

David’s post about Fascism et al was great and very much needed. The Republicans and their conservative billionaire think tanks have been poisoning our information for over 30 years, now and it shows.

What kind of a monster would want to feed us lies in order to gain power and money? Monsters, indeed. Monsters intent on destroying democracy.

Following the links from David’s Fascist post lead me to the text from America’s vice president from the early part of last century and here’s what Henry Wallace had to say about Fascism:

The really dangerous American fascists are not those who are hooked up directly or indirectly with the Axis [Hitler]. The FBI has its finger on those. The dangerous American fascist is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power.

There is no doubt that the Fascist party of America is doing all they can to poison our information.

Miss Me Yet?
by
David Schlecht

I saw a bumper sticker today, with a big W and the words, “Miss Me Yet?”

No, George. We don’t miss the worst president America has seen in our lifetimes. We don’t miss the absolute destruction and disgrace you brought to America. We are ashamed of you.

But, sadly, there are lots of gullible Republicans out there who are being told that they miss the good old days of W.

Well, here is a quick reminder of what those wonderful days were that you think you are missing. Here is a stark example of the difference between Republican representation and Democratic. Unemployment figures:

Kill at Will laws in 24 states allow anyone to use deadly force,
and claim fear of a perceived threat as their defense. These laws create a
climate of vigilantism where no one is safe.

I signed a petition standing against these Kill at Will laws. Can you join
me at the link below?

http://pol.moveon.org/killatwill/?r_by=38643-8522180-qsNcVNx&rc=pac_killatwill_letter.email.g0

Thanks!

America is Ruled by Kings
Dave Speck

No, I’m not talking about corporate kings, though that is a serious problem with American politics, today, but I”m talking about the Supreme Court, or more commonly known as the Roberts Court.

Nowhere does our constitution say that the Supreme Court has the authority to overrule the other two branches of government. Nowhere!

So, what are they doing telling the voters who have voted for health care reform that we can’t have it because their insurance industry overlords don’t want it? I don’t care what the insurance companies want. What matters is what the voters want.

It’s criminal , the condition of our Supreme court and it’s time we started electing some democrats who can appoint some judges and start impeaching the criminals that are now there.

The Supreme Court has no right to be telling us ,the voters, what is constitutional.That’s why we elect representatives and we don’t elect the court.

What is this so hard for them to understand? The Supreme Court was supposed to be the weakest of the three branches of government and now it’s like America is ruled by nine kings and queens and what the voting public wants doesn’t matter.

How did America get this screwed up?

America is Ruled by Kings

Is Obamacare’s Mandate Illegal

With all the news these days on the Roberts Court deciding what’s illegal, it’s time we stopped and thought logically about this issue.

Let’s take a trip back in time to the founding of this country. Imagine, if you can, what it would have been like putting together a government for a new country. What would you want your new government to be able to do?

First of all, you would want to make sure the new government couldn’t do any of the bad things that caused our separation from England.

Secondly, you would want to ensure that the government, we the people, could fix things in our new country that get broken.

To think for a minute that anyone would want to say that it’s illegal for we the people to fix things that are broken in our country is just plain ignorant. What kind of a country would that be?

I can tell you what kind of country it would be. It would be a country like America where the multinational corporations decide what’s legal and what’s not because they control the Supreme Court.

This simple fact, if nothing else, should make it plain as day that we the people are allowed to fix our broken health care system.

It’s really that simple.

The only people who are trying to sell us that it’s illegal are the corporations that will have to quit this immoral behavior.

Wanted for Crimes Against Women
Matthew

The Republican War on Women
by
Matthew K.

What is up with the Republican war on women? It makes no sense for the aggressive frontal attack on women and their rights. The war against their right to decide with their doctors what is the best thing for them, or the war against other medical necessities.

Many in the party have the attitude that women should just shut up and sit in the back of the bus with their heads covered.

It seems the party is so far out of the mainstream that they can no longer hide it.