News Focus

Socialism Is Not A Dirty Word!
Unless You Are A Capitalist Trying To Profit From Public Services
A Message To The Non-Thinking Lemmings Of America
NewsFocus, by Tim Watts 090209

Once again the ultra-wealthy have fooled the mass populace of stupid Americans. In case you don't know, let me clarify who the stupid ones are. Those are the people who do not look at both sides of an issue or a story. Those are the people that stay within the narrow confines of their warped political paradigm, accepting only information from those with their same political viewpoint, mouthpieces that are also ignorant, or else getting kickbacks in profit to keep you in the dark.

What? Someone would actually profit by keeping you in the dark?

This can't be true you might say. What possible scenario would exist where something like this could occur?

Well, first you need to crawl out from the big huge rock you're hiding under for a moment and then we can try to think real hard of an example. Let's think together now, real hard.

Hey! I know, the health care debate, or as I like to call it, health scare.

Let's see now. Our elected representatives have written a bill that would reform the health insurance industry and give us free health care, like Canada, so that we can live a better life and escape from exorbitant medical bills that crush families and drive many to poverty, while others get filthy rich denying us all needed medical services.

What's that you say? Canada has a medical system that sucks?

That's not true at all. Have you ever personally looked into it, or done research on your own? It is a model of efficiency and caring for its people. Tommy Douglas has been voted by the people of Canada as the greatest Canadian of all because of his efforts to bring them a national health care plan that cares for everyone. Contrary to disinformation from the American far right, Canadians overwhelmingly love their health care system.

Wherever could you have heard such a horrible thing about Canadian health care?

Oh... I see. That Limbaugh guy again. Well, I guess he must be a credible source that should certainly know about drugs because he was an oxycontin addict who used his maid to illegally buy him drugs. Fair enough.

What's that? You also heard it from FOX News? Hmmmm... that would be the same faux news organization run by multi-billionaire Rupert Murdoch who said that he can say whatever he wants in his media outlets, whether it's the truth or not. You might want to look for a real news source, unless of course you watch it for the propaganda and your own political party news, at which point you're home sweet home.

What you might look into on your own is why the health insurance industry has been spending over a million dollars per day to mislead Americans on the health care bill. Yup, over one million buckeroos per day to pull the wool over your eyes. That could buy a lot of ammo for the family gun, or perhaps more black market oxycontin!

What's that? You want to know why the health insurance industry would do that? Seriously? Wow, you have been under a pretty big rock, so I guess you really are in the dark. Okay, let's set the record straight then, so you get the big picture.

Over 1/3rd of our health care costs in this country go directly to the health insurance companies for administration and for profit. Over 33% of our healthcare costs go to the private insurance companies. That my friend is trillions of dollars that is now paid to a middle man who profits very handsomely. That is no exaggeration either. It is literally trillions, with a capital T. That way the health insurance companies can make their shareholders really rich, while you get really sick from services denied to you.

That is how private health care (and all insurance scams, er, companies) make their profits, by denying services to its customers who all pay-in, continually with a perpetual monthly and yearly cash flow to keep the insurance coffers brimming with our money.

Some people never get sick or have an accident, so their money just goes bye-bye, while the insurance companies get even richer. All of this makes it possible for the mega-wealthy CEOs to pay themselves hundreds of millions of dollars yearly in bonuses, money on top of their already outrageous six and seven figure salaries.

Under the proposed government run health care program, our government would take over as the middle man, instead of the greedy for-profit insurance companies. The government would then pay the doctors and hospitals, without taking a profit. Sure they would pay their cost for administration fees, but the government wouldn't pay themselves any outrageous profits. None. Healthcare costs in America would drop dramatically once the insurance middle-man is eliminated.

Ask yourself why the very same Congress that is fighting over the health care bill gets to receive government paid health insurance for life, but your right-wing representatives are fighting to keep you from having the same benefits. They have the best health care possible and we pay for it. Maybe the next time you're screaming your head off at a town hall meeting, you could bellow out to your representative how they like their socialized health care?

Just so you know, our soldiers also receive government paid health care. So take a deep breath and reconcile why this horrible socialism works for them and Congress too. Are you perhaps less American? Is your family less deserving of government paid health care?

One last caveat, no one says you have to accept it. You are free to keep on paying the greedy privatized insurers and continue getting substandard care with deductibles and costly premiums, if you want. And yes, that is part of the plan, but since you're so concerned about mom and grandma, just don't screw this up for them while you're throwing your anti-socialism hissy fit.

Speaking of mom and grandma, those crazy ass death panels do not exist. End of life counseling merely has to do with how you want to be treated should you end up on a respirator in your later years. Oh and by the way, end of life counseling originated in Texas with then Governor George W. Bush. I know, I know, unbelievable. Say it isn't so. Oh the horror. <sigh>

For the record... the plan that the health care industry fears the most is the Conyers-Kucinich plan, HR-676. It is the one plan that cuts out all profit from health insurance. The plan being bandied about in Congress right now pales in comparison to HR-676.

I guess when you realize that trillions of dollars in profits are literally at stake here for the greedy for-profit private health insurance companies, you might now understand why they are spending over a million dollars per day to pay off our Congressman and your favorite right-wing talking heads to fool you on this health care debate. Are you starting to get the picture?

But, you stammer, we've been taught that Stalin was bad and socialism is a dirty word.

Well, first off, we have all been brainwashed to associate "socialism" with Stalin and the old Russia. Let's separate those two right now and forget about the Russian ruse.

Socialism is derived from the word "society." Socialism is nothing more than caring for a society. That means the rich and the poor. What kind of benevolent society doesn't care for its people? Animals take care of their own, so what does this say for the human race if we can't take care of each other?

Let's boil this down very simply for the one faction that the far-right likes to pander to, aside from the wealthy. For those fundamentalist Christians that errantly believe the right-wing is about religious values, ask yourself your favorite question... what would Jesus do? For that matter, what would Mother Theresa do? What would Gandhi do?

Christians believe that Jesus is going to return one day and lead the world out of darkness. Let's see now, what type of system will Jesus be running? Will it be capitalism, fraught with its greed and avarice or will it be socialism, caring for the many? I'm thinking that perhaps Jesus won't be driving a BMW and bilking the poor out of their hard earned money.

In case you're clueless to social programs, the following are all examples of socialism (government run programs) working right here in America...

Police department
Fire department
Post office
Libraries
Public schools
Public transportation
Social Security
Medicare
Highway department
Judicial system
Parks
Sewer systems
Garbage dumps

Even that nasty old thing known as the military is a government service. I could go on and on about the horrible and awful social services in America, but I think some may be starting to get the picture.

Some however, probably still think it would be best to privatize these services, so the costs can go higher and the services get cut to obtain more profit. Don't for a minute think that wouldn't happen either, because you would be fooling yourself with a disingenuous concept of capitalism.

Let's bust a common age-old myth right now... competition does not always produce the best product.

Heresy, you say!

Well... like the statement or not, it's sad but true.

Once goods and services reach an equilibrium among competitors, the only thing left is two options. One is to either add more to the goods or service, thus driving the cost up. (You didn't think they would add more and keep the cost the same or lower did you?) The only other option is to lower the cost for the same goods and services, but then that takes a cut out of the bottom line, the ol' profit margin. If the profit margin begins to look less rosy, under capitalism, a manufacturer or retailer then abandons those goods or services for greener ($$$) pastures, whether or not those less profitable goods or services are necessary for a better society. Like it or not, capitalism does come with its own shortcomings.

You see, the key here is, we've all been sold a false bill of goods when it comes to defining socialism. It has been in the corporate private sector's best interest to get us all to think of socialism as an evil, bad thing. They want us to think that, so that we fully and openly embrace capitalism (economic rape), the system that takes from the poor and gives to the rich.

Please believe me, I'm not here to knock capitalism as much as I am writing to set the record straight on the misperceptions of socialism. Capitalism can be a good thing, when it has checks and balances to keep it from being overly greedy and bleeding a society dry of its wealth. We have no such system in place for capitalism, so just maybe we need some reform for that too?

I think if Jesus were walking the earth today, he might be overturning a few more money tables as he did once before. It's certainly a pretty safe bet.

Maybe it's time to think twice about whether social programs have a greater benefit to us all, rather than privatizing for the benefit of only a few.

Health care would be a pretty damn good spot to begin.

Other Timely Op/Eds from NewsFocus:

Lemmings & Leaders. Which Are You?

The Great Divide. Who Is Splintering America?