Socialism anyone?

The "S" word has been bandied about alot lately especially by the Republicans when describing this recent stimulus bill. I am talking about "socialism". It seems that the democrats are ashamed of this label. Why? Lets face it. This country has been slowly sliding in a direction of Keynesian socialism long before this. A little here and a little there implemented by Republicans as well as Democrats but more by Democrats. We all benefit in some way by a little socialism now and then. Maybe an unemployment check, government grant for college tuition, social security check, social security disability, welfare check, WIC, food stamps, minimum wage, SCHIP program, public education etc. My questions are these:

What is the difference between the Democrat Party and the Socialist Party? And why are they ashamed of being labeled Socialists? And cant most Americans admit that they really want a Socialist form of government?

 

Half of the voting public in the United States voted for Obama. Are they voting for Socialism? Are Americans expecting Socialism to produce the same affluence that most enjoy in a Capitalist system?

 

But they are being duped if they think socialism will pad their pocketbooks. The United States has been and still is the most affluent society in the world because of Capitalism, not Socialism.

 

There is no point in arguing with Jim. He is a proud Canadian.

 

Canada - Just another example of how Socialism WORKS!



But does it really work?Just Society: Pierre Trudeau started the Canadian cause for a society where no one "should be entitled to superflous or luxury goods until the essentials of life are made available to everyone", which set the tone for modern day Canada, in spite of the policy's devastatingly Socialistic after-effects.

one of the strongest social safety nets in the world: Welfare is widely defrauded by citizens as well as new immigrants, with hard-working Canadian citizens paying for every cent. While certain provinces, such as Ontario, have taken steps to eradicate fraud (and to get capable workers back into the workforce), these policies have been widely criticized as �violations of human rights.� As it stands right now, a person fully capable of working can remain on welfare for their entire life, if they so choose.

efficient and provides excellent service to everyone: The inefficiency of government control has resulted in outrageous waiting lists for services such as cancer treatment. Waiting lists for cancer treatment are considerably longer than the American average and �the times are also longer than what radiation oncologists consider to be the medically acceptable maximum� (Fraser Institute). Furthermore, in 1999, over 120 people were removed from the coronary by-pass surgery waiting list in Ontario because they had been on it so long, they were so unhealthy that they would not survive the surgery anyway. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has also ranked Canada low for the availability of MRI and CT scanners although Canada ranked fifth for health care costs. Similar problems plague almost every area of the system.

user fees: The majority of Canadians choose to believe that more government funding is the answer to health care problems. Most Canadians refuse to even entertain the idea of user fees, which even Sweden has implemented as part of the answer to dealing with patients who go to the doctor for every sniffle or cough.

Canadian economy: The Canadian rate of productivity, which is directly connected to the standard of living in a nation, continues to slow, particularly in comparison to the United States. The high Canadian tax rate discourages business growth and investment and our high level of debt (which owes great thanks to Trudeau�s massive expansion of social services in 1970�s) has contributed to the low value of the Canadian dollar.

best and brightest to come to Canada to work: The chief executive of one of Canada�s top high-tech companies said it best when he said, �we sure have not created an economic climate to keep our top talent ... and wealth creators here for the coming century� (John Roth, CEO of Nortel). The low value of the Canadian dollar, the ability of American companies to adequately pay for highly-skilled workers, and the high rate of taxation has led to a �brain drain.� As Roth said, �the top marginal tax rate in the United States just moved from $283,000 to $285,000. Canada's top rate starts at $65,000 Canadian, or $42,000 U.S. So in Canada, you are wealthy at $42,000 U.S. In America, you're wealthy at $285,000 U.S."

redistribution of wealth: Hardly a fair system. The provinces of Ontario and Alberta are the only net contributors to the economy of the country and are punished for this by having their wealth taken. Despite being morally wrong, this system of �taking from the rich to give to the poor� is rife with flaws. A family in Alberta with a household income of $30,000 - $40,000 will pay out over $3000 for equalization payments, while a family in the province of Newfoundland which has a household income of over $100,000 will receive over a $1000 in benefits. Furthermore, these equalization payments have not led to economic development in the areas receiving them, ensuring that the system will never end.

supports labour unions: Canadian law has given labour unions the right to force people to join as a condition of employment, in violation of the right to freedom of association.

the concept of rehabilitation and human rights: There is no system of consecutive sentencing in Canada, resulting in such recent cases as the five year sentence given to a man who had a large role in the 1985 Air India bombing which killed 329 people. Many Canadian police officers have become frustrated as people convicted of such crimes as break and enter are routinely let off with light probation.

Charter of Rights and Freedoms: While the Charter seems to defend such basic rights as �freedom of expression,� its preamble enshrines religious values (�Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law�) rather than a separation of church and state which any free nation should have. This allows for the continued public funding of Catholic schools, which even the UN has declared is a violation of civil rights.

More important, Section 33 of the Charter has the infamous �notwithstanding clause� which allows for any provincial government to violate fundamental freedoms if they pass an act of Parliament. This has most famously occurred in Quebec to violate the rights of non-Francophones.

world�s strongest democracies with an accountable government: There is no limit to how long any Canadian politician, including the prime minister, can stay in power. The British-style Parliamentary system allows for a party to form a majority with only 40% of the popular vote. Furthermore, the West in particular does not get an adequate vote, a problem which had contributed to the Western Separation movement. In addition, Jean Chretien�s �reign� as Prime Minister has been marked by patronage appointments, scandal and corruption, in which billions of dollars have been misappropriated. He has centralized the power of Parliament within the Prime Minister�s Office and maintains strict controls over his fellow Liberal Party members to prevent dissent. Amongst the critics of his government, he has been called �The Friendly Dictator.� Even the leader of the Canadian citizen�s group Democracy Watch, who has co-written a book with ultra-socialist Ralph Nader, does not consider Canada a democracy any longer due to the centralization of power.