Is America a Socialist Country?
What is Socialism? To the educated, there are several definitions and descriptions, which are somewhat complicated and wordy. I think to the average American, Socialism is when the Government gives taxpayer money to people who haven't earned it, as in health care or education, food stamps, Social Security, welfare programs and the like.
Perhaps you've heard of the concept of Universal Basic Income. It's a form of cash payments given to directly to people (for example, adult U.S. citizens) in order to increase their income, with little or no requirements for receiving the money and no repayment. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are proponents of some kind of program like this; you know, the whacko Left-Wingers.
The average American taxpayer recoils at the very thought of this free money, as anything the radical left suggests will cause any "right-minded" American to howl in protest.
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Have you ever heard of the Alaska Dividend? If memory serves, since oil started flowing out of Alaska in about 1982, a program was started called the APF or Alaska Permanent Fund. It seems that every adult or child who resides in Alaska for a full calendar year receives free money from the State. In 2019 it was $1,606.00 and in 2020 it was $992.00. Since the 1960’s, Alaska has been Republican and Conservative, so how can this be that money is just being given away to people for free?
It turns out that the State of Alaska owns the land under which the oil is found, and the oil companies pay for the right to drill and extract that oil. That money is paid directly to the residents of Alaska. Every year this money supports and boosts the Alaskan economy.
Does this “free money” given to directly to people who haven't earned it make Alaska a Socialist paradise? Absolutely not. It turns out that it’s just good business, and good business is what Republicans are all about. I wonder if there is some kind of lesson here?
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In the U.S., it is rather commonplace to see welfare recipients, people on food stamps, disabled vets on the side of the road, and anyone on any form of public assistance made to feel guilty that they need help. They are called lazy and incompetent, with little regard for the circumstances. While there are some people who take advantage of the system, there are millions that desperately need help, and social welfare programs are the only thing standing between them and poverty. Apparently though, the name calling and demonization are only for poor American citizens, many of them minorities, with their hands out.
But it's not just individuals looking for a hand out. It is estimated that we gave $16.8 TRILLION to Wall Street and big banks in the bailout and they certainly didn't earn it.
In one year alone,
- Nike shoes got $2.03 Billion.
- Royal Dutch Shell got $2.04 Billion.
- Fiat Chrysler got $2.06 Billion.
- Ford got $2.52 Billion.
- General Motors got $3.58 Billion.
- Intel got $3.87 Billion.
- Alcoa got $5.64 Billion.
- Boeing got $13.18 Billion.
Why is it that we will give away money wholesale to the fat cats on Wall Street and big business and call it "good business", but when we give anything to the homeless or disabled veterans, health insurance to every American or Social Security to the elderly, everybody calls it "Socialism"?
If Socialism is giving away taxpayer money to those who haven't earned it, it seems we're already a socialist country. We just don't give the money to the poor.
Maybe it’s time to rethink who we should be helping....