BY SHARON MARTIN
Why do some people get downright belligerent when you mention the word socialism? They’ve been programed to get mad about it. They’ve been conned into being afraid of it.
Politicians who can’t win on working policies have learned to win with misdirection. Make people afraid of something or someone, and they will vote against their own interests.
Is the situation dire in Venezuela? Yes. Is it because of socialism? No.
It’s not socialism if a dictator seizes public companies and keeps them for himself and a few generals. Venezuela isn’t a socialist country. It is a lesson in how quickly a thriving democracy can become a dictatorship.
This, not some abstract economic theory, is why we should be afraid.
You don’t have to hate socialism to love capitalism. Economics isn’t either/or, regardless of what you’ve been taught to oppose. We can start our own businesses, engage in vigorous commerce, and still have a social safety net paid for by reasonable taxes.
Do you hate regulations?
Do you flinch when someone throws out the term government overreach?
How do you feel about unions?
I daresay what you believe about any of these things you believe either because of experience, because you’ve done your research, or because some politician or talking head convinced you with their talking points. Only two of these reasons are valid.
We will not be free in this country unless people do their own thinking. We will not be free if we are ruled by fear and loathing [to borrow an apt phrase] manufactured to control you.
Engage in conversation, read widely, and think for yourself! But all that won’t do any good unless you vote your convictions. Vote in every election. If you don’t, you can just sit back and watch our hard-earned freedoms taken away by folks who are up to no good.
– Sharon Martin lives in Oilton, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer. Her latest book, Not A Prodigal, is available through Barnes and Noble. Her recent children’s book, Froggy Bottom Blues, can be purchased in hardcover or paperback from Doodle and Peck Publishingand in paperback from Amazon.
