What have we learned over the past 2,063 years?

[Steve Chambers]

Doug K. Wrote:That is how a democracy works, but most of what I hear from Mr. Obama borders on socialism..

And none of it (socialism) is in the constitution...

Steve Chambers

[DeckApe]

exray Wrote:...My fear is that he too will have to drag a totally useless and apathetic and beligerent Congress thru things like showing up for work to do the Country's business! .

Y'know, I think there you've hit the nail right on the head. Congress would be a whole lot more interested in the welfare of Social Security if they had to participate in it.

[Guest]

Doug K. Wrote:That is how a democracy works, but most of what I hear from Mr. Obama borders on socialism..

Nothing that Barack Obama speaks of borders on socialism: What he is in favor of is the only thing that keeps our economy from imploding and that is regulated capitalism. We have just seen once again what unfettered capitalism [Laissez-faire] does: concentrate wealth in the hands of the very richest. Human endeavors thrive best with reasonable boundaries.

As a mental exercise ask yourself: if the stock market takes a dive like it has over the past year and 'trillions of dollars' are lost, then you have to ask yourself, who is buying? Follow the money. Ford made stacks of money buying foreclosed farms in the '30s.

If anyone near the White House smacks of socialist, it would be its current resident, George Bush, who has done more to socialize our economy than anyone since Reagan.

Even Obama's most progressive initiative, to modify the current health care system, is not socialism. Socialism would mean that the government owned and operated the health care system. None of the major Democratic candidates suggested any such thing.

[exray]

rafael Wrote:Even Obama's most progressive initiative, to modify the current health care system, is not socialism. Socialism would mean that the government owned and operated the health care system. None of the major Democratic candidates suggested any such thing.

The system itself may not be but the Robin Hood method of paying for it sure isn't a capitalist concept. Thats just semantics anyway. I'm in favor of government cracking the whip on the health care industry so that some sort of universal health care scheme can be made affordable. The voiced concept of making the single 'upper' tax bracket pay for it alone is just campaign bullshirt and smells like a dangerous populist call for vengeance. Guess who is going to be really pissed off when it doesn't happen?

[Doug K.]

Old Abe knew- "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves". --Abraham Lincoln