The Protest of Idiots

8 Thoughts About the Last Debate #6

Backed into a corner, McCain, like so many Republicans in the past, is claiming that Obama wants to operate, essentially, in a socialist fashion. Of course, Senator McCain doesn't use the word, but he got his point across. "In other words, we're going to take Joe's money, give it to Senator Obama, and let him spread the wealth around." Redistribution of wealth? McCain isn't exactly subtle with the point.

While many people aren't smart enough to really understand the difference between true socialism and what Obama s proposing, let's try to boil it down to the simplest of points. Obama is not looking to eliminate the free market, he's looking to regulate it. He is not proposing total control of our economy by the government; he's looking to make capitalism work for everybody. He is proposing more government involvement in many aspects of our existence, especially with regard to health care. Still, Obama cannot be reasonably labeled a socialist.

The socialist accusation is an outrageous one. The most obvious reason for this accusation (from people who should know better, like John McCain for instance) is to recall the U.S.S.R. and brand socialism as an evil and anyone associated with it as dangerous. If the Republicans are to be believed, Obama plans to tax the rich right back into the middle class. He will steal their wealth and give it to the poor blacks and Latinos. Boo!

Not one single rich individual will be anything except still rich under the Obama tax plan. This is not a redistribution of wealth. To be more accurate, it would be asking a group of Americans to pay their just dues since they derive more from a safe and secure America. Asking the rich to pay their fair share is not acting as a socialist, it's acting fairly.