I want to share a fable with you, from Aseop.
The Dog and The Wolf
There one was a Wolf so skinny that he was nearly dead with hunger. He met a Dog who lived in a house in town.
The Dog saw the Wolf was near death. “Dear Wolf,” said the Dog, “your wild life will be the end of you. Why not work as I do, and get your food given to you each day?”
“I would be willing to try anything,” said the Wolf, “if I could just get a place to live and something to eat.”
“I can take care of that for you,” said the Dog. “Come with me to my master and you can share my work.”
As the Wolf and Dog made their way to the town, the Wolf saw that the hair on the Dog’s neck was worn very thin.
“Dear Dog,” said the Wolf. “Why is the hair on your neck worn so thin that your skin shows?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about that,” said the Dog. “That is just the place where my master puts the collar on my neck each night. After supper, I am chained. You will get used to it.”
“Is that what it costs to eat every day?” said the Wolf. “Then good-bye, Friend Dog. I would rather starve and be free.”
Many people in this country are much like the Wolf at the beginning when he says, “I would be willing to try anything if I could just get a place to live and something to eat.” We are tired of things the way they are and so we are looking for “change.” But at what cost? Anything? Our freedom? The Wolf learned, before it was too late. But, sadly, I don’t think I can see the same for many of my fellow Americans. Most people won’t figure it out until it is too late, and the “hair on their necks are worn so thin that their skin shows.”
We are watching our freedoms slip slowly away, ever so slightly. The Constitution is being disregarded at an alarming rate! I hope people wake up before we are saying, “Oh, it’s nothing. You will get used to it.”
I found this great article by David Limbaugh today about Obama. Clearly Obama is a Socialist, as this other astue blogger points out. Socialism is evil! I just wish I could trust McCain not to go down the socialism road, too. But, alas, I cannot.
Your fable is not so compelling. Most societies try to strike a balance between “freedom” and “community responsibility.” We want to be free to practice our religion, change jobs, vote how we want to, live where we want to live, etc. etc. But we also benefit greatly from society pulling together for the benefit of the whole. Social security is evil? Medicare is evil? Public education is evil?
Not perfect systems, of course, but … so worthy of such derision? For many people in this country, those “socialist” safety nets make a huge difference.
I’d say it is equally horrible to die in the “wild,” like the wolf, as it is to live at night at the end of a chain. Many would argue that the Wolf did not make the right decision.
The trick is to strike the right balance between off-chain time and a little help from society.
So-called “socialist” policies make Europe a pretty darn nice place to live. People are still free in ALL the respects that we are here. Only they are also “free” from worrying about a catastrophic illness bankrupting their family. They are “free” from worrying if they can ever send their kids to college. Evil “socialists” in Europe have made things like free tuition and healthcare part of the fabric of life. And are their societies collapsing? Hardly.
What is so “evil” about life in places like Germany and France? Sure, they have their problems. Their healthcare systems are not perfect (though Germany’s comes pretty close). But evil?
“Freedom” is a beautful thing. No one disputes that. But what exactly do you mean by freedom? Which of your “freedoms” would be compromised by Obama being elected? Would you no longer be able to practice your religion? Would you no longer be able to travel when and where you want to? Would you no longer be able to marry the person you wish to marry, have as many kids as you want, live where you want to live? Could you no longer voice your opinon about how much you hated the president? Could you no longer read the newspapers you want to read?
Would you no longer be “free” to have your tax money being spent on propping up a puppet government in Iraq and sending more of our soldiers over there to die? Would you no longer be free to … what?
What freedoms would you lose? Please enlighten me.
thanks for listening.
Monica
First of all, public education is horrible. Social security is going bankrupt and so is Medicare. We should honor our commitment to those that are depending on these programs, but then something MUST change. How can they benefit society if they are BROKE? Entitlement programs are costing our country a countless amount, and don’t really help. They are hand outs. What would really help are programs that teach people how to help themselves.
Secondly, supposing the wolf did make bad choices that caused him to be in a bad situation, why is it society’s resposibility to “save” him. Why shouldn’t he face the consequences of his own choices? Why couldn’t society just teach him how to get food, instead of constantly providing it for him?
Next, the policies in Europe are not “so-called ’socialist.’” They are socialist. There is nothing so-called about it.
“People are still free in ALL the respects that we are here.” Really? Are they free to choose their leaders like we are? Are they free to bear arms to protect themselves? Are they free to choose the kind of medical care they want? I think not.
“Only they are also “free” from worrying about a catastrophic illness bankrupting their family.” Sure, they are also free to not get quality medical care, sit on waiting lists waiting to see a doctor or proper treatment. They are also free to not have to pay for their medications. But, in some countries, they aren’t always given the medication they need.
They are “free” from worrying if they can ever send their kids to college. Right again. However, you must ask yourself what kind of college education are they getting? I would argue that it is not generally going to be very good, because there is no insentive for it to be. You are going to get what you pay for.
“Evil “socialists” in Europe have made things like free tuition and healthcare part of the fabric of life. And are their societies collapsing? Hardly.” Actually, you might want to take another look. What is your definition of collapsing? If bad medical care, bad education, no free market, and widespread poverty are signs of a good society, then I guess they are doing really well. When you redistrubte wealth, take away capitalism and competition, and hand people everything they need, they have no need to strive and do their best. Why would someone want to work and work and try to build wealth when it will just be taken from them in one form of entitlements or another? Why would someone work hard for a paycheck when their government will just hand them what they need? Why should someone who works hard have to support someone that doesn’t?
You praise these European systems, but don’t realize the cost involved. Go back and look at the governments in those countries you admire so much. They are going BROKE. And, did you know that young men in Germany are forced to serve in the military? They don’t have the freedom to choose if that is what they want to do. That’s not the army I’d want defending me. I’d prefer a military made up of people that want to be there and defend their country, because they will do a better job.
Many freedoms will be lost if Obama is elected: Free speech (see the Fairness Doctrine), the right to bear arms, and while we could marry those we want to, the sanctity of marriage will be lost, and so will the sancity of life. I’ll no longer be free to do with my money as I please and aspire to be something more. I may no longer be free to homeschool my children. As far as our military, Obama may bring them home from Iraq, but he will also cut their funding and leave us wide open for another terrorist attack. I would no longer be free to have an amazing military to protect me. I could go on and on, but I’m tired.
As far as socialism being evil, it is. Taking away people’s fundamental right to choose (called agency) is evil.
Oh, and by the way, he doesn’t like the constitiution and thinks it’s flawed. He has contempt for our Founding Fathers also. How can a man who despises the Constitution take an oath to uphold and protect it?
>>> “Social security is going bankrupt and so is Medicare?”
Can you imagine what would have happened had Bush succeeded in moving social security to the stock market. Uh, to the wolves?
And Medicare is in trouble only because of the politicians who were corrupted by Big Pharma money! Otherwise Medicare-for-all would be the best thing that could happen to this nations economy and business climate. See http://moneyedpoliticians.wordpress.com/medicare-for-all
Only public funding of campaigns will save this country. In the meantime socialism is not so bad to a lot of us.
Jack Lohman
http:/MoneyedPoliticians.net