Got a letter from my liberal cousin today

 Got a letter from my liberal cousin today

Got a letter from my liberal cousin today extolling the virtues of Obamacare and government medical system. As I pondered this I realized this was really about the situation in America today. Please read and let me know if you agree, disagree, etc. Please feel free to share as well.


There is a fundamental disagreement between us regarding the role of government in our lives.

You see, I happen to believe that as government, regulations and the welfare society has grown, our standard of living has fallen. One only needs to look at history to see this is the typical path of socialist societies. I believe government doesn't produce anything of any major value, because it has to take something out of the productive society to give to others...they call it wealth re-distribution! And as Margaret Thatcher once said: "Socialism is great until you run out of other peoples money." Maybe my read of history is wrong, but EVERY socialist economy has either failed or is doing poorly.....this goes throughout history.

The other problem is this little thing we call human nature. You see, once again, human nature is such that once given either a safety net or a government check.....individual incentive to succeed is lessened and success becomes muted. Look at all the Socialist so called Democracies of Europe who are much farther down the road to Socialism than we are: The unemployment rates are 50% higher than ours, their taxes are 50% higher than ours, their Socialized medicine programs, while giving everyone "free" medical care...are much inferior to ours and finally their EU economies have not produced jobs and wealth at anywhere near the rates that the US has been able to do over the last 50 years.

So the bottom line for me is the following: I would like the government to stay the hell out of private healthcare. I would like the safety net to be removed from all those, except for those who absolutely CANNOT work and people should go back to their Churches, Synagogues and communities for assistance. (Notice I didn't say Mosques- If it were up to me, I'd blow those Ragheads right off the face of the Earth before they do that to Israel) I would like this country to get rid of the idea that "Americans won't do those jobs" so that's why we have to bring in illegals at 1/2 our labor rates and lower the standard of living for everyone. I would like any temporary welfare payments to be such that they get the minimum....and not enough to get by on so they have to work to survive. And mostly the worst thing that has ever happened to this country, and even warned about by Roosevelt during the depression, is that advent of public unions! If I were in charge they'd be gone Monday morning......

The difference between you and me is that you think giving people a safety net helps them, while I think ultimately it hurts them and society. I think a reading of the facts puts me on the right side of history on this one! (I.E. Detroit, Chicago, D.C., East St. Louis, New Orleans...would you like me to go on?)

And finally, please show me ONE example in the history of the world where socialist societies have been more successful than independent democracies have been. In fact please show me ONE successful socialist society that still exists, that's better than the USA!
  One more thing....While I also respect Mr. Friedman, I disagree with him about "this time it's different" and that's why we need socialized medicine. A look at history shows clearly it's about human nature and the ability to harness it's freedom that brings success....not the intervention of governments and new technologies. Amazing how all our ancestors came to America, got jobs, built lives, businesses and wealth without much government intervention or "social safety nets," and succeeded because they had NO choice to sit on their asses and collect welfare checks, food stamps and generally suck off the tit of society!

I do believe what you are seeing in Washington and American politics today is the intersection of people like you who believe in big government, social safety nets and all the losses of freedom that goes along with that. The reason that the politicians in DC won't compromise isn't because they are a bunch of assholes....although 99 44/100ths percent of them are.....it's because there is no place to compromise. We are at a crossroads in the US and are approaching the third revolution. The first being Independence from England, the second being the Civil War, and now the choice between larger and larger socialist type governance or going back to our successful roots as the worlds most successful Representative Democracy with smaller government, more freedoms and more individualism. I contend there is NO place to compromise between those two points of view! Please tell me where the compromise is, because I don't see it. All I can say is that I know for sure my way helped produce the most successful nation on earth....while your way produces Chicago, Detroit and every other inner city in America with poverty, drug use, crime, unwed mothers and generations of welfare dependence. I'll take my way, thank you!

P.S. The Government can't even spend a Billion dollars and get a web site working! They screw up pretty much everything they touch and you want them in charge of 1/6th of our economy? Really?