GenSeneca
Well-Known Member
Democrats - I refer to those in Washington, the ones I watch on C-Span telling me how much better they could run the country through the power of government. These people are dangerous to America in so many ways...
First, a little about Socialism: Socialism preys on the fact that there is no perfect system. Democratic Socialism points to, or creates, flaws in a democratic system of government to then exploit the weakness by injecting permanent government "solutions" in its place. These solutions often are far worse than the problem - so the Government must provide several more "Solutions" to fix the "Unintended Consequences" that resulted from the original.
Slowly but surely, like an infectious, parasitic disease, Socialism has been spreading through our body politic.
1. Mortgages. The current debacle over "predatory lenders": Democrats in Congress found that relatively few loans were being issued to upper lower class citizens and, using their preferred argument, said that "poor and minorities were hardest hit" by this inequity, making them victims of discrimination.
The Mortgage lenders argued it was a legitimate business practice to refuse loans based on projected long term ability to repay the debt. The Democrats pounced on the fact that loans to the lower classes were charged the highest rates while the upper classes received much lower rates, again claiming victimization.
The Lenders retorted by pointing out that the loans garnishing the highest rates were also the highest risk and historically more likely to be defaulted upon by the client. Defaulted loans cost the company a considerable amount of capital, which subjects the companies shareholders to lower rates of return on their investment, and nobody like to foreclose on a home.
Congress deemed it a discriminatory practice and threatened fines if more high risk loans were not granted. To avoid the fines, companies began issuing more of the high risk loans, with traditional high risk rates, and it wasn't long before some of these loans were being defaulted upon by the client and forced into foreclosure. Placed in this catch 22 by the government, the lenders were now forced back into Congress and asked to explain the explosion in defaulted loans.
Congress is again crying foul. Now these companies are "Predatory Lenders" and Democrats in Congress want the government to step in and purchase the debts. This allows the companies to continue issuing loans to high risk clients, without taking a direct risk in loss of revenue, and keeps freshly defaulted loans supplied to the government, at taxpayer expense. All the while manufacturing a negative view of these companies in public opinion.
Using this tactic of creating problems where there were none, as an excuse for greater governmental intervention, private lenders will be squeezed out of the mortgage lending business, like the buyout of Bear Stearns, while government slowly takes its place with bureaucratic agencies like HUD. Eventually, after the butchering of lenders reputation in the public and the Democrats railing about mounting losses to the taxpayer, the people will demand government takes over even more of the private mortgage lending.
Foreclosures in the private sector are something Democrats pretend to care about - because they can say the free market has failed when they set it up for failure. Democrats are never asked about the RECORD number of TAX foreclosures.... You owe money to a bank? Government will pay for you with taxpayer money. You owe money to the Government? HUD will be taking your home and selling it at auction.
Control, Redistribution, Dependency.
2. Taxes. Every single Democrat is pushing, as they always do, for higher taxes across the board. The newest vehicle for creating this heavy progressive tax resides in fears of Global Warming. The Democrats have not proposed any "solutions" to GW that didn't invovle massive new taxes and control in all areas of public life.... including a tax for those who wish to fire up the grill during the summer. Control through taxation.
3. The Death Tax/Estate Tax. Democrats are the biggest proponents of the death tax, insisting that its not only a necessity but also not "progressive" enough and should be raised. They openly admit in Congress that this is the best way to prevent the inheritance of wealth, which they argue is better served if redistributed. i.e. absorbed by the state. Failure to redistribute this wealth hits poor and minorities the hardest. Redistribution of Wealth.
4. Universal Healthcare. They started with the elderly, paraded them around as victims and demanded they be taken care of by the state. After that worked so well, they paraded out the children and got state sponsored care for them as well. Now the only segment of the population not covered is the middle group that already pays for the other two. They are the only group left and victimized by the most expensive, although the best, healhcare system in the world. So now the argument is, they should be covered as well, starting with the poor and minorities.
Democrats are best buddies with Trial lawyers - who sue doctors and hospitals out of business for a living - so one of the major causes for the cost of healthcare is not addressed by Democrats, frivolous and exorbitant lawsuits to healthcare providers. Around 80% of lawsuits are settled out of court, so lawyers have to do very little work to get a very big paycheck. The cost is then passed on from the hospital, or doctor, to the people under their care and the consumers split that bill. Allowing this practice to continue has served the Democrats intended purpose - to make healthcare something people want the Government to provide. Dependency.
5. Education. Higher education brings with it the associated costs, which have grown by as much as 17% a year. Colleges charge for their service based upon the capitalist principle of supply and demand. Democrats in government are always pushing for greater sums of money to be made available for those wishing to attend college.
Democrats have super saturated the market with the availability of government money, making the supply of money far greater than the demand. This imbalance allows the colleges to raise rates far more than necessary every year. The Democrats cry foul that the costs are growing so quickly and once again complain that poor and minorities are hardest hit, thus more government money must be made available to counter the inequity. This completes the illusion which has been repeated every election cycle in Congress.
Eventually the amount of revenue going to education will make it more cost effective for government to take over higher education altogether, in the socialist image of European Universities.
Dependency, Control, Indoctrination.
6. Urban Sprawl. Urban sprawl is the derogatory term bandied about by Democrats, meant to dissuade the decentralization of populations. Democrats like people crammed into cities where they are more dependent on the local government for transportation and other necessities. Allowing the spread of sprawl removes much needed revenue from the cities, with the poor and minorities hardest hit by this reduction. City dwellers are less likely to own property and property owners are more likely to vote Republican. Hence the concentration of Democrat districts in urban and coastal areas while the Republicans dominate the sub-urban and rural areas of the nation.
Consolidation of Power and Increased Dependency.
---------------------------------------------------
Everything the Democrats do has the effect of Consolidating and Centralizing Power away from individuals, Redistributing Wealth, Controlling the Population as well as creating new programs that expand the number people dependent on the government. Pure, unadulterated Socialism thats creeping up slowly.
Democrats have the uncanny ability to point to Republicans and make them out to be a force for evil and corruption. Never mind that Democrats outspend Republicans in earmarks by a 3-1 ratio... Don't let it bother you that Democrats are criminally indicted and found guilty - also in nearly a 3-1 ratio against Republicans. While the Democrats have the country watching out the window - looking at the Republicans for signs of Fascism, Democrats are sneaking an authoritarian Socialist State through the back door.
Giving Democrats a big ol pass when they fail, but insisting Republicans are thrown out, just makes things worse.... Just look at Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco, both were horribly inept leading up to and after the disaster in New Orleans but we all know Bush, 2000 miles away, is the one blamed for Katrina.
Before I'm written off as a Republican Cheerleader - the Republicans have a bad reputation and are watched under a microscope, all for good reason and that shouldn't change. However, Democrats should receive the same scrutiny we place on Republicans and both should be held to the same standard.
First, a little about Socialism: Socialism preys on the fact that there is no perfect system. Democratic Socialism points to, or creates, flaws in a democratic system of government to then exploit the weakness by injecting permanent government "solutions" in its place. These solutions often are far worse than the problem - so the Government must provide several more "Solutions" to fix the "Unintended Consequences" that resulted from the original.
Slowly but surely, like an infectious, parasitic disease, Socialism has been spreading through our body politic.
1. Mortgages. The current debacle over "predatory lenders": Democrats in Congress found that relatively few loans were being issued to upper lower class citizens and, using their preferred argument, said that "poor and minorities were hardest hit" by this inequity, making them victims of discrimination.
The Mortgage lenders argued it was a legitimate business practice to refuse loans based on projected long term ability to repay the debt. The Democrats pounced on the fact that loans to the lower classes were charged the highest rates while the upper classes received much lower rates, again claiming victimization.
The Lenders retorted by pointing out that the loans garnishing the highest rates were also the highest risk and historically more likely to be defaulted upon by the client. Defaulted loans cost the company a considerable amount of capital, which subjects the companies shareholders to lower rates of return on their investment, and nobody like to foreclose on a home.
Congress deemed it a discriminatory practice and threatened fines if more high risk loans were not granted. To avoid the fines, companies began issuing more of the high risk loans, with traditional high risk rates, and it wasn't long before some of these loans were being defaulted upon by the client and forced into foreclosure. Placed in this catch 22 by the government, the lenders were now forced back into Congress and asked to explain the explosion in defaulted loans.
Congress is again crying foul. Now these companies are "Predatory Lenders" and Democrats in Congress want the government to step in and purchase the debts. This allows the companies to continue issuing loans to high risk clients, without taking a direct risk in loss of revenue, and keeps freshly defaulted loans supplied to the government, at taxpayer expense. All the while manufacturing a negative view of these companies in public opinion.
Using this tactic of creating problems where there were none, as an excuse for greater governmental intervention, private lenders will be squeezed out of the mortgage lending business, like the buyout of Bear Stearns, while government slowly takes its place with bureaucratic agencies like HUD. Eventually, after the butchering of lenders reputation in the public and the Democrats railing about mounting losses to the taxpayer, the people will demand government takes over even more of the private mortgage lending.
Foreclosures in the private sector are something Democrats pretend to care about - because they can say the free market has failed when they set it up for failure. Democrats are never asked about the RECORD number of TAX foreclosures.... You owe money to a bank? Government will pay for you with taxpayer money. You owe money to the Government? HUD will be taking your home and selling it at auction.
Control, Redistribution, Dependency.
2. Taxes. Every single Democrat is pushing, as they always do, for higher taxes across the board. The newest vehicle for creating this heavy progressive tax resides in fears of Global Warming. The Democrats have not proposed any "solutions" to GW that didn't invovle massive new taxes and control in all areas of public life.... including a tax for those who wish to fire up the grill during the summer. Control through taxation.
3. The Death Tax/Estate Tax. Democrats are the biggest proponents of the death tax, insisting that its not only a necessity but also not "progressive" enough and should be raised. They openly admit in Congress that this is the best way to prevent the inheritance of wealth, which they argue is better served if redistributed. i.e. absorbed by the state. Failure to redistribute this wealth hits poor and minorities the hardest. Redistribution of Wealth.
4. Universal Healthcare. They started with the elderly, paraded them around as victims and demanded they be taken care of by the state. After that worked so well, they paraded out the children and got state sponsored care for them as well. Now the only segment of the population not covered is the middle group that already pays for the other two. They are the only group left and victimized by the most expensive, although the best, healhcare system in the world. So now the argument is, they should be covered as well, starting with the poor and minorities.
Democrats are best buddies with Trial lawyers - who sue doctors and hospitals out of business for a living - so one of the major causes for the cost of healthcare is not addressed by Democrats, frivolous and exorbitant lawsuits to healthcare providers. Around 80% of lawsuits are settled out of court, so lawyers have to do very little work to get a very big paycheck. The cost is then passed on from the hospital, or doctor, to the people under their care and the consumers split that bill. Allowing this practice to continue has served the Democrats intended purpose - to make healthcare something people want the Government to provide. Dependency.
5. Education. Higher education brings with it the associated costs, which have grown by as much as 17% a year. Colleges charge for their service based upon the capitalist principle of supply and demand. Democrats in government are always pushing for greater sums of money to be made available for those wishing to attend college.
Democrats have super saturated the market with the availability of government money, making the supply of money far greater than the demand. This imbalance allows the colleges to raise rates far more than necessary every year. The Democrats cry foul that the costs are growing so quickly and once again complain that poor and minorities are hardest hit, thus more government money must be made available to counter the inequity. This completes the illusion which has been repeated every election cycle in Congress.
Eventually the amount of revenue going to education will make it more cost effective for government to take over higher education altogether, in the socialist image of European Universities.
Dependency, Control, Indoctrination.
6. Urban Sprawl. Urban sprawl is the derogatory term bandied about by Democrats, meant to dissuade the decentralization of populations. Democrats like people crammed into cities where they are more dependent on the local government for transportation and other necessities. Allowing the spread of sprawl removes much needed revenue from the cities, with the poor and minorities hardest hit by this reduction. City dwellers are less likely to own property and property owners are more likely to vote Republican. Hence the concentration of Democrat districts in urban and coastal areas while the Republicans dominate the sub-urban and rural areas of the nation.
Consolidation of Power and Increased Dependency.
---------------------------------------------------
Everything the Democrats do has the effect of Consolidating and Centralizing Power away from individuals, Redistributing Wealth, Controlling the Population as well as creating new programs that expand the number people dependent on the government. Pure, unadulterated Socialism thats creeping up slowly.
Democrats have the uncanny ability to point to Republicans and make them out to be a force for evil and corruption. Never mind that Democrats outspend Republicans in earmarks by a 3-1 ratio... Don't let it bother you that Democrats are criminally indicted and found guilty - also in nearly a 3-1 ratio against Republicans. While the Democrats have the country watching out the window - looking at the Republicans for signs of Fascism, Democrats are sneaking an authoritarian Socialist State through the back door.
Giving Democrats a big ol pass when they fail, but insisting Republicans are thrown out, just makes things worse.... Just look at Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco, both were horribly inept leading up to and after the disaster in New Orleans but we all know Bush, 2000 miles away, is the one blamed for Katrina.
Before I'm written off as a Republican Cheerleader - the Republicans have a bad reputation and are watched under a microscope, all for good reason and that shouldn't change. However, Democrats should receive the same scrutiny we place on Republicans and both should be held to the same standard.
