Framing the Dialogue

Posts Tagged ‘communism’

The Case For Democracy

In his book, Decision Points, President George W. Bush mentioned the impact of a book authored by a former Soviet dissident.  Natan Sharansky spent years in Soviet prisons simple because he was Jewish, wanted to leave the USSR, and was vocal about it.  Sharansky shares his experiences first as a political prisoner in the Soviet Union then as an Israeli official.  The Case For Democracy is his story and history as it relates to his experiences in perhaps the two most threatening periods of our time; The Cold War, and The Global War On Terror.  Sharansky provides a compelling case showing “the power of freedom to overcome tyranny & terror.”

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A New MLC

I would have expected the communist Castro to swing left-handed.

So what is “MLC” you ask.  It is Major League Communism and it has been in existence here in Pittsburgh for many years.  Major League Baseball has implemented a mini-communist experiment that would make Karl Marx proud “to each according to his needs and from each according to his ability” or as MLB calls it, revenue sharing.  This seems like a fair thing that the “richer” clubs pay more to support the “poor” clubs.  Maybe we should call this “Sports Justice.”

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Are You Smarter Than…

This posting is a quiz based on recent news stories and will test your ability to discern the correct answers to the questions.  Good Luck!

Are you smarter than politicians?

Question 1:  Senator John McCain and Senator Tom Coburn recently released a report, Summertime Blues, detailing some of the worst cases of wasted tax dollars.  We have almost become immune to these types pet projects that scream WASTE!  I don’t know where Sen. Coburn stands on the issue of earmark, but Senator McCain has been steadfast in his fight against them and has refused to participate and we should celebrate his efforts.  One of the items on the list was a mere $712,883.00 to build a machine that tells jokes.  Here is the test.  Which of the following is the machine?

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Hunky Dory

Before I start, I want to ensure you that since I am at least 75% Ruthenian and/or Slovak I have the proper standing to use the term “Hunky.”  I really never considered the label as derogatory and I always took some pride in calling myself a Hunky.  

The homelands of my ancestors have changed names so many times, I often hesitate when answering a question about my nationality.  I guess in today’s PC world I would be a Slovak-American, but an American none the less.  I got a shot of native homeland pride recently when I read an article about one of the home countries, Slovakia.

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We The Living

In most of my reviews I try very hard not to betray the story and allow you to discover it on your own.  In fiction I rarely tell more than what you might read on the inside cover and usually even less.  The fact that We the Living was Ayn Rand’s first novel blows me away.  She admits that many of the characters were influenced by her life.  From her Forward;

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Kitchen Kommunism

A lot of attention is being paid to socialism, Marxism, progressivism, and communism.  Quite a few Americans believe that the unholy trinity (Pelosi, Reid, and Obama) and their minions are dragging the United States closer to the European model of socialism or communism as evidenced by Obamacare, Obamacars, Obamabanks, and a vastly expanding federal government payroll.

Communism sounds like a great idea.  Everyone pitches in to get the work done and everyone shares in the wealth.  What could be better than that?

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The Law

The Law2Just a few days ago I commented on my desire for Americans to learn more about economics.  I also finished the post adding the need to learn about history.  The writings of Frederic Bastiat prove this second point.  Bastiat died in 1850 yet 160 years after his death words speak to many of the issues that we encounter today. 

In The Law, written shortly before his death, Bastiat makes a compelling case that law in France at the  time was being misused to commit legal plunder.  Laws passed that allow government to take from one person and give it to other persons to whom it does not belong do not change the fact that something is TAKEN from the first person or plundered.  The passage of such laws make the plunder legal.  We most recognize this plunder in the form of taxes.

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Socialism (soh-shuh-liz-uhm)

Socialism is defined as:

Socialism 2“an economic system of government which advocates state ownership of the means of production with equal distribution of goods among the people.”

  • Socialist governments own the banks, car companies, farmlands, factories, and stores, and is the only employer and consequently owns the means of production.  The government controls all investments, production, distribution, income, and prices, as well as all organizations, schools, news media and formerly private societies.
  • Socialism is the antithesis of capitalism, opposes private ownership of capital or land, and rejects the free market in favor of central planning. 
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