Why I am a Socialtarian

by D. Walker

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I voted for Barack Obama but I am not a Democrat.  Before you get your hopes up Michael Steele, let me say that I also do not agree with the Republican party platform.  So if I don’t fit into either of those two injudicious boxes, where do I fall you ask?   Well, I side with the greatest mind of the 20th century, Albert Einstein, in feeling that “we shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.”  Call me a radical.  Call me a dreamer.  Call me whatever derogatory political name you can think of as long as you also call me a Socialtarian.

I know what you’re thinking now – what the heck is a Socialtarian?  The truth is, I made up the term after realizing I equally subscribe to Socialism and many Libertarian ideals.  Before you capitalist pigs and liberal lilies accuse me of being oxymoronic, take a second to think outside the box for once.  Actually, to make things easier for you, let’s start inside your boxes.

First, Republicans, you guys supposedly stand for small government, fiscal responsibility, high moral standards, and deregulation of the economy.  Under the Bush Administration, the federal government ballooned and became a more pervasive presence in the everyday life of Americans.  “Freedom and liberty” was extended to Iraq, while I lost the right to have an untapped phone conversation at home.  Even more, we squandered a couple trillion dollars in our attempt to “liberate” Iraq and “organize” Afghanistan.  As far as moral standards are concerned, I’ve lost track of how many Republican public officials were tied up in corruption, sex, and crime scandals in the past few years (to be fair, I can say the same for Democrats, but this is not a cornerstone of their platform).

Those Republicans I find most intriguing are the purportedly “Conservative” members of the party.  Basing your belief system on “Christian” standards, you paradoxically subscribe to inequality, intolerance, and greed.  I remember debating with many of you when Joe The Plumber exposed Barack Obama’s tax plan as “socialist.” You guys threw a temper tantrum and completely lost your bearings!  The very same Republicans that argued that the foundations of American law should be more reflective of the Bible, were the same people that acknowledged that there should be no spreading of the wealth; there should be no universal healthcare; their tax dollars should not fund the rebuilding of better schools in neighborhoods they don’t live in.  Well why don’t we check what the Bible says?  Turn to 1 Corinthians 12:24-26. Are you ready?

“… God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, [25] so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. [26] If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

Don’t get me started on the countless other verses I could quote that undoubtedly prove the Bible is actually a socialistic doctrine.  So how can you “evangelical/morally conservative” Republicans sleep in peace knowing that you actually do not wish to see social equality?  I’ve never understood how you could wholeheartedly agree with the Bible, yet refuse to subscribe to the belief that at least some portion of the country’s wealth should be divided to eliminate poverty, grant universal healthcare, and promote a better education system for children in ALL communities.  It baffles me how you can quote Jesus in one breath and then tell me you don’t care about the greater welfare of your fellow citizens in the next breath.  I’ve even had conversations with many of you that seem to believe poor people are only poor because they chose not to work hard; you are completely ignorant to the socio economic factors that facilitate the perpetual cycle of poverty in the US and abroad.  The main factor is your GREED; your unwillingness to share for the greater benefit of the entire group.  Only after starting out with an equal chance at success, would it be fair to acknowledge that a person’s ultimate failures or triumphs were completely self induced.

On to the Democrats.  You guys don’t seem to have as much of a problem tossing money around.  You also claim to be proponents of equal rights.  But tossing money around willy nilly, and promoting a class of citizens dependent upon degrading welfare systems is not what I envision as conducive to a greater America.  Don’t give hungry people a fish and tell them to eat merrily; teach the people to fish so that they may feed themselves and others!  This starts with education.  Don’t blow our tax dollars on public housing facilities and benefit programs for lazy, uneducated people that will only pass down more ignorance to their offspring.  Create a universal standard for public education and public school facilities starting at Kindergarten.  Bailout our failing education system, not the corporations that will continue to erode our ethics, and deplete our financial resources.

In the area of equal rights, Democrats are all talk.  Look at the issue of gay marriage for example.  Whatever your religious affiliation, there is nothing in the Constitution that denies gay people the fundamental right to marry.  Yet, many top Democrats, including our 44th President, stand firmly in ignorance with the Right Wing when it comes to preventing gays from marriage.  I am a Christian, I go to Bible Study every Wednesday and church every Sunday.  I would like to study MA in Biblical Studies Israel abroad. The religious studies usually focus on teaching the principles and beliefs of a certain religion, such as Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. However, international universities and colleges also offer inter-religious degrees, or comparative religion classes, leading to careers in Education, Clergy, Social Work, or Community Service. But even I can see that the doctrine which governs the United States is the Constitution, not the Bible.  Why should I care whether two men or two women want to marry each other anyway?  As a straight male, this does not make dating more competitive for me.  It actually makes it easier, as those lesbians I might have hit on can more easily display that they’re off limits.  Are most Americans worried that the country will become somehow gayer if we allow homosexuals to marry?  Do you think that if we prevent them from marrying that they’ll eventually go away?  This is ludicrous!

This brings me to why I consider myself a Socialtarian.  I side with the Bible in believing that it is our job to collectively support one another.  I also believe in the inalienable rights of man – Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Anything that prevents these principles from manifesting is unjust and wasteful.  In our current state, capitalism unfairly lumps a large chunk of wealth into the hands of a tiny segment of our population.  This fosters the poverty, crime, and desperation that generates 90 percent of the world’s problems.  In the words of Einstein,

“the economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil. We see before us a huge community of producers, the members of which are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their collective labor — not by force, but on the whole in faithful compliance with legally established rules (Why Socialism by Albert Einstein).”

If we were to distribute the country’s finances in a socialistic manner that specifically focused on the promotion of equal education, then poverty, crime, and other socioeconomic factors would cease to exist.

This where I draw the line.  I do not wish to see a federal government that confiscates every dollar earned, nor one that strives to eliminate a difference in income between dish washers and brain surgeons.  I merely wish to see the United States become a place where every child is born with a perfectly equal shot at success and the attainment of wealth.  Every man is guaranteed life, which correlates to the preservation of existence, a right only secured through universal healthcare.  Each man is also ensured liberty in this country.  Therefore, I side with the Libertarian party’s call “for a world in which all individuals can freely exercise the natural right of sole dominion over their own lives.”   Outside of making sure every citizen starts on equal ground, I do not need the federal or state government to be my third parent.  For example, I should not be subject to incarceration for using drugs.  If a person wants to damage their own body and it doesn’t affect others then let them be.  If crack was legal, would you go out and smoke some today?  I highly doubt it, so why the need for such foolish laws?  All I demand the government to do is collect funds and apply them directly to the elimination of poverty, education and health disparities so that I may pursue my happiness… then get the hell out of the way.  So take note you foxes and wolves, a ferocious beast is on the prowl for you – the Socialtarian.

**** Visit www.dwalkerspeaking.com for more commentary from Demetrius D. Walker*****