Obama Is Remaking America Into Socialism

The younger generation probably doesn't realize that the word socialism means and connotes a system that is profoundly un-American. Socialism has virtually disappeared from our national lexicon since the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) collapsed because of Ronald Reagan's policies and the National Socialist (Nazi) Party was destroyed by the United States in World War II.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines socialism as a system of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods are owned by a centralized government that plans and controls the economy. Both Webster and Random House identify socialism as a "Marxist theory."

Socialism requires a totalitarian system — that gives the ruling gang the power to distribute the fruits of other people's labor to its political pals. That is what is happening to the United States as President Obama proceeds with his goal of "remaking America."

Although the pro-Obama media have been propping up non-Republicans to lecture us about which topics Republicans are permitted to discuss, we are reminded of the old story about the candidate who challenged his opponent: "Let's have a clean campaign; if you don't tell any lies about me, I won't tell the truth about you."

Obama acolytes and their media sycophants have been telling lies about Republicans (starting with Gitmo and the CIA), so it's time for Republicans to tell the truth about Obama's dangerous and malicious Marxist policies to spread the wealth of taxpayers to non-taxpayers.

The Republican National Committee (RNC), which for years had been a stuffy establishment appendage, started to tell the truth on May 20 when it passed a resolution nailing the Obama administration for "proposing, passing and implementing socialist programs through federal legislation" and pushing our country "towards European-style socialism and government control." Nine "Whereases" spell out the political indictment in detail.

The RNC charges the Democratic Party with passing "trillions of dollars in new government spending, all with strings attached in order to control nearly every aspect of American life," "plans to nationalize the banking, financial and healthcare industries," "massive government bailouts for the mortgage and auto industries" and "paying states to increase their welfare caseloads" by reducing work requirements and increasing handouts.

Another "Whereas" accuses the Democratic Party of "direct income redistribution" by taking taxes from one group of people and giving "direct cash transfers to another group of people who pay no federal income taxes." The RNC accurately accuses the Democratic Party of taking us in a "European direction," a path the American people have no desire to travel.

The RNC, which is the governing body of the Republican Party, has helpfully spelled out the differences between the two political parties.

Do the Republicans have an alternate vision of America's future? You bet they do. The Republicans recognize that free markets and free men, hard work and free enterprise, are the bedrock of American success and the only way to restore prosperity.

Unable to defend the march toward socialism, Treasury Secretary Geithner just told The Washington Post that the RNC resolution is "ridiculous."

Obama's takeover of the American auto industry is so breathtaking in scope and power that it proves all the RNC's accusations about socialism. The takeover was followed by orders to close 789 local Chrysler dealers, notices to 1,100 General Motors franchises that they will be shut down by next year and estimates that total dealer shutdowns will rise to 3,000.

Some of these local dealerships have been family-owned for generations. The Chrysler and GM dealership closings are estimated to eliminate 187,000 jobs, which is more than the number of people who work for the two automakers.

Now we can see the icing on the cake for the politicians who use economic dictatorship to punish those who resist socialist planners. Nearly every one of the closed local dealerships had donated to Republican candidates, almost none was an Obama contributor, and some dealerships owned by Democrats are not getting the ax.

These closings come after Obama's extraordinary cash and stock favoritism to one of his principal campaign supporters, the United Auto Workers union. The car czar, Steve Rattner, was a top Democratic fundraiser (surprise, surprise!).

Obama seems to be captivated by the un-American notion of running the country through Russian-style czars empowered to issue czarist-style ukases. He has already named about 20 czars (more than the Russians had over four centuries), and his latest is a cyber czar.

This year's deficit will be $1.841 trillion — $89 billion more than previously estimated. It's so difficult to explain to the American people the gigantic dimensions of what Obama is doing that we are suffering from what has been labeled "insensitivity to scope."

We hope the RNC resolution will clarify Obama's goals and actions.

Phyllis Schlafly is a lawyer, conservative political analyst and the author of the newly revised and expanded "Supremacists." She can be contacted by e-mail at phyllis@eagleforum.org. To find out more about Phyllis Schlafly and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Website at www.creators.com.

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