As I watch local and state events, I grow ever more despondent that our state government and society is sliding towards the ideals of Marxist socialism and Communism. What is my proof of this?
Back in the stone age when I was going to school, we learned about our amazing government and the incredible sacrifices that birthed our nation into existence.
I remember how our teachers brought George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to life by reading their own words and learning of their exploits. Washington- for fighting an impossible war with a ragtag army against the most powerful nation on Earth. Lincoln- for holding together a Republic that was threatening to tear itself apart.
Today, our state legislators spit on Washington and Lincoln’s legacies by writing legislation to eliminate the celebration of one (or both) of their birthdays and replace it with a May Day celebration.
Yep. The same “International Worker’s Day” celebrated in the Soviet Union many years ago. The defunct Soviet Union. That collapsed under the weight of its own Marxist system.
Amazingly, the bill to affect this change recently was passed out of committee in Sacramento for consideration by the whole legislature.
To put this in perspective, there are often “crazy” ideas that get proposed in committees that never go anywhere. However, in this case, a group of elected officials from the State of California actually voted in favor of honoring a Communist holiday.
Enjoying the slide?
In another development, a bill that creates a committee to regulate the cost of all medical goods and services (AB3087) is currently finding its way through Sacramento.
To make it clear, this special board of “experts” would set the prices for latex gloves, scalpels, band-aids, hernia operations, and wart removals. No one does anything medically in the state without being regulated by this board.
Sounds familiar? Yep. It’s the old Soviet-style planned economy that failed so spectacularly not long ago. Planned economies simply do not work. If you try to set prices on everything, you generally wind up messing everything up, as the Soviet example so adequately illustrates.
Aside: if you want a great read on why this happened, read “Basic Economics” by Thomas Sowell. Sowell disassembles the centrally-controlled-economy fallacy with real life examples and shows why capitalism, with all its inherent flaws, creates prosperity and hope for everyone.
Finally, let’s consider the “sanctuary state” controversy. By declaring that California need not adhere to Federal Law, Sacramento has forced this state into opposition with the United States of America. Your country. My country.
As I recall, the Soviets were violently opposed to the United States as well.
By undermining the Rule of Law in our state, Sacramento weakens our entire system of governance. Communities are now rebelling against the state. Anarchy will be the eventual accomplishment. And the slide continues.
How did we get into this state? When our elected representatives actively promote failed Marxist socialist policies, something has gone very wrong at the core of our society. And the fact that so many of our citizens actively support these ideas is astounding.
I think much of this can be laid at the feet of our educational system. The culmination of years of neglect and poor economic policy was the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was the proof that we had spoken for years- that planned/communist economies were a bankrupt failure.
Instead of teaching that lesson, our leftist educational system doubled down and taught that these principles were still good even though they were faced with a mountain of evidence to the contrary. A generation has grown up admiring this leftist manure.
We need to rework our entire education system here in the State of California. The clear bias against capitalism and free enterprise must be removed with a vengeance.
Educational material must be reviewed with an eye towards speaking the truth- capitalism is the economic engine that lifts an entire society, both rich and poor alike. “Basic Economics” should be required reading in high schools.
Rich people should not be reviled and hated. They should be asked “how did you do it?” and “how can I get started?” Those who promote class warfare and denigrate those who have worked hard to attain material success need to re-think their philosophy. Because it’s just plain wrong.
Let’s stop going down this slide.
Steve Lunetta is a resident of Santa Clarita and, yes, he did read Sowell’s whole book. He can be reached at [email protected].
