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SyndicateThe Last Communist
By Robert Ringer - Wednesday, May 5, 2010
By Robert Ringer
I recall when I was a teenager asking the question, in a civics class, “What’s to stop the president or Congress from ignoring the Constitution and doing whatever they please?” Predictably, the class laughed and the teacher patronizingly explained to me that our system of “checks and balances” made such a scenario impossible. I was too intimidated to press the matter any further, but I do remember that I was totally unconvinced by his dismissive answer.
Segue to 2010, and, by golly, we have a president and a Congress that ignores the Constitution – even laughs about its relevance – and does whatever they please! Darn it – where’s your high school civics teacher when you need him most?
How can this be happening in America? Let’s back up a few steps and get some background on the matter. For years, the clueless media loved to refer to Fidel Castro as “the last communist.” This perplexed me no end, because history has made it clear that communism has always existed and will continue to exist until “life after people.”
A belief in communism is an envy-based flaw that is programmed into the human psyche. Fortunately, through education, logic, and a sound moral structure, a majority of people in modern, civilized societies are able to overcome the serpent-like temptation of “to each according to his need.”
But early man had no formal education, and, one would assume, had no time to reflect on philosophical – and certainly not ideological – issues. The evidence suggests that savages lived communal lives where the individual was sacrificed to the “collective good.” Often, this even resulted in cannibalism. Satisfying one’s appetite by munching on a fellow tribe member’s arm must have seemed quite natural to men who, like animals, spent most of their time hunting for food.
With the advent of the Agrarian Revolution in the Neolithic Age, however, civilization advanced and the individual gradually gained in importance. The culmination of this evolution was the great American experiment that began with the Declaration of Independence and ended with victory in the American Revolutionary War.
Even so, communism has never been eradicated, because a significant percentage of any country’s population simply cannot resist the motor of communism: envy. Thus, throughout the 20th century, communism reared its ugly head in such disparate places such as Russia, North Korea, North Vietnam, Cambodia, Mozambique, and, in our own hemisphere, Chile.
Now, in the 21st century, it’s pretty much taken hold in Venezuela under Hugo Chavez, with the U.S clearly the next big target of those who yearn for “social justice” (read, covet their neighbors’ wealth).
Even so, after the fall of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall, communism became kind of passe to the average person. As the economy boomed in the U.S. and other Western countries, many of those who were most susceptible to the allure of the communist fantasy of wealth without work became distracted by the good life handed to them by their thriving semi-capitalistic systems.
So what, exactly, is communism? Communism is technically defined as “a theory advocating elimination of private property; a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed; a totalitarian system in which a single authoritarian party controls state owned means of production with the professed aim of establishing a stateless society; a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equally.” Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it?
But what about socialism? Well, if you take the trouble to look it up, you’ll find that the only significant difference between the definitions of socialism and communism is that socialism is referred to as “a transitional stage of society between capitalism and communism.” Which means, according to Newsweek (”We Are All Socialists Now”), that the U.S. must be on its way to communism.
But many countries, particularly in Europe, try to stop at socialism and not finish the journey to pure communism. The reason they do this is because they realize that under socialism, politicians can still rely on the remnants of capitalism to prop up their redistribution schemes.
So, is Chairman Obama a communist or a mere socialist? No one can say with certainty what’s in his heart, but my own feeling is that he would quite enjoy establishing a totalitarian government where the state owns all means of production with the aim of establishing a stateless society.
I believe that one of the mistakes well-meaning but naïve folks unwittingly make is buying into “the last communist” myth, which causes them to become lax. It’s so comforting to simply waive aside unpleasant thoughts and insist that “It could never happen here.”
The truth is that there will never be a “last communist.” Why? Because Reille Hunter’s lover boy was right: There really are two Americas! One America believes in self-responsibility, hard work, and the primacy of the individual. The other – probably close to one-third of the population – believes in the primacy of “the common good” and the fantasy of living off the efforts of others.
To all those who are still living in a kumbaya dream world, hear this: There is no comprise between these two positions!
Which means that even if true libertarian-centered conservatives were to take control of both houses of Congress and the White House, eternal vigilance would be required to stave off the misguided (and, in some cases, “evil”) people who cling to their Little Red Books and their guns. Remember, these are the individuals who get their inspiration from M.M.M. (Mass Murderer Mao), and the barrel of a gun as the final arbiter is ingrained in their twisted minds.
Don’t allow you’re your logic to get sidetracked by oil spills, union-inspired riots in Arizona, or BHO’s wisecracks at elegant media functions about his birth certificate and his socialist policies. What is happening in Washington is not just another little shift to the left. It’s a prelude to the coming insurrection.
If you don’t believe me, by all means feel free to join the walking dead and cheer on BHO and his comrades as they continue with their plan to collapse the U.S. economy through deficit spending and bring major companies and whole industries under government control.
Make no mistake about it, criminal government is on a roll and moving forward at full throttle – and its momentum can be stopped only by a defiant and vigilant populace, a populace that clearly understands there is no last communist.
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ROBERT RINGER is a New York Times #1 bestselling author and host of the highly acclaimed Liberty Education Interview Series, which features interviews with top political, economic, and social leaders. He has appeared on Fox News, Fox Business, The Tonight Show, Today, The Dennis Miller Show, Good Morning America, The Lars Larson Show, ABC Nightline, and The Charlie Rose Show, and has been the subject of feature articles in such major publications as Time, People, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Barron's, and The New York Times.
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7 Responses to “The Last Communist”
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You are right, Robert. I have to admit to “setting back and relaxing” long ago after the fall of the wall in Germany. When the Soviet Union fell it seemed that it was all over and the good guys have won. Yet, history has shown us the painful truth of it all — the battle for liberty and freedom is on-going.
You are right about so many people thinking that we have to care for “the common good.” Sounds so noble, doesn’t it? Well, too bad it doesn’t work that way. You and I have found that the best way to “care for the common good” is to pursue free market activities that benefits us and others through our productive, free market efforts.
Thank you for sharing this issue. Really good points, once again! Terry Brock
Robert,
You are, as usual, right on. It’s happening at lightening speed, and people are too busy, too caught up in worries and fears, and the overriding need for peace and security, to really recognize the danger looming just on the horizon.
But, I don’t think we can ignore the the blood-born tendency Americans still possess, to fight for what’s right. As more and more of our rights and freedoms are threatened, the grapevine hums with more and more talk of resistance. The signs are everywhere: states declaring “sovereignity.” People who are learning the skills necessary to disappear and survive (and thrive) off “the grid.” And, with the use of the Internet, the ability we now have to spread “the word.”
But, all Obama Bin Laden needs is enough people in the streets to declare Marshall Law, and cancel the elections. He has less than three years to achieve this. No doubt, with the strangulations on our rights (including the right to choose our own health care — allopathic or naturopathic), people who spent their youth marching the streets will feel their blood boil once again, and stand in the streets, gray-haired and bent-over, in an effort to push the establishment Up Against The Wall!
Personally, I don’t know whether to find a cave, or buy a tazer and start painting sighs. For now, and still for me, the pen is still mightier than the sword. How long that will last is anybody’s guess. Most likely the internet will come under control (and even more scrutiny), which will, most likely choke our voices, completely. That will be the day the music dies…
Carol Magnuson
Marketing Assistant
Pam Magnuson Copywriting
Robert,
Envy can be a good thing as well.
I would want the panicked masses of Americans caught up on the ever faster spinning modern treadmill to be envious of those of us who have decided not to play this ridiculous game of expecting the faceless abstraction of power hungry individuals (A.K.A. “the government” composed of fallible and power hungry individuals A.K.A. “politicians”) to take the place of our own inalienable rights to prosper or fail in this world on our own personal initiatives and ambitions.
Government creates nothing and the sole purpose of good government is to preserve individual rights and maintain an even playing field for everyone so that those who wish to excel have the opportunity to do so and those that wish to fail are also given the opportunity to fail and suffer the consequences on their own as a result. People who fail are also presented with the opportunity to learn from their failings and thus achieve an earned sense of self respect and self esteem from participating and overcoming obstacles in an animating contest of freedom.
“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned – this is the sum of good government.”
Thomas Jefferson
One thing that has not changed since the beginnings of recorded history is human nature which is why we can observe and understand the almost cyclical nature of the rise and eventual fall of great nations.
The greatest threat of communism in my view is that the state usurps the authority of God and in doing so, declares itself to be “god”. Whereas, rights in a free society are inalienable and are bestowed by a believed in God empowering every individual, in a communist world view, rights are bestowed by the changing decrees of “the state” composed often of ruthless and rapacious individuals who will grant and withdraw individual rights solely based upon the perceived needs of the abstract state and the people who are in power in that state. Under these circumstances, these villainous leaders believe they are answerable to no one other than their own appetite for control and power. Under the conditions created under communism, life is not precious, initiative is not encouraged, and mediocrity becomes the mandatory status quo.
Is this then, the communist model, that we Americans wish to allow our still great United States to become simply because many of us who know and understand history better are too complacent to put forth our voices and exhibit our shared common sense of what was allowed by forfeiture to occur in other nations in which the majority of people had become lazy, insouciant,truckling, and complacent and thus willingly threw away their freedoms and rights?
The quotation “The only thing necessary to the triumph of evil, is that good men do nothing” although often attributed to Edmund Burke does not occur in his works or recorded speeches, although it has been attributed to him since 1943.
Regardless of the origin of this quote, it states a defiant truth that is veraciously applicable to the turmoil we find ourselves in with those who would undermine and destroy our personal liberties.
Whether President Obama is a socialist or an undeclared communist I believe is not the issue. He is acting and advocating as a socialist and as such, he is further eroding individual liberties and therefore laying the foundation for a future communist America.
A communist system is not the political system most of us wish to live within , and that political ideology must be unmasked for it’s ugliness, repudiated for it’s viciousness, and rejected loudly in voice and vote by those Americans who still believe in the inalienable rights of individuals and in making sure that our elected public servants do not become our masters and we their pawns.
True. Obama’s actions have given us evidence that he hates America.
BUT…
Voting for Republicans is no solution.
The international bankers and government unions control all the jobs, money, and politicians. They will not go away when Obama leaves.
The longer we support the to and fro political monopoly, the deeper the ship will sink.
We must begin to preach the need to vote for anyone outside of the monopoly, regardless of party or ideology. If the only alternative is third party in a particular race, we must make it clear that anyone who supports the status quo also supports the downfall of America.
I took the liberty to forward this article to my Cousin who lives in New York City and is a product of the liberal establishment and just wanted you to see his return note which I have copied below. Interesting. Thanks.
Mickey, Here is an article that I know that your are waiting to read. It probably not to your liking but you should read it anyway. Thanks. Jerry Walsh
Jerry,
I’ve read Robert Ringer’s article, trying to keep an open mind, in order to see if there was a truth that I could follow to understand his point.
But all I see is a lot of fear, based on change taking place, that he cannot understand.
Of all people to blame, it certainly should not be Obama, who is personally a very conservative individual (not in the political spectrum). It was not Obama that ignored the Consititution – our last President GWBush was the biggest Constitution basher that America ever had. That’s why there’s still a very stong movement to have him jailed. How does this writer blame Obama after what Bush did? Was Mr. Ringer asleep from 2000 to 2008. Or does he merely agree with the reasoning of why Bush bashed the Constitution?
No, I don’t understand this writer. He states historical facts and then twists their meaning to fit his thinking process, which is always flawed.
Why not just support the fair laws that Obama is pushing, so that we can all live humanly.
Obama doesn’t want to kill our present economic system – he only wants it to work for everyone, not just the super rich who keep getting richer by forcing the poor to get poorer and poorer.
ALL mankind want to live useful happy lives. It IS NOT TRUE that 1/3rd of humans want a free ride – they only want a fair ride.
PLEASE reject this kind of fearful hateful thinking. Its just unnecessary and counter-productive.
Mickey
Then I receive another eamil about a book that he hasn’t read but is sure that it is great. Here is that email.
Jerry,
After living in the Caribbean for nearly 10 years, and experiencing a different culture than in “politically conservative Ohio”, I found the world moving in directions I just didn’t understand.
Eventually, at 43 years of age, I was lucky enough to be able return to school, at one of the finest colleges in the world: Brown University. Brown is controlled by neither Republicans or Democratics – but encourages “Personal Critical Thinking”…. it says….Listen with your heart and your head and then think critically of the presented information, and make your own decision.
I didn’t attend Brown to get a better job, but rather to understand the world better and to offer it more of me than just confusion.
I keep in contact with Brown, even after graduating 20 years ago. I actually returned there a few weeks ago to make a presentation to the “Urban Studies” Graduates. In fact I was the president of the Urban Studies Student Association in my senior year.
I say this in order to tell you of this book, mentioned below, which I have not read, but I know the history of it, and I know it would be an amazing read.
“Freedom is not enough”.
Do yourself a favor and buy it and read it – study it.
It is not tainted by politics, but has lots of extremely important and amazing information.
Mickey
Wall Street Journal 3 May 2010
New historical narrative on the Moynihan Report
James T. Patterson, professor emeritus of history, has written a new book titled Freedom Is Not Enough about production of the Moynihan Report. Produced in 1965 by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a political appointee in the Labor Department, the report highlighted a troubling relationship between the connection of family life and poverty.
Am I losing it or are we on the wrong road?
I love what that fellow said about Brown University because it illustrates the problem so well. This poor man can’t see the bias because it reinforces his own bias.
I keep hearing that Tea Party activists don’t have a cohesive agenda. I don’t understand why the Tea Party activists, and every other liberty lover, doesn’t simply say, firmly and often, that we stand for individualism verses collectivism, and as constitutionalists we stand against the progressive’s.