Apples to Oranges

WWH - I am getting fed up with the lack of intelligent discourse in this country and the revisionist use of words which inhibit civil interaction and discussion. 

I wish we could start with agreement on the definitions we use when discussing economics and politics. For example, Capitalism and Communism are ECONOMIC systems. Democracy and Totalitarianism are POLITICAL systems.

Yet some people insist on equating Capitalism to Democracy or Communism to Totalitarianism. This is like comparing apples to oranges. The far right of the Republican Party is very good at confusing people by using this tactic, while any intelligent, educated person knows it to be a totally invalid one. You cannot have an intelligent discussion unless you are comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges.

You can have a Democratic political system and a Communistic economic system. You can have a Totalitarian political system and a Capitalistic economic system. But you can’t equate Communism to Totalitarianism or Capitalism to Democracy and be discussing the same theories.

One must discuss the Economic theories and Political theories separately if we are to reach some kind of consensus on the direction of where we want to go as a nation. Also keep in mind, as with all things, these “labels” are part of a continuum. Totalitarianism is at one end of a continuum and Democracy at the other end. The same is true of Capitalism and Communism. They are at the opposite poles of the continuum and polarizing any continuum, be it political, economic, social, or sexual, is at the root of most problems confronting the world today.

When talking politics, talk politics. When talking economics, talk economics. But do not try to compare a political system to an economic one or vice-versa. Is this too much to ask of a Tea Partier? Or of a Progressive?

There are two “isms” that do combine the political with the economic. One is Socialism. It has become an unjustifiably maligned word, much to our misfortune. “Socialism is a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.” (Wikipedia)

Socialism is far from the nasty word Conservatives would have you believe. It was the preferred social organization of Jesus and other great teachers. Along the political and economic spectra which we have chosen to divide into categories and label, Socialism is a blending of both continua. I believe, that contrary to Marx, it does not necessarily mean it will transition to Communism. It does not have to mean the overthrow of Capitalism. As a Democracy, we have a choice where we want to end up on the political and economic spectra.

We already have many examples of Socialism in the United States: Social Security, Medicare, our highway systems, other infrastructure, and of course, the military. And let us not be so full of hubris that we cannot learn from other countries. There are many examples of countries which are very socialist and at the same time, very democratic. Most, if not all of them, enjoy a higher standard of living than we do. The discrepancy between the rich and poor is modest, and no one goes to bed at night hungry, cold, and insecure. Isn’t that the way it should be?

The other “ism” which is a blend of both the political and economic spectra is Fascism. “Fascism is a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to organize a nation according to corporatist perspectives, values, and systems, including the political system and the economy. (Wikipedia)

If for some reason I were given a choice as to which system I preferred to live under, I am sure I would choose Socialism because I would be a member of that community which made decisions regarding social issues and the economy. Unfortunately, each day seems to bring us closer to living under a regime of Fascism. I do not mean to be sensationalistic. I am simply facing the facts before me and logically seeing if we fit the definition of the word.

Are corporations now considered people? Yes. Are most of our politicians under the thumb of corporate lobbyists? Yes. Do many of these puppets of corporations want to dismantle social safety net programs? Yes. Do they want to help corporations make more money by privatizing health care, social security, ending the EPA and getting rid of regulations on industries which negatively affect the environment? Yes. Is the corporate media skewing the news we receive, or simply not reporting news we should and need to know, in order to alter our perspectives and values in a direction favorable to the corporate plutocracy? Yes.

My conclusion, therefore, is that we are not quite drugged and date-raped, but already getting a large dose of the designer drug called American Fascism. We have already seen examples of it in the attempts to bust unions and rescind collective bargaining rights of workers in certain states. I think we can push back this tide of Fascism, but it will take fortitude, persistence and unity.

In my gut, I feel the majority of Americans want health care to be as universally available as getting on a freeway on-ramp. Highway systems for all, Health care for all. It’s just common sense. It is the role of government to put the welfare of its citizens as its top priority. All else is secondary.

Let those with big ambitions make all the money they want. I have no problem with capitalism as long as it is based on the production of goods and services, not the production of non-tangibles, such as sub-prime mortgage derivatives, or interest on investments, i.e., money made off money.

We need to determine the Common Good to which all citizens may have access. We need to establish as part of the rights of all citizens, access to those things which ensure social and economic justice: food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, and a clean environment in which to live out our lives. This must be the government’s top priority.

Individuals may become as rich as they want as long as they are providing a service or product. Wealth begetting wealth should only be allowed if it is regulated and taxed in a way that it will benefit the rest of the population through social programs. Many wealthy Americans are asking to be taxed more because they truly understand what is fair and what is not and what is truly patriotic.

Corporate capitalism has totally disfigured the intent of Adam Smith’s capitalism, upon which this nation was founded. It is no longer the capitalism where profits are made on the manufacture of goods or providing a service, but rather the capitalism of profits made through gambling on financials and commodities in the giant casino called Wall Street. It is a giant shell game. It is the worst form of capitalism. I don’t even like using that word for it. “GREEDISM” might be a better term. It is a greed that contributes nothing whatsoever to the common good, but only to corporations, their executives and the politicians who succumb to their demands.

Worse yet, corporations have taken over our political system. Like kudzu creeping over a neglected house, if the inhabitants don’t get off their asses and kill the weed before it spreads into every crevice, the house will become uninhabitable. This kudzu is Fascism. And though it is being presented with doublespeak by Tea Partiers and conservative Republicans as if it were patriotism and the wishes of our founding fathers, they are speaking on behalf of corporations and the money they personally will accumulate, and not on behalf of the common citizen. I do believe there are well-meaning members of the right wing who really do not understand the harm to which they are accomplices. They are more concerned with their own egos, power, and wealth.

It is clear this must stop or we will regret it for decades to come. We must elect progressives (ala Bernie Sanders, Russ Feingold, and Dennis Kucinich) or be prepared to see undereducated kids unwittingly bolster this fascistic movement; be prepared to spend your old age without proper health care and face an ungraceful death; be prepared to see American imperialism spread even farther than it has; and be prepared to have your rights disappear one by one and face prison time for the most menial crimes… like speaking out for what is right and just.

Always remember the rainbow. Always remember that all things in nature are part of a continuum which we arbitrarily divide into categories and label only for our CONVENIENCE. The labels and categories do NOT reflect TRUTH.

Once people realize there is nothing to fear, that there CAN be a blend of socialism that meets the basic needs of citizens, AND capitalism, which meets the needs of those with initiative and ambition, all within the framework of a DEMOCRACY, then maybe civil, rational discourse can be accomplished.

May compassion and understanding infiltrate the hearts and minds of those who would decimate or eliminate programs which provide for the Common Good. Instead, reduce our deficit by increasing the tax on the wealthiest among us. Tax the immense profits of corporations. End our imperialist wars, close the military bases that have remained on foreign soils long after their presence was necessary. If we did all that, I bet we could balance the budget in record time. Most of all, end the rhetoric of fear based on labels so purposefully misused, they amount to lies. Words are powerful. Labels are dangerous. I hope all of us, including the President and Congress, make a conscious effort not to bandy them about carelessly or maliciously.

To contact Phil or find out more: check out his website and blog For a copy of HUNGA DUNGA
Phil Polizatto – Worldwide Hippies Bureau Chief – West Coast USA, is a graduate of The School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. He was a feature writer for the overseas division of UPI, a copywriter for CBS, and an award-winning corporate film producer. Mr. Polizatto is a published poet and a regular contributor to Worldwide Hippies as well as a variety of other arts and literary journals. Hunga Dunga is his first published novel. He resides in the Pacific Northwest.