Saint Valentine
Newsweek recently ran a story entitled, “We Are All Socialist Now”. (Written by Jon Meacham and Evan Thomas.)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/183663?gt1=43002
It discusses Obama’s economic stimulus package which includes 50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. The article also discusses the growing trend of the federal government in our economy, its possible ramifications and benefits.
In actuality, America has long been practicing social-capitalism. We have had for decades: labor laws, public education, social security, environmental protection (of varying degrees)-these are all socialist systems at work in a capitalist society.
Some people feel and perhaps rightly so, that excessively socialist societies tend to lose their national identity; which may explain (at least in prior decades) why some nations developed infatuations with American culture.
People tend to assume socialism is a liberal value, however, as the Newsweek article states, “The U.S. government has already—under a conservative Republican administration—effectively nationalized the banking and mortgage industries. That seems a stronger sign of socialism than $50 million for art.”
Excellent point! The truth is we are entering a new century that has yet to be defined economically or politically.
My favorite quote from this article: “If we fail to acknowledge the reality of the growing role of government in the economy, insisting instead on fighting 21st-century wars with 20th-century terms and tactics, then we are doomed to a fractious and unedifying debate. The sooner we understand where we truly stand, the sooner we can think more clearly about how to use government in today's world.”
Of particular interest to me was the picture gallary featured in Newsweek alongside the socialist article, entiled,What About Us? The photos reveal a frightened America- ordinary citizens coping with an economy they do not understand.
