“These Are the Days Which Try Men’s Souls” Socialism Vs. Free Market Capitalism…You Decide

This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.


I find it increasingly difficult to comprehend the thought processes of some of our national leadership when I hear them express their attitudes and opinions on network television. The very elements of our economic system which have made our nation the envy of the world have suddenly become evil and socially distasteful. Examples of their attitudes are reflected in the following statements:

● “Businesses are evil and exploit their workers…”

● “Profits are obscene. Profits should be controlled and held to a minimum through

● Government regulation…..”

● “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce ‘fronts’ for thousands of businesses…”

● “Redistribution of wealth is a worthwhile social objective….”

● “Corruption and waste in the national medical system can be created through enabling our

● Government to manage and operate the system…”

● “We should cede regulation of our international trade and banking to a world government order chartered through the United Nations….”

If these concepts are valid and are really a better way to run our economy, then let’s take it to the next level in the natural evolution of these ideals. Let’s get rid of those greedy, abusive oil companies through nationalization of the oil industry. Replace “Exxon Oil” with “U.S. Oil”, and hire bureaucrats to locate, drill, transport, refine, and sell our oil and gasoline. Then instead of greedy oil executives we would have greedy government bureaucrats and politicians to blame when we pay high prices for this increasingly scarce resource. I am sure the government workers would be more productive, less wasteful, and less corrupt than the private companies and their incompetent managers and employees.

Look at how well managed and controlled the existing Medicare and Medicaid systems are. I read last week where over $92 million dollars was spent in bogus payments made to claims processed from doctors who have been dead for many years. Another story demonstrated how Medicare is paying outlandish charges for medicines and equipment in response to favoritism and “special agreements” engineered through lobbying our politicians. Among these were paying over $6,000 for oxygen tanks and systems which sell for $1200 on the public market. This is just one example of thousands where improper purchasing controls is creating billions in waste.

Socialism is one of those theories which might look good on paper, but it doesn’t work in the real world. Socialism has proven itself to be a failed social and economic approach through history. The reason for these failures is the fact that socialism de-motivates businesses and workers by removing the potential of enjoying any benefits and rewards for bringing extra efforts and skills to the task. It encourages low productivity, corruption, and only doing the bare minimum in order to get your share of the common ‘entitlements’. Under Socialism, only the bureaucracy succeeds, since it is controlling and dispensing all wealth.

However, there is still hope. I see people speaking out, taking an active role, and expressing real patriotic concerns. These are people who never before have stood up to be heard. They have always worked hard, paid their taxes, and only complained privately in conversations with friends and relatives. They are now prepared to become activists if that is what is required for us to reverse all of these negative trends which are about to forever change our nation. My only concern is that they may have waited too long…..they may no longer be the majority.

There is a growing movement to throw out all existing elected representatives and to replace them with new, energetic people who have pledged to restore our nation, to lessen the size, intrusions, and cost of government, to eliminate abuses and corruption, and to return to a system where the public does not depend on government for things which they should do for themselves.

We should return to the realization that we are a nation under God, based on Christian principles, and the desires and needs of the majority should always take precedence over the few.

If we do not reclaim our nation now, the opportunity may be forever lost.

Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-



● We recently traveled to Kentucky. As we went up Hwy 231 to Montgomery I
noticed how visible the economic decline was as you look at buildings and businesses. We went past four empty sewing factory buildings which once employed a total of over 1000, we passed three empty auto dealership buildings who did not survive the bail out, we passed at least a dozen empty and decaying filling station properties which were no doubt victims of the EPA regulations in their “green” movement, and billboard after billboard was blank and empty, a sure sign of low economic activity. New construction was rare and scattered.

● Thank heavens for talk radio and Fox News! Without these voices we would be pawns for the liberal brainwashing programs of the traditional networks. I was pleasantly surprised when these other networks stood up for Freedom of the Press when the Administration tried to remove Fox News from the White House Press Corps.



● Our County Commissioners are enacting stronger laws to create a local monopoly for our publically funded Fire and Rescue Ambulance system, which will prohibit private ambulance services from serving Jackson County. I hope the Commissioners are doing the citizens of the county a service instead of a disservice.

● Breast Cancer Awareness Month is over. Ladies, please heed the lessons presented by this paper and by the Breast Cancer Symposium…and engage in personal early detection programs. Do this and you will be “Getting It Right”.



Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.