November 21, 2009
Saturday PM

"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of everyone else's money" this becomingly trite slogan was at one point witty and creative. Witty because it employs an intelligent humor and creative because it cunningly neglects the obvious, making it a purely fantastic perspective. Fantastic, from the Latin phantasticius meaning imaginative, fantasy. The root definition has been included to avoid confusion in my intended meaning.

Based on said catchphrase one would assume that such a flaw would be historically untrue of its converse, the free market. Unfortunately for the sake of the free market, this is not so.

Does the sum 700 billion dollars ring familiar? Yes we all remember Dr. Evil from Austin Powers, maniacally laughing his demands as he held earth hostage for such an amount, but that's not what I am talking about. I am referring to the 700 billion dollar bail-out package, which was first achieved by the Bush Administration mind you, not the present. Why on earth would any government need to bail out corporate goliaths? We saved Ford, GM, Chrysler, Citi Group and dozens of others from monetary starvation; because under a free market, they failed. To alter a familiar slogan, "they ran out of THEIR OWN money!" In a desperate cry for help the CEO Giants summoned from the darkness, a demon of flame and shadow so black its silhouette blotted out the sun. It was that which must not be named, oh yes but I am going to say it, they summoned....SOCIALISM!

Let's take a look around us and I mean entirely around us; Scandavian states have switched to a socialistic rule and for decades adding up far less debt combined than the United States has racked up in just one year alone. Global leaders like England, France, Germany and Belgium, all arguably socialists, have yet to "run out of everybody else's money".

In fact unlike our European counterparts, America has borrowed over 650 billion dollars from yeah you guessed it, China. That debt is predicted to reach over 1 trillion dollars by 2013.

So if I've got this right, the most capitalistic nation on the planet "ran out of THEIR OWN money" and borrowed from the crown head of all communist nations, China. So Mrs. Emmert and all those fallen prey to the TEA Party bollocks, as far as I can see; historically and presently the type of system running out of money is ours, and the type of system in the position to lend is theirs.

So as witty and creative as that slogan may be that's all it is, witty and imaginative and is not a testimonial of accuracy or relevance. As deep as a Christmas jingle.

Evan Bolling
Ketchikan, AK

About: "Ketchikan Resident 20 years of age"

Received November 17, 2009 - Published November 21, 2009

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