2016 April 5th
Last night I watched a few minutes of “The O’Reilly Factor.”
Bill O’Reilly, co-writer of several
semi-fictional histories, provides a platform for discussion of issues
favorable to the political right. During the few minutes I watched, O’Reilly
and his grinning guest, were both chortling over the pathetic failures of socialist
countries in their attempts to govern. They mentioned Cuba and Venezuela
specifically. This was, of course, directed at Senator Bernie Sanders, a
self-described Democratic Socialist.
Neither O’Reilly nor his guest seems to know the difference
between socialism and communism. There is no doubt that Castro’s Cuba choked
off dissent, murdering its opponents, and was one of the least democratic governments
on earth, but was that because it was an ironfisted dictator ship, because it
was communistic, or maybe some of each? The question arises: Was the failure of
Cuba’s economy caused entirely by communism’s failure or was it pushed by the
unremitting hostility of the United States and its 50 year embargo? That is far
too subtle for O’Reilly to consider.
Venezuela is always included in communism’s list of
failures. But was it communism or the collapse in the price of oil that has
savaged the economy there. Gasoline in Venezuela in 2012 was .18 a gallon, now
it’s the same price as gasoline here. Has the country done anything to find a
substitute? They are sitting on one of the largest oil reserves in the world
but that isn’t helping their economy if no one wants it. This is the fault of
communism?
O’Reilly’s guest delightedly tells the audience that
gasoline is $8.70 a gallon in socialist Sweden. That’s terrible; and it is
false! It was that price four years
ago but, as in Venezuela, that was then and this is now, and now Swedish
gasoline is $6.20 a gallon. A few other facts about socialist Sweden that
weren’t mentioned by O’Reilly because they wouldn’t have been conservatively
correct: college and university education is free in Sweden; all medical care
is free in Sweden; paid parental leave for new parents is free in Sweden. Keep
in mind that Sweden is not communistic; there is still private property there,
and you can participate in their economy by buying stock in Volvo, the car and
truck company. (Free college is also available in other countries as well,
Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Germany and many others, but not here because we
can’t afford it.)
This country also has many socialist enterprises. One of the
foremost was instituted by that Republican icon, President Dwight D.
Eisenhower. This President began the construction of our massive interstate
highway system. This highway system is owned by the State and is available for
use by anyone who wishes to use it. There is not a shred of capitalist free
enterprise about it. The highway system crisscrosses the country and is
available to all. This is pure socialism, as is Medicare, Medicaid and Social
Security; there are other great socialist programs here much to the absolute
despair of Bill O’Reilly and his buddies.
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