Soap Box

One has only to do a little research to see the ravages of socialism. The latest notable example being Venezuela, and if you�ve paid any attention to the news the last couple of years, you�ve watched an oil rich nation slide into an abyss of deprivation and near starvation.

Socialism is the equivalent of giving away fish instead of fishhooks, rewarding ambition and sloth equally, taking over every aspect of public life, and eventually, true socialism morphs into totalitarianism.

It vehemently discourages individuality and assigns where you can live, what kind of work you can do and sometimes even the number of children you can have.

One of the most brilliant and innovative optical surgeons on the planet resides in Nashville, a man who has invented state of the art equipment and procedures and restoring the eyesight of people who had basically given up hope of ever seeing clearly again, came to America many years ago.

His surgery techniques and innovative expertise have set the bar high and will continue to benefit mankind for generations to come.

He was born in China and was on his way to spending his life in an agricultural commune, and only a unique set of circumstances - and the hand of God - prevented the world from being denied the healing talents of this brilliant individual.

How many world class scientists, artists, doctors, physicists and mathematicians are hoeing beans in some provincial back country commune in China and other socialist nations, talents the world will never know about, the victims of a vindictive political system that fears letting the
number of the best and the brightest grow beyond what they can control hand and foot.

The basic philosophy of socialism sounds innocent, benevolent and making sure that everybody has the same shot, free education, government run universal health care for all, guaranteed employment at a good wage, with somebody looking over your shoulder to supply every need, cradle to grave.

Then the ugly truth begins to surface.

We find out that all this �free� stuff isn�t free at all. It has to be paid for, and since socialism encourages more and more entitlements, and when people find out they can stay at home in their government subsidized apartment, buy their food with government subsidized food vouchers and make almost as much from their government subsidized stipend as they could by getting up and going to work every morning, why bother.

Which means that the tax base shrinks and shrinks and with the spectre of not being re-elected hanging over their heads, the pragmatic politicians raise the tax rate on those who are still working for a living, and, as you might imagine this can only work a few times before even the productive folks say, �to hell with it�, and join the masses who stay at home and watch soap operas all day.

Socialism is very much like a snake that begins swallowing its tail and swallows as far as it can and then just lies there and dies.

A microcosm of the results of socialism is taking place even now, as working people in high tax states are moving out to low tax states in droves. Tennessee has no state income tax and one hundred people a day are moving into Nashville alone, the economy is booming, the skies over the city are full of construction cranes and industry continues to relocate in the state.

It�s called capitalism, the system that still creates great wealth for those with the idea for the better mouse trap, encourages individuality, rewards personal effort, free markets, and thrives on innovation and going the extra mile.

I have little doubt that Bernie Sanders or someone else of his political ilk will make a serious run at president in 2020 and as we saw in 2016, there is a younger demographic in this country who thinks that Bernie�s socialism is the answer.

If him and his element are able to build on that base and a socialist is elected, the demise of America will begin in earnest.

Why do I say this?

Because a government run postal service which once had a monopoly on moving practically all mail, has been overtaken by public sector entities with no government assistance at all.

To imagine what government run health care would be like, take a look at the nightmare of the Veterans Administration.

The ultimate goal of socialism is complete control and the restrictions that would be put on manufacturing would drive them off shore, further decimating the tax base and necessitating raising taxes time after time and you can imagine where that road leads.

Entitlements would grow exponentially, prices would sky rocket, the stock market would tank, the interest payments alone on the national debt would take 100% of our GDP and America�s credit rating would go through the floor.

A desperate and dovish socialist government would start making serious cuts in the military and I don�t even want to go down that road.

Then when dramatic entitlement cuts would - of dire necessity - begin, it would take force to control the unrest, and the totalitarian phase would begin.

False scenario?

I most sincerely hope so.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops, our police and the peace of Jerusalem

God Bless America

� Charlie Daniels

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