Soap Box

To have a self-proclaimed socialist in the Senate of a nation that spent two generations fighting against it is a surprise, but to have one running to be the leader of the free world is a real wake up call as to how far removed this last generation has drifted from the truth of the abject failure of socialism and what an unworkable system it really is.

Socialism is a philosophy, a Utopian ideal that has only ever worked in small groups of like minded people, religious groups, communes or such, that have made the decision to devote themselves, their affluence and their talents to a common cause, basically putting it all into one pot and everybody taking out what is needed for their survival.

Now, that sounds humane and charitable in theory, but in practice it is counterproductive, and in actuality a society where a hand full of the people do all the work and the others decide that it makes no difference how hard they work they'll never get any farther than they are so why work?

In the early days of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the easing of relations between the U.S., and Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Western companies began their push to establish a foothold in former Iron Curtain countries.

McDonald�s was among the first and upon opening a store were besieged with job applications from the local folks seeking a job paying Western wages.

Despite the early enthusiasm the people hired were slackers who would work for a while and sit down and read a newspaper or just hang around not getting the work done, causing something like a 300% employment turnover.

To these people who had been born and bred under the communist, socialist system, this was what a job was, just showing up, doing as little as possible and collecting a paycheck for their efforts, this was their work ethic.

Such are the fruits of socialism and, when adopted by a government as doctrine, always ends up with disastrous results, killing ambition, destroying the work ethic and, regardless of what the socialist doctrine preaches, "from each according to his abilities and to each according to his need", it always creates an elite ruling class who vote themselves special privileges, which places them in a class all by themselves, a status they will never willingly give up, up to and including the creation of a totalitarian government, which grows ever bigger and more oppressive as the paranoid ruling classes desperately hang on to their pampered existence.

The whole concept, as being presented by Bernie Sanders and his ilk, and to a somewhat less radical, but similar degree by Hillary Clinton is that, you have a right to something that somebody else has acquired, something that by their wit, their willingness to work and tenacity have earned.

It basically fosters the feeling that somebody who has more than you do has gone about getting it in a way that has deprived you of being able to get your piece of the pie and therefore due to the unfairness of their actions, you are entitled to a piece of their ill gotten gain.

The truth of the matter is that with the exception of inheritance, or crime related endeavors, the wealth of this nation is in the hands of the people who have worked for it, sacrificed for it, gone the extra mile, burned the midnight oil and with sweat and tenacity come up with a product or a service that translated into profit.

I have received comments from people who seem to think that one day I picked up a fiddle and a guitar, sat down, dashed off a song and became successful overnight, having done nothing except being at the right place at the right time.

They never take into account the endless hours of practice, the chances you take when you uproot your family and move to another town with no guaranteed source of income, the ceaseless process of writing a song, pulling words and melodies out of thin air, honing, polishing arranging and recording it, hoping that it can compete with the fierce competition that never lets up.

They never take into account the long periods of time spent away from your family, the missed birthdays, anniversaries, junior high football games and grammar school plays, the times you have to explain to a five-year-old why Daddy is gone so much.

There is a price to be paid and if you're not willing to pay it yourself you shouldn't resent those who are, because without them there would be no innovation, no advance and no chance for those who are willing to get their hands dirty to make something out of their lives.

Socialism, as a form of government, nothing more than a guise, a deception, a promised Shangri-La existence that is always just around the next bend, one more tax hike, one more tightening of regulations, one more personal freedom taken away, one more election, a Robin Hood fallacy that never acknowledges the iron bound fact that nothing is free, that somebody has to pay, and that finally gets around to including everybody.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels