OPINIONS

6December 14, 2022 OPINIONS

Editor: Maria Odenbaugh viewpoints.opinions@gmail.com

Shush! Don’t say ‘socialism’

STEPHEN DAY PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Socialism. It’s that dirty word we say in hushed tones and dark corners, but what most people fail to realize is that the United States is already heavily invested in socialism.

The roads we drive on, public K-12 education, county hospitals, the US military, MediCare/ MediCal, and Community Colleges, are all examples of socialism within our society.

If you have a social security card, then you are in fact, a card carrying socialist.

Socialism and communism are often used interchangeably, especially by people who want to vilify the idea.

Communism often leaves a bad taste in the mouth of Boomers and Gen X’rs who lived through the Cold War of the 1980’s and endured non-stop anti-communist propaganda.

At the most basic level socialism is more of an economic structure and communism is a political ideology that includes economic structures.

No country has ever achieved a pure communistic or socialistic government, mostly because every country has to also interact with the global community in order to survive.

Socialism says that the means of production and distribution are owned by the community and managed through a democratically elected government.

Essentials of life, like food, housing, health care and education would be available to all without cost.

What is a government’s job if not to care for the needs of all of their citizenry?

Unlike what you’ll hear on Fox News, socialism does not mean the end of private property. Innovation and individual effort are encouraged, and benefit all.

Imagine the possibilities if everyone, regardless of class or color, had the opportunity to pursue their passions and talents, free of the burden of trying to survive in an economy that is rigged to make them fail.

Imagine the potential scientific discoveries we are losing out on, because the next Einstein has to drop out of middle school to help their parents work in a field, in order to ensure they have food to eat.

Opponents of socialism like to use the example of a janitor and a doctor making the same amount of money, and how egregious that would be.

Socialism doesn’t work that way though.

Each profession has demanding workloads and while a doctor obviously requires far more

PHOTO COURTESY OF ISTOCK A hand flips a dice and changes the word “capitalism” to “socialism”.

education and carries a higher level of responsibility, both the doctor and the janitor provide a valued and needed service to the community.

Currently, getting the education required to become a doctor can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and therefore, doctor’s salaries are much higher than a janitor that doesn’t have to spend that time and money getting educated.

What if that was not the case?

What if the education to become a doctor was provided freely to those who showed an aptitude for medicine?

What if you could chase your passion for medicine, without having to figure out how to pay for it, and without worrying about how your family will survive without you working?

The kid who has to drop out of school to become a janitor to help his family survive, if given the opportunity, may realize that they have the talent and ability to be a great doctor.

Rather than the kid with the rich parents, who is funneled through medical school on the back of money and favors, who would probably better serve his patients better by cleaning up after them, than trying to practice medicine on them.

Creating a society where each member is valued, and their potential and talent are nourished and encouraged, allows innovation to come from many different directions. Success becomes a natural byproduct.

We have to fix the current culture of competition that capitalism foments.

We must establish limits on the amount of wealth that can be amassed and hoarded by a single person.

That wealth should be redistributed to properly run programs that ensure that all people have guaranteed housing, healthy food, accessible, adequate medical care and enough education to pursue their dreams.

Then, and only then, can we create a society where the focus is on thriving, not merely surviving.

US stuck in the past, equality sacrificed

PHOTO COURTESY OF THOMAS FAULL A rainbow LGBT pride sticker in favor of same-sex marriage equality seen in Havana, Cuba on a metal shutter on Nov 22, 2018. Sticker reads in English “Marriage Equality in Cuba”.

ZACH REYNOSA STAFF REPORTER

The United States Congress have recently passed the Respect for Marriage Act which grants protections for interracial and LGBT+ couples across the country.

Conservatives have been ramping up to defend their definition of marriage being between a man and a woman, while also attacking interracial marriage as well with many of them voting against the bill.

Even Conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been vocal about attacking the LGBT+ community through the use of the Supreme Court.

He was one of the first Conservative voices to bring up the idea after Roe v. Wade.

The so-called “land of the free” lets the fate of millions of Americans be decided by 535 elites in power.

How is this fair and democratic? Or is this what democracy is supposed to be? No. It isn’t.

Our fate should not be in the hands of party elites who decide whether or not we deserve the freedoms that are naturally gifted to us. We deserve the chance to vote and discuss key issues like the Respect for Marriage Act that would have easily passed amongst Americans.

Many other countries, even countries that the U.S. considers enemies, let their people democratically decide what happens to their lives.

Take for example Cuba. Their people were given the chance to change their constitution Sept. 25 by participating in an election that would implement protections for LGBT+ women and children.

The 2022 Cuban Family Code Referendum legalized equal marriage and equal adoption rights no matter what sexual orientation.

There are many other provisions that are within the Family Code that are meant to solidify equality amongst the Cuban people.

The U.S. won’t even amend its own constitution to add the Equal Rights Amendment to protect its own citizens by making them all equal under the eyes of the law. They instead have to make it an Act that could always be taken away by the next party in power.

The population of Cuba was allowed to discuss and draft the new Family Code with many workplaces and neighborhoods gathering and revising what should be said and guaranteed within the new addition to their Constitution.

Not only does this happen for the Family Code Referendum, but many political, social and economic policies that are conceived are brought to the Cuban people to debate and discuss.

This is the example that we should be following. A true way that a democracy should run. We as Americans must be able to take control of the fate of our lives and must be able to make social progress that frees not only ourselves but those who are disenfranchised by the system. There must be changes in the way that American politics work by allowing its citizens to have a bigger voice.

The way America runs is a way of the past that has become outdated and corrupt. It’s time for a new America that is open and equal to all.