The oft-memed and oft-mocked Congresswoman-Elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez apparently got her feathers ruffled by Donald Trump, Jr. the other day. Junior tweeted a meme that depicted AOC asking “why are you afraid of a socialist economy?” and Daddy Trump replying “because Americans want to walk their dogs, not eat them,” and noted “it’s funny cuz it’s true!!!”
AOC has been posturing a “keep ’em coming” facade against the deluge of memes that either quote one of her babblings or offer some equivalent inanity with her image (usually the unfortunate “crazy eyes” shot). Apparently, her facade isn’t as legit as she’d want us to believe, because her [response][2] to Junior was:
Please, keep it coming Jr – it’s definitely a ‘very, very large brain’ idea to troll a member of a body that will have subpoena power in a month.
Partisan politics being what it is, the flavor of news coverage aligned as you’d expect. Right wing outlets called it a threat or a warning. Left wing outlets either played it neutral (CNN: “Trade social media barbs.” MSN: “Fires back.” Huffpo: “Claps back.”) or nakedly partisan (Young Turks: “Dunks On.” Salon: “Shuts Down.”). And, obviously, the whataboutists pointed out that Daddy Trump has been one to fire off threats on Twitter, against Democrats, against the press, and against companies.
Thing is, any person who’s not a partisan shill should have been alarmed and off-put by Trump’s behavior, and anyone on the Left who complained about it should really think twice before imitating such unseemly behavior. AOC’s response showed no such self-awareness. Instead, it served to highlight an ugly truth.
The problem is that socialism, even “democratic socialism,” rests on a foundation of force. It is predicated upon taking wealth from those who created it to give to others, and this “democratic” part, which is intended to suggest it’s the will of the people rather than the decree of some dictator, is nothing more than an attempt to downplay the fact that, in a socialist economy, you don’t own the fruit of your labor. If you object, well, that’s what the government’s guns and gulags are for. Libertarians and genuine conservatives recognize that government is force and deem it a “necessary evil,” limiting it as much as possible to legitimate exercises such as national defense and the defense of individuals’ rights and property (a concept that much of the Republican party has, sadly, abandoned), but socialists need force to actualize their ideas.
And, as history has amply demonstrated, socialism has not only resulted in totalitarian domination of populations, but it is a sure-fire destroyer of wealth. Junior was right, the meme is true.
AOC’s response is the proverbial peek behind the curtain. She hasn’t even served a day as a person in authority, and the desire to use power to advantage reared its ugly head. It reminds us not only that power corrupts, but that some viewpoints are corrupt at their core.
If you’re among those who believes that “democratic socialism” solves the problems of thuggery and coercion, take a peek at the party’s website. Central to their concept of ownership is the elimination of corporations in America, to be supplanted by “social ownership.” In their own words, this will either be cooperatives, in cases where large capital investment isn’t required, or state ownership, where it is. Their words carry the soft-pedal of apologia regarding the latter, but lets be real: most industries, even consumer goods industries, require capital. It’s the reason capital markets exist, it’s the reason companies go public, it’s the reason banks lend money to businesses large and small. And, there’s the reality that not everyone is cut out to run a company, either by ability or desire. These realities are why socialist systems, past and present, all end up with state ownership, and it’s why Democratic Socialism is nothing more than a repackaging of the same-old-same-old.
All this requires coercion on a massive scale. It would require the wholesale appropriation of wealth from every business owner and every stock holder in the nation. That includes your 401(k), by the way. The DemSocs acknowledge this can’t happen overnight, so their solution is to “bring them under greater democratic control.” Note the insertion of “democratic” as a differentiator, and ponder how meaningless it is. What’s greater “democratic” control? Public referenda on every corporate decision? No, it’s more government control, more bureaucracy, more power given to politicians and mandarins. There’s already an economic system that leaves ownership in private hands while imposing heavy government control. It’s called fascism. Most people (correctly) recognize fascism as involving government force, and most people are comfortable calling fascists “thugs.”
Well, if the shoe fits, wear it, and it doesn’t matter how it’s dolled up. Socialists are thugs, plain and simple, and no “nice” adjectives will change that reality. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may be a ninny, but she’s doing wonders to shed light on the evil of her faction’s ideas and desires.
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