Socialism: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state.

Capitalism: An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are owned and controlled by private individuals and businesses for profit.

According to the above definitions, the United States was clearly a capitalist county 50 years ago, but what about today? What about 50 years from now? What kind of society are we leaving to our children, and is there still a chance to reverse the trend?

Creeping socialism is clearly taking over the country. The government now owns approximately 70 percent of General Motors, and has substantial investments in U.S. banks and mortgage companies. It doesn’t “own” energy production, but it effectively controls it through regulation, and wants to increase its influence by subsidizing the development of “green” sources of energy.

Now it has set its sights on the healthcare industry, which is estimated to total about 20 percent of the U.S. economy. Don’t be fooled into thinking the Democrats’ efforts to pass “healthcare reform” have anything to do with keeping us healthy. It’s all about controlling another large sector of the economy.

In 2010, U.S. government spending is predicted to reach 39.9 percent of the gross domestic product.  If Reid, Obama and their cronies succeed in getting more government into healthcare, energy production, and other large economic segments, federal spending will eventually creep over the 50 percent mark, and the United States will officially become a socialist country.

Last summer, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela was pleased to hear about the GM bailout. He was quoted by Reuters news service as saying, “Comrade Obama! Fidel, careful or we are going to end up to his right.”  That’s a frightening prospect.

Unfortunately, a substantial number of people in Washington power circles wouldn’t be frightened by this idea at all; in fact, they would welcome it. How about Van Jones, the presidential advisor who was just forced to quit his position as Green Jobs Czar? He is a self-admitted Communist who helped found an organization called STORM, “Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement.” Obama was well aware of this when he appointed him to join the other “czars”- more than two dozen people at the highest levels of government who are not elected, and who are not subject to congressional oversight or Senate confirmation.

Obama and his czars are sure to appreciate Michael Moore’s new movie, Capitalism: A Love Story, which concludes that, “Capitalism is evil, and you cannot regulate evil. You have to eliminate it and replace it with something that is good for all people, and that something is democracy.” (I’m sure the Founding Fathers would be surprised to hear that capitalism and democracy are mutually exclusive.)

The Tea Party Express people had the right idea in their rallies during the summer of 2009. It’s time to take back America from these socialists before it’s too late. Our children deserve to live in a country where they (not the government) decide how they will live. They should be able to earn an honest living, pay a limited amount of taxes for basic government services, and keep the rest to take care of their families. If they own businesses, those companies need a chance to make a decent profit, and to make decisions based on what their owners believe is right, not what the government decides for them.

Let your representatives in Congress know that you don’t want any more government intrusion into your life, your company, or your wallet. Do it now before it’s too late and the Michael Moores of this country get what they want – a socialist state.

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lyle@nevadabusiness.com