Tuesday, March 2, 2010

A Political Dictionary

Democracy - government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

Republic - a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.

Monarchy - supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person.

Socialism - a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

Communism - a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.

Dictatorship - a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator.

Fascism - a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.

National Socialism - the principles and practices of the Nazi party in Germany.

Nationalism - the policy or doctrine of asserting the interests of one's own nation, viewed as separate from the interests of other nations or the common interests of all nations.

Marxism - the system of economic and political thought developed by Karl Marx, along with Friedrich Engels, esp. the doctrine that the state throughout history has been a device for the exploitation of the masses by a dominant class, that class struggle has been the main agency of historical change, and that the capitalist system, containing from the first the seeds of its own decay, will inevitably, after the period of the dictatorship of the proletariat, be superseded by a socialist order and a classless society.

Capitalism - an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, esp. as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.
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I have been listening to Glenn Beck too much lately (because I am a masochist). I am sure everyone has noticed the same thing I have noticed: all of the negative political systems are said in one breath to paint the current administration. I am still trying to figure out what a fascist-communist-socialist-king-Marxist looks like. You have to admit, though, it sounds good. That is, unless you have a brain.

I have plenty, plenty, of problems with the current administration. No matter what you hear on Fox News, there is one thing Obama is not, and that is a socialist. He has no intent on letting even the slightest bit of socialized medicine out into the public. He isn't going to nationalize the banking system. He will give the banking system the benefits of nationalization, but none of the hassle of regulation or responsibility. That much is clear.

The meme marches on. "Obama is a socialist-communist." Those are two systems that are incompatible. "Obama is a fascist-communist-king." Hey, Glenn, fascists are far-right wingers. That is something I figured you would be down with. How someone can be a fascist-communist is beyond me. Throw a king in there and you have a good time.

The guys on the right don't care about us. I am convinced that those on the center-right (democrats) don't care about us either. But if anyone thinks Glenn Beck gives a shit about them, then we are in deeper trouble than I thought. So it is OK for Glenn Beck to go on stage and throw around words that he obviously doesn't understand because there will always be a group of people who are terrified that the government is coming to get them... as they collect their welfare checks and go visit the doctor at Medicare's expense. They obviously have as good of an understanding of socialists and communists as Glenn Beck does.

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