The S word and other scare tactics

This week's piece might seem to be a bit more bizarre than usual, if that's even possible. You see, I feel obligated to bloviate to the max, complain about the media and define some terms for my vast (?) readership. Now that I ponder, I usually carry out at LEAST one of the above on a regular basis.

I will do it all out of love and concern as I am worried that many people are becoming petrified, for no reason.

My fellow western Crawford “Countians,” I must explain something that you may find to be a tad sensational. Here goes: Sometimes the corporate media tends to throw out terms in order to drum up ratings and paralyze citizens with fear. It is often done in order to maintain some sort of status quo and rake in dough via political advertising.

This next part might be hard to fathom but many times they also want to cheer for a candidate in a nonchalant manner by tossing about scary verbiage. That is the hard reality and should come as no surprise.

I've grown accustomed to that kind of behavior but still find myself being appalled over it as well.

Just in case you are thoroughly confused, I should attempt to clarify with some examples. There is a presidential candidate who identifies as a “democratic socialist.” I'm so SORRY! I didn't mean to cause you to recoil in horror whilst clutching your pearls. I said the “S” word and for that, I beg your forgiveness. It is absolutely ALARMING and it will not be tolerated in these fine United States.

First off, or second at this point, HE calls himself the unmentionable term but the media generally drops the democratic portion and simply says the “S” word. Since the S word has been used to excite people, ever since President O took office, I felt that I should come to its rescue.

Oh stop it. I'm not a cheerleader for PURE socialism, for crying in a bucket. I simply want everyone to simmer down and realize that the United States of America is not going to be hijacked by scary communists, socialists, Marxists, or anything else that ends in an “ist.”

This kind of tactic is misused and abused so that people, who should know better, totally freak.

This is the portion of the piece in which I segue into defining socialism, communism, etc. The following descriptions have been mainly gathered from Merriam-Webster Dictionary. When that was not in play, I used online sources. Any kind of emphasis is mine as are comments directly after said definition.

Communism: a way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) and there is NO privately owned property.

Socialism: a way of organizing a society in which major industries are OWNED and controlled by the government, rather than by individual people and companies.

Corporatism: the organization of a society into industrial and professional, (corporations), serving as organs of political representation and exercising control over persons and activities within their jurisdiction.

Plutocracy: government by the richest people; a country that is ruled by the richest people; a group of very rich people who have a lot of power. (Think of large donors to political campaigns. I wonder what they might want in return for their millions. Could it be to pull the strings of those in power with major tax breaks thrown in for good measure? Hmm.)

Democracy: a system of government in which all the PEOPLE of a state...are involved in making DECISIONS about its affairs, typically by voting to elect representatives to a parliament or similar assembly.

In my not-so-humble opinion, we are more of a Plutocracy than a democracy at this time in history.

In order to form a more perfect union, the best course of action would be a combination of capitalism and socialism—OH MY GOODNESS, I did it again. I apologize. Before I cause an overload in the 911 system, (which is an example of socialism, by the by), I am going to list just a few things that are considered to be social programs or, (ducking and running), socialism.

Socialism in action, and some of you LIKE it: Head Start, Social Security Disability, Social Security, Retirement and Survivors Benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, Medicare, Welfare (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or T.A.N.F.), G.I. Bill, VETERANS' benefits, Pell Grants, Unemployment Insurance, Food Stamps, Government Subsidized Housing, Home Mortgage Interest Deduction, Hope and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits, Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, Earned-income tax credit, Employer subsidized health insurance, Employer subsidized RETIREMENT benefits, Federal student loans, Public Libraries, The Interstate Highway system, National and State Parks service, The ability to declare bankruptcy, (front runner anyone?), Police departments, Fire departments, garbage collectors, WAR, FBI, CIA, museums of all kinds, jails, anything with the word “public” in the title, for the most part—public schools, public beaches, the Pentagon and Corporate/business subsidies.

WOW! Mind you, that is not a complete list by any stretch of the imagination. The last one doesn't seem to outrage some citizens as they are too busy spying on EBT card users to make sure that “Welfare Queen” isn't buying a steak—oh, the humanity.

Thank you Bernie Sanders and others for bringing to light in which direction our rage should actually be directed.

I confess that the individual who claims to be—gasp, a democratic socialist is none other than BS. Cut it out—I read your sinful thoughts.

I heard The Donald, refer to BS as a “whack-job,” the other day or night on telly. (I cannot keep track as that very “liberal” MSNBC runs his speeches from stem to stern more oft' than not. Those crazy liberals.)

Prior to his calling BS a WJ, he threw in the words communist and socialist for good measure, of course—or par for the course.

Now that I mentioned his comment, I'm feeling a tangent approaching, or a ....“UUUGGGE” blather session.

Speaking of the word “huge” being said without that kind of breathy “H” sound, both Sanders and T are guilty of this, as is my sister who lives in “UUUUUSSSSSTON” Texas. (Sorry Punk but I had to do that. Punk is my sister. It's short for Pumpkin as she is the clear family fave.)

I find it to be adorable that the words whack and job were linked to a candidate who has worked for the interest of minorities, middle-class folks, women, the poor and basically the “peon citizenry,” over the course of his career. I mean, what an absolute RADICAL he must be. He is right up there with FDR and MLK—way too frightening, huh?

In other civilized nations that “radical” ideology is considered to be rather main stream and/or centrist. So, a person fighting for “we the people,” rather than for “UUUGGEE” corporate welfare, is a WJ, radical and FAR LEFT? OK, I guess.

In closing, again I must ask you to cease and desist with mental pitchfork plunging activities, here are some words from the man in question: “To me, democratic socialism means democracy: It means creating a government that represents all of us, not just the wealthiest people in this country.”

How RADICAL, hold me.

THE END.