Posted on 02/21/2006 8:57:03 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
The United States of America is drifting away from capitalism and its free-market foundations toward a gutless brand of socialism. Yet unlike the tyrannical dictators who ruled communist nations in the 20th Century, congressional liberals lack the guts to tell the public their true intentions. Those intentions are motivated by the Marxist philosophy of “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” Instead of conducting a deadly revolution, liberals are waging their war on capitalism through public policy, assaults on our free-market system and socialistic rhetoric.
The oldest and most flagrant example of this gutless socialism began in 1913 with enactment of the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving Congress the power to “lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.” The income tax code that followed forced a 1 percent tax on personal incomes above $3,000. Today it is a nine-million-word progressive violation of our liberties.
The next landmark example of gutless redistribution of wealth from those with “abilities” to those with “needs” is the Social Security system. Social Security began in 1935 as an assistance program for people who reached retirement age. The 1935 pamphlet describing the program stated that workers would never have to pay more than three cents on the dollar, up to a maximum of $3,000 of ones’ earnings. Twelve and four-tenths percent on the first $90,000 later, the program is now called an entitlement and is headed for a 2015 financial train wreck. Though President Bush and his bi-partisan Social Security Commission proposed a sound solution to fix the crumbling Social Security structure, congressional liberals on both sides of the aisle balked at any attempt to alter the socialistic underpinnings of the system’s original design.
In 1943, Congress continued the deliberate march toward socialism by enacting automatic withholding of taxes from our paychecks. Congress explained to the public that, since the U.S. was busy fighting World War II, automatic withholding was necessary to fund the war effort in a timely fashion. Congress also promised the public that automatic withholding would end as soon as the war was over. That war ended over 60 years ago. And if for some reason the government does not confiscate enough of our money during the year, we are charged interest for underpayment. That does not sound like the system our Founding Fathers envisioned.
Even liberals in state legislatures are attacking capitalism through overt assaults on our free-market system. The Maryland legislature in January overrode their governor’s veto of a bill that will force corporations with 10,000 employees or more to pay 8 percent of their payroll to their employees’ health care costs. Unfortunately, nearly 30 other states are considering similar legislation. State policy makers who legally force corporations to carry out their income redistribution schemes are as gutless as their counterparts in Washington D.C.
State legislatures are not alone in their use of backdoor attempts to inflict the pain of socialism on businesses and the public. Since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf region, causing temporary spikes in gas prices, oil company executives have been called to Congress to justify their companies’ profits. Some misguided members of Congress have even demanded that oil companies return their “excess profits” to the public.
The third and most visible gutless method liberals employ to attack capitalism is the use of rhetoric that attempts to disguise their socialistic ideology. The rhetoric of gutless socialism preys upon the economic illiteracy of many Americans, which fans the fires of economic class warfare.
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) actually told supporters last year at a San Francisco fundraiser, “We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.” That sounds like Karl Marx’s communism to me.
In January, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) issued a press release critical of the president and our growing economy that stated, “The President claims he has created a strong economy, but working Americans are telling a different story. They feel the American dream slipping further from their grasp and they know the reality is that this economy is not delivering for middle-class families.” When you look at the compelling positive metrics of the economy, this is not economic illiteracy. It is denial of economic reality.
Congressional liberals have carved out a position on every issue that defines success for their party as failure of our economy, failure of people to help themselves and even failure in our efforts to fight the war on terrorism.
National security is and must remain our top national priority. But replacing the income tax code, restructuring Social Security, restraining government spending and increasing economic literacy among the public must also be top priorities to end the march toward socialism. As the late Senator Everett Dirksen once said, “When they feel the heat, they will see the light.” Congress needs to feel the heat, generated by millions of their constituents demanding an end toward the march away from our free-market principles.
The debt we owe our founders and our grandchildren is to aggressively defend the success of capitalism and our free-market foundations. If we fail to pay this debt, the “shining beacon on the hill” that lights the path of hope and freedom across the globe will slowly flicker away, extinguished by our lack of will, not by our lack of skill.
ping a ling
He is a rarity in our society, as am I: a black conservative Republican. I believe he was also a member of our House of Representatives.
There's another guy: Vernon Robinson. He's running for Congress in North Carolina. He looks very impressive.
He's a self-made millionaire and Atlanta-area talk show host. Click on the picture to see his home page:
He often fills in for Neal Boortz on the nationally-syndicated Neal Boortz Show
Cain is pretty well known around here, that's for sure.
From Wikipedia:
Former CEO and Chairman of the Board of Godfather's Pizza, Cain is still a member of the Board of Directors of various companies. Cain also serves as an associate minister of Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta.
In 2003, Cain announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for United States Senate from Georgia to replace retiring Senator Zell Miller. Cain campaigned on replacing the federal income tax code with a national retail sales tax, restructuring the Social Security system, reducing the influence of government and the courts in the health care system and inspiring people to believe that they can change the status quo in Washington.
Cain was a staunch social conservative (and) got a lot of press attention and some major endorsements, but he placed second to Isakson in the 2004 Republican primary. After Cain's loss in the 2004 Senate GOP primary, he vowed he would continue to serve the people of Georgia in some form of public office. Cain wrote a book, They Think You're Stupid, with a foreword by Zell Miller. He was reportedly asked to run for lieutenant governor in the 2006 elections, but declined.
Cain is a recurring guest on Fox News Channel's Cost of Freedom business block segment. Cain is also a frequent substitute host for The Neal Boortz Show and Bill Bennett's Morning in America. Cain also hosts his own syndicated radio program, which airs on Saturdays; the show originates from WSB-AM in Atlanta, Georgia.
 Herman Cain |
Herman Cain grew up in Georgia with wonderful parents and little else. Cain's father worked three jobs because he wanted his family to have more opportunity. As a result of his dad's encouragement, Cain earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Morehouse College in 1967. He earned a master's degree from Purdue University while working as a mathematician for the Department of the Navy. Upon graduation, he worked as a business analyst for The Coca-Cola Company. In 1968, he married Gloria Etchison; they have two grown children and two grandchildren.
In 1977, Cain joined The Pillsbury Company at age 31. Within three years, he rose to the position of Vice President of Corporate Systems and Services. He resigned his senior position in 1982 to begin work at Pillsbury's Burger King Division. Nine months later, he was managing 400 Burger King units in the Philadelphia region, the company's poorest performer. Within three years, his region ranked number one.
In 1986, Cain was appointed president of then financially troubled Godfather's Pizza, Inc. chain. In 14 months, the chain regained profitability and in 1988, he led his executive team in a buyout of the company from Pillsbury. Cain was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Restaurant Association (NRA) in 1988. While serving as Chairman, he developed the organization into a pro-business voice through national debates and speeches concerning healthcare reform, employment policies and taxation. Following this experience, he was appointed to serve on the Economic Growth and Tax Reform Commission. He then became a senior advisor to the 1996 Dole/Kemp presidential campaign.
While continuing as President and Chairman of Godfather's Pizza, Inc., Cain became a national keynote speaker. Using his powerful messages as the foundation, Cain created a leadership firm and he has authored three books on topics ranging from leadership to self-empowerment. In 2002, he became an Executive Lecturer for the Gallup Organization.
In 1996, Cain was elected CEO and president of the NRA. Additionally, Cain is a former Chairman and Member of The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992 to 1996. Cain leveraged his restaurant experience with the technology market when he became CEO and president of RetailDNA, a software technology company, in 1999. Despite his global industry reach, Cain devotes time and energy to his family and indulges his passion for music and golf. Now former CEO and Chairman of the Board of Godfather's Pizza, he is still a member of the Board of Directors of various companies. Cain also serves as an associate minister of Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta.
In 2003, Cain announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for United States Senate from Georgia to replace retiring Senator Zell Miller. Cain campaigned on replacing the federal income tax code with a national retail sales tax, restructuring the Social Security system, reducing the influence of government and the courts in the health care system and inspiring people to believe that they can change the status quo in Washington.
Herman Cain is chief executive officer of THE New Voice, Inc. and New Voters Alliance, and host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show The Bottom Line with Herman Cain.
THANKS FOR THE PING!
Herman ROCKS!
Herman was never elected to any office.....
He did run for the US Senate against Johnny Isakson in the Primaries......of course the GOP lobbyed VERY hard for Isakson..... o "good ole boy" type mentality....
Johnny had "earned" their support- since he has been involved with the GOP longer- NOT because Johnny is the right man, the best man- or even an honest man.....
Many TRUE conservatives here in GA are just PRAYING this man will run for Governor......
I tell Herman every chance I get that I cannot wait for him to run again. I don't care which office, he will have my vote.
You've heard all this from me many time before. Now hear it form someone much mor prominent than myself!
Thanks for the link to townhall.com. The rest of Herman's articles can be obtained there (your links don't work at leas on my system).
He's a strong FairTaxer.
Your gross modesty is truly becoming AND ennobling, big guy!!
A Taxreform bump for you all.
If anyone would like to be added to this ping list let me know.
John Linder in the House(HR25) & Saxby Chambliss Senate(S25) offer a comprehensive bill to kill all income and SS/Medicare payroll taxes outright and replace them with with a national retail sales tax administered by the states.
H.R.25,S.25
A bill to promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and enacting a national retail sales tax to be administered primarily by the States.Refer for additional information:
My error; my apologies. The links don't work at all, but going to
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/contributors/HermanCain.html
takes care of all that, as you said.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
bttt
Too bad a lot of our GOP friends believe the same things the libs do.
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