socialism Archives - David Westerfield

The new healthcare law will pack 32 million newly insured people into emergency rooms already crammed beyond capacity, according to experts on healthcare facilities.

A chief aim of the new healthcare law was to take the pressure off emergency rooms by mandating that people either have insurance coverage. The idea was that if people have insurance, they will go to a doctor rather than putting off care until they faced an emergency.

Letter from Kay Granger on Health Care – HouseNews.net (HT: Bill Alexy)

Four major U.S. employers (AT&T, Verizon, Deere and Caterpillar) are considering dumping the health care coverage they provide to their workers in exchange for paying penalty fees to the government. These companies currently offer health benefits to over 2.3 million employees. That is like cutting off health care for the entire city of Houston.

The reality of budgets, economics, sociology, incentive, and plain common sense about what would have worked were thrown to the wind in favor of futuristic visions of everyone getting the best health care available for free. It sounds good on paper and many of the people were well-meaning (though grossly misinformed).

Telegraph: There’ll Be Nowhere to Run From the New World Government

By David Westerfield

On December 20, 2009

In Theology

There’ll be nowhere to run from the new world government – Telegraph

Now that’s a newspaper headline you don’t see every day. I’m not one to jump on the ‘conspiracy’ band-wagon, but this isn’t even conspiratorial: what we are entering into, and what just happened in Copenhagen, is just out in the open, being talked about by leaders and promoted by the media.

Now to be sure, as far as global warming is concerned, the accord they came up with accomplished little more than what Kyoto accomplished: good will toward reducing emissions. The carbon output of 60 developing nations for an entire year, and all they achieved was good-will? That is of course if you believe CO2 to be a toxic substance, you know, the same substance required for … life. I digress.

However, what was clear from Copenhagen is that a network of nations is emerging as having clear control over the affairs of the people they govern throughout the developed and even developing world (something the third world nations were irate about after the Danish text leak revealed something to this effect). There are some very good arguments particularly pertaining to democracy in this article. Here are some choice quotes (my insertions in brackets):

In Copenhagen, Environmentalism is the New Socialism

By David Westerfield

On December 17, 2009

In Culture, Environment, Politics, Video

Behind the Wall: “On Reading My Stasi Files”

By David Westerfield

On December 7, 2009

In History

On reading my Stasi files – FindArticles.com

Since the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall on November 9th, I’ve had a fascination in reading up on the history of the events and circumstances leading up to the Wall’s demise. In searching through some information, I came across this article in which a student doing his doctoral dissertation went over to East Germany to gather information. It proved to be a frightening experience as he recalls the story of being incarcerated multiple times, for hours at a time, for no apparent reason. Very interesting. Here’s an excerpt:

From my files it appears that the Stasi used three tactics with me. First, my interrogation officer repeatedly told me that I would remain in Investigation Prison until I confessed, and that I would be unable to contact the American Embassy, my lawyer, or my family. Such isolation, of course, was stressful. One reads that many made false confessions simply to come to trial and thence to a regular prison so that they could begin to have contact with their families again. Those who did not confess often stayed in Investigation Prison for periods longer than a year and, when they finally came to trial, were given extra long sentences because they showed “no regret for their crimes.” Naturally, those who did confess were convicted, even if they repudiated their confession during their trial.

Something They Won’t Show You in the Mainstream Media About the Protests This Past Weekend

By David Westerfield

On September 15, 2009

In Culture, Politics, Video

A million march to US Capitol to protest ‘socialism’ – (Univ. of Illinois spacial image mapping estimated it at 1.7 million, highest estimate is 2 million)
NY Times Buries Massive Conservative D.C. Rally, Hails Smaller Liberal Protests
Also: 912 Project Fort Worth protests the federal government (estimated between 10,000 and 20,000)

I think this movement is just getting started. Combine the prospect (and likelihood) of more excessive taxes and government control on the unemployed and already burdened, and you get a large group of ticked off people. Are these the roots of a revolution if things don’t start reversing? I don’t know, depends on what happens in the next year or two from now with legislation, the economy and next years’ elections. If things get worse as some economists are predicting (who rightly predicted last years’ crisis), the numbers could grow significantly.

As Gerald Celente said in predicting this trend earlier this year, “When people lose everything and they have nothing to lose, they lose it.” Hopefully that will not happen. So far, it is a non-violent movement. But if people get pressed far enough, anything is possible. I’m not saying I condone such a thing if it turned to that. I would decline to participate. I’m just pointing out the possibility.

Most Republican politicians don’t seem to have the fight in them that many of these protesters do. So could a third party, a truly conservative group of honest politicians get elected? It would be nice, but as one political commentator said recently on a show I was listening to, we need to first get competent politicians elected who know how the machine of economics and politics works.

Just check out the sea of people in this video, it’s really quite amazing:

Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine – 1961

By David Westerfield

On August 14, 2009

In Audio, Business, Economics, Health, History, Politics

This couldn’t be any more prescient:

Interesting quotes by Norman Thomas, six times candidate for President under the Socialist Party ticket, one of which is mentioned in the audio above:

“The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism, but under the name of liberalism they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program until one day America will be a socialist nation without ever knowing how it happened.” – Norman Thomas, 1927

“I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democrat Party has adopted our platform.” – Norman Thomas

Something You Never See On a Trading Floor

By David Westerfield

On February 19, 2009

In Business, Economics, Politics, Video

R.C. Sproul on the Redistribution of Wealth, Voting and Christianity

By David Westerfield

On October 30, 2008

In Business, Christian Culture, Culture, Economics, Politics, Theology

“We have an income tax structure today that is inherently unjust. We almost never hear anybody discuss this injustice. But when God set up a system of taxation, He did things differently. God said I’m going to impose a tax on my people and it’s going to be ten percent from everybody: The rich man and the poor man are not going to pay the same amount. The rich man’s going to pay much more than the poor man, but they’re both going to pay the same percentage. They’re both going to have the same responsibility. That way the rich man can’t use his power to exploit the poor man, saying, “I’m going to pay five percent, but you’re going to pay fifty percent.” The rich weren’t allowed to do that. Nor were the poor allowed to say, “We’re going to pay five percent and the rich are going to pay fifty percent because they can afford it.” What that is ladies and gentlemen is the politics of envy that legalizes theft. Anytime you vote a tax on somebody else that is not a tax on yourself, you’re stealing from your brother. And though the whole world does it and though it’s common practice in the United States of America, a Christian shouldn’t be caught dead voting to fill his own pocketbook at the expense of someone else. Isn’t that plain? Isn’t that clear? And until we get some kind of flat tax, we’re going to have a politicized economy, we’re going to have class warfare, and we’re going to have the whole nation’s rule being determined by the rush for economic advantage at the polls. Don’t do it. Even if that means sacrificing some benefit you might receive from the federal government. Don’t ask other people at the point of a gun to give you from their pockets what you don’t have. That’s sin.

It is, of course, the American way. But we Christians should not be involved in that sort of thing. Rather we should be voting for what is right, what is ethical. And our consciences on that score need to be informed by the Word of God, not by our wallets. And so I plead with you: When you enter the voting booth, don’t leave your Christianity in the parking lot. And be bold to speak on these issues, even if it means somebody picks up a rock and throws it in your head. Because it is through tribulation that we enter the Kingdom of God. I pray for you, beloved, and for our nation in these days to come.”

Taken from this excellent article: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2008/10/pr … -text.html