Officially we are now a socialistic/fascist hybrid nation
The Tampa Tribune ^ | December 2, 2010 | Dr. Domenick J. Maglio Newsweek prematurely announced after Obama's election, "We are all socialists now." Even Hugo Chavez joked that Obama was moving at a faster rate toward socialism than he did. After almost two years of the Obama Administration, it is impossible to shrug this off as hyperbole although it is more complicated than calling it just socialism.
The evidence of this entitlement transformation is obvious. Sixty percent of U.S. citizens are receiving some form of government assistance in the form of housing assistance, medical care, child care, tax credits, food stamps, rent supplements, school breakfast, lunch and dinner, 99 weeks of unemployment direct payments, including the Earned Income Tax Credit.
The food stamp program in 1974 cost $4 billion. In 2009, it is $56 billion and rising. A family of four is considered impoverished when they have a pre-tax income of $20,000 or less. The Heritage Foundation found this family would get an additional assistance of $28,000 of taxpayer money. The USA is redistributing wealth at a rapid pace.
However, certain mega corporations have been picked to receive government handouts. There is indisputable evidence that the aristocracy of the financial and business corporate world is in cahoots with government to gain preferential treatment with corporate welfare. This unholy alliance with government to fashion a noncompetitive economic environment favoring particular corporations is a major characteristic not of socialism but of fascism.
The revolving door between government officials goes back many administrations. This "top down" control of citizens and our economy through rampant cronyism, corruption and even fraudulent elections is escalating. Former Obama Car Czar," Steven Rattner, agreed to pay a $6.2-million fine to the SEC for his role in the "Pay to Play" scandal. He paid the legal kickbacks to help his private equity firm to land a lucrative contract from a pension fund.
The exempting of 111 corporations from the current ObamaCare regulations while other corporations without the necessary connections are required to meet all the government mandates. These behind-the-scenes manipulation of the economy encourages corruption that leads to totalitarianism.
The Chinese, Halliburton, BP, Goldman Sachs and union connections have been well documented in recent administrations. On Nov. 5, Kenneth Feingold, Obama's independent "Pay Czar" in charge of BP's $20 billion compensation fund, has received $3.35 million from BP to his law firm. This appears to be more than an appearance of a conflict of interest.
BP employees gave the largest donation to the Obama campaign. The Mineral Management Service, MMS, of the Department of the Interior was exposed as having drug and sex parties with BP officials while granting many suspicious waivers. On May 14, Obama hypocritically denounced the cozy relationship between federal regulators and those they are supposed to regulate.
The largest contributor in the 2010 campaign cycle was the AFSCME. This is the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. They contributed $87.5 million, almost entirely to the Democrat party according to their president, Gerald McEntee.
For the first time in history, the greatest number of union workers are government employees; and they are being treated royally. The Obama Administration stimulus package contained $160 billion to state and local governments. The donations by government workers to the democrat party was not only a financial bonanza but allowed government employees' salaries and benefits to substantially rise above the private sector. Government union employees have become less accountable to the citizenry and more to their union bosses.
Government union workers' dues are being used by the union heads to contribute to select politicians. The rank and file have no power to direct their dues to other candidates. The union heads make this political choice of picking candidates who will dictate their working conditions and pay scale. The union bosses in essence are picking their own bosses. This arrangement is contrary to the best interest of the taxpayer.
Growing control of all social welfare services was a much easier task, with government intrusion going back to the early 20{+t}{+h} century. Nationalizing corporations is a harder sell in our country, with our long successful free market economy. A hybrid approach to transforming the USA into a centrally-controlled government would be more effectively accomplished with an accommodation with certain corporate leaders.
Every bailout of mega corporations allows the executive branch to influence the corporate CEO's agenda. These corporate heads are indebted and willing to comply with their dictates. The governmental officials would set the agenda for businesses without taking the responsibility for the economic consequences. In return, the corporation gets to write the regulations, which prevents upstart from meeting the requirements to compete. The financial, auto and investment industries have been co-opted by the government.
America is going down the path of all powerfully-controlled government, where freedom of the individual and the free market are being crushed. Citizens on the right see this phenomenon as a socialistic takeover, while those on the left view it as a fascist transformation. Regardless of what we call the centralization of government by the ruling class, American citizens are the losers.
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Dr. Domenick J. Maglio is the author of "Invasion Within" and "Essential Parenting." He is a psychotherapist and the owner/director of Wider Horizons School. Visit:
www.drmaglio.com.