20 March 2009
 
The Wall Street Journal
New York, NY
 
Editor:

Alan Blinder needs an education in collectivism in politics. He denies that President Barack Obama is a “socialist.” His allegation can be rebutted on several levels ("Obama Is No Socialist," March 20).

Obama is a socialist. Look at his career, his past political and social affiliations, and those of most of his cabinet and department appointees. Karl Marx couldn’t have assembled a better team.  Of course, no one today is going to advertise himself as a socialist. The new euphemism for it is “progressive.” The original Progressives were socialists.

Blinder denies that Obama wants to nationalize the banks. Yes, he does. Buying a controlling or even minimal share in any private entity by the government, for the purpose of steering its purpose to serve “social” or government ends, is fascism. This is usually called a “government-business partnership.” Also, it is known as “national socialism.” It means working as a slave or a serf for the government, and the government determining one’s rewards and compensation.

Blinder denies that Obama wants to socialize medicine. Yes, he does. He wants to streamline our semi-socialized American health care industry and make it more “efficient.” To do that, the health care industry must be controlled. To control it, it must be taken over. That is called socialism. It means that doctors, nurses and specialists would work as slaves or serfs for the government, with the government determining their rewards and compensation.

Mr. Blinder is in denial that Obama is truly taking the country on the road to serfdom, and that Obama is making the most of it.

Regards,
Edward Cline