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Don't vote for socialism

The American tide has been rising steadily for years, yet it seems to lift up the yachts much higher than the boats.

Yesterday it was "oogah-boogah...LIBERAL!", now today it's "oogah-boogah...SOCIALISM!"...and we all see through the Limbaughistic smoke and mirrors. It's been socialism for the wealthy the past 8 years, why can't the "JOE SIXPACKS" have a turn?

Pretty well said. There's been a lot of talk about socialism on these pages the last couple of days, and because a cough is keeping me up late I think I get the first comment here:

Please, please remember: socialism is not the same as communism, so don't let's get extreme.

Obama is no communist, but he is quite socialist. Our nation has become continually more socialist over the years, with a little braking from Reagan. It's not just Obama. Even McCain has some socialism in him, like W. And Europe has a lot.

If you are fine with socialistic ideas and policies, then have some courage and stand up and say so -- don't play word games.

If you are against socialistic ideas, then by all means say so, but don't argue that it's communism, and don't deny that even a lot of Republicans have been "tolerating" it more and more -- it's not just a Democrat thing.

You are about to witness the end of this country as we know it if you see this fraud become President. He isn't qualified to run a medium sized company let alone manage the largest economy and most powerful military in the world. Why is this charlatan succeeding? He promises the masses a free lunch just like Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and all the other socialists in history. Those of you who are supporting him deserve who you get.

Do you HONESTLY think that you can write some lame rant and somebody is going to change their mind? We're all having our own internal dialogue about the election here. We're not going to wake up one morning, pick up the paper, and say: "Oh! Gary here says I shouldn't vote for Obama. His wildly inaccurate and irresponsible allegations of socialism have definitely changed my entire political stance. Furthermore, I've been cowed by his charges of "anti-americanism" and therefore am going to vote however Gary tells me to vote."
GET REAL GARY. Your awful letter has only served to further convince me I am doing the right thing to vote against whatever party a zealot like you is attached to. And by the way: labelling anybody who doesn't agree with you anti-american and anti-freedom is dangerously fascist. It is not what this country is about. It reeks of McCarthy era witch hunting and intimidation. It is your sickening slanders, Gary, that are Anti-American.
Your letter is encouraging in one aspect however. It shows your blinding fear of Obama's imminent election. :) :) Something the vast majority of America is enthusiastically looking forward to.

Mr. Jaggi,
Just because people disagree with you view, doesn�t mean we are not voting �honestly and responsibly.� Has it ever occurred to you that we may be right?

I'm voting for individual responsibility. That's why I'm rejecting McCain and voting for Obama.

Yes....step up and drink the kool-aid....vote for Obama....no consequences......just follow Obama the socialist puppet off the cliff.

If socialism is defined as taxing CEO's more, for money they really don't merit and didn't earn, in order to give this money to the workers, who did the actual work and did earn it, if this is socialism, then what is wrong with socialism?

With intelligence and responsibility, I shall vote for obama.

Is anybody else tired of the "right" trying to scare us into submission. I for one have had enough and have already cast my vote for Obama.

"You are about to witness the end of this country as we know it" Wow, that is hyperbole. It must be Halloween because Im so scared.
Obama in a landslide!

TO "What is wrong with socialism? | 6:51 a.m. " socialism is more than taxing CEO's more. It is about taking the incentive away to create new jobs. It punishes thoes who succeed. It is the intermediate step between capitalism and communism. It takes money away from thoes that have it and gives it to thoes who did not earn it. It makes you more dependant on the government. The things that it takes away are greater than what it gives back. Do you really think that the idiots in Washington that created, then failed to oversee Freddie and Fannie can or will properly oversee any program they implement?

To "I'm voting for freedom | 5:35 a.m." how can you say that you are "voting for individual responsibility" when Obama is on record for wanting national healthcare (you are no longer individually responsible for healthcare), for having forced volunteerism, for wanting to take money away from successful people and give it to thoes who did not work for it? Please explain how any of Obama's policies encourage personal responsibility!

Get real. By your sad letter, what Bush has done the past 8 years qualifies as socialism, not to mention the $700 billion bailout proposed (government taking ownership of banks). Republicans and Democrats in this country are pushing socialist policies like never before. Now the Republicans are playing the most insidious game - accusing your opponent of what you, yourself are doing. It won't work, the American people are tired of the antics and ready for a change. Obama will win, get used to it!

Marcia Stirman, the chairwoman of a New Mexico women's GOP group, didn't expect everyone to get so upset about a letter to the editor she sent to a local paper. But apparently calling the Democratic presidential nominee "a Muslim socialist" makes people mad these days. Who knew?

In the letter, Stirman also wrote, "I believe Muslims are our enemies" and "I believe war is a fact of life and we should always win."

The missive has inspired condemnation from a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. But Stirman doesn't mind. In an interview with the Associated Press, she said, referring to Muslims, "I don't trust them at all. They've sworn across the world that they are our enemies. Why we're trying to elect one is beside me ... I still have freedom of speech and an opinion. If the Islamic group doesn't like it, well, I don't like what's going on in their camp, either."

According to the AP, officials with the New Mexico Republican Party had no comment.

I've yet to see how taxing the wealthy more and taxing the middle class less amounts to socialism which, as it has been pointed out, is not communism.

The right has dug its own grave on this one. They continue to keep the wealth in the hands of the few and wonder why people want change. I say spread the wealth around, because those that can give raises are giving raises only to themselves. Socialism freakin' rules!

I think the writer is referring to the Republican administration which pushed a plan to nationalize the banks, restrict "certain types" of trades in our free stock market, government ownership of insurance agencies.

John McCain suspended his campaign to help develop that socialist buyout.

Taxes: Taxes change behavior, distorts and twist cause and effect. For instance walk down a canal street in Amstedam, all the house are narrow and long. Odd looking actually, why, because they were taxed on frontage footage. Therefore they made the houses incongruously narrow. The rich are paying the majority of taxes in this country already. Their behavior will change under taxation, to perserve their wealth. For the people on the receiving end of the government largess, they will also change their behavior, many times living profligate and useless lives. Tax more and there will be less to go around. There is nothing you can do about this, it is a fact and socialism is a very precarious way stop on the way to communism. A completely distorting idealogy, only supported by fear and force.