The road to socialism

So here we are, nearly 4 weeks after McCain's brilliant VP choice, and Obama has only (perhaps) just begin to find his footing again. Not through any strategy of his own, mind you; it appears that his numbers are going up again, ever so slightly, as a result of this dastardly AIG buyout.

I don't know when I've ever been as furious at government maneuverings, on a Republican watch no less, as over this Freddie & Fannie, Merrill Lynch and now AIG corporate welfare. How is this conservatism in any sense of the word? There is a simple answer: IT ISN'T. It is unadulterated socialism, with the state propping up bloated businesses that made poor financial decisions. If every large corporation assumes that government will be there with a bailout when they head into the tank, pray tell me, WHAT keeps the worst kind of choices from being made by these very businesses? How is this a level playing field in any sense, when a small business with $2 million in yearly sales doesn't have a prayer of receiving the same treatment?

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson came on Meet the Press with Tom Brokaw no more than 4 weeks ago and said he felt that a government takeover of Freddie & Fannie would be a horrible move. Yet, here we are, well beyond that. Unbelievable.

So as the state assumes control or cashes in their IOUs from all of these corporations, where do the little people get any recourse? And where did the $85 BILLION come from to fund this takeover? Did China decide to cancel their trillion dollar trade surplus with us, and I just didn't get the memo?

What we desperately need are a group of leaders going into the White House with the guts to tell this country's citizens AND businesses that they have eaten from the public trough long enough. Wouldn't a President feel rewarded enough just for presenting economics as they are for 4 years and following it up with attempts at action, that it wouldn't matter whether his aspirations for a second term came to fruition or not? If John McCain would do that, I happen to believe he would go down in history as one of the noblest and most courageous Presidents this country has seen, possibly this generation's greatest leader.

We are a compassionate country, but this is corruption, not kindness. God in Heaven help this country. What have we come to? I am an inveterate American optimist, but this is enough to push me down the path of cynicism.