Our confused president

There is no great difference between communism and capitalism.

“You should be practical and just choose from what works,” so said President Obama in Argentina last week and this from a man who has never done anything that did not include government money.

The comments were so inflammatory that the White House Press Liar spent a lot of time trying to smooth it over.

Some ask if Obama is really that clueless. I say he is not. He is simply a Socialist. For reference sake, there is little difference between socialism and communism. They share the same basic concepts. Obama taught Saul Alinsky’s concepts in college. He was first a community organizer, then a do-nothing Senator before he became a destructive president.

His attitude is that government can cure all. He lauded Cuba’s socialist system while there, touting free access to basic education and health care. In the next comment, he then admitted that Havana looks like it did in the 1950s. What a resounding endorsement of socialism. The most worrisome thing is that Cuba might just be his model for us.

To be fair, if you compare his idea of capitalism to communism, he might be right. He actively promotes crony capitalism while lying about it. Let me be clear. Crony capitalism is not true capitalism. If you must “pay to play” to a government that is in the business of picking winners and losers, that is not capitalism. It is a perverted form of communism. Even Steve Jobs, probably one of the most creative technology minds of his time, once said that in today’s regulatory environment he could not have created Apple. The days of developing a business from a garage are rarely possible.

There are other symptoms of Obama’s attitude that communism is better. He has managed to foster rifts between races, disagreements among different age groups, and envy of success no matter how hard-earned. The results are riots and protests, a heavy-handed government, and a silencing of anyone who dares to object.

Less direct symptoms are a loss of work ethic and a moral compass for honesty. Talk to any employer at any level and the biggest complaint is the difficulty in finding someone who is willing to work. Many are college graduates with worthless degrees, a desire to start at the top, and an entitlement mentality. You can make more now doing nothing on government “assistance” than working.

Along with that entitlement mentality is an attitude of “getting mine before someone else gets it.” That is a common theme in countries where government rules everything and rewards subservience.

That isn’t the case in the U.S.? Don’t be so sure. Just last weekend, the Pez candy company sponsored an Easter egg hunt for 1,200 kids. It was intended to have staggered start times divided by age to give all kids a chance. No such luck. Adults overran the area, making sure their children got their share. They were apparently taking eggs from 4 year olds. Actions like this are brought about in part by an entitlement belief that the government will take care of you if you have the attitude of “get yours.”

Universities now teach and actively promote communism. Ask a college student whether capitalism or communism is better, and a surprising number will choose communism. They cite how communism allows everyone to be “equal.” However, if their history professors were doing their job, they would understand that in a communist society some are more equal than others. Obama, for example, shows his disdain for the “commoner” by lavishly spending his or her tax money on vacations involving multiple jetliners, renting entire floors of top flight hotels, and dining on Kobe beef. That is communist equality. The proletariat suffers for the benefit of the rulers.

Controlling the enactment and enforcement of law is another method of communist control. Liberal judges now appear to have control of the court system, rigging the law to favor the cronies. Others get silenced through threat of retribution. Remember the Tea Party applications at the IRS and the ensuing audits of the principals of those groups? Bill Clinton used this tactic, but Obama has perfected it.

Apparently Obama has never seen capitalism at its best. It creates jobs, economic growth and wealth. How many millionaires has Apple created? When was the last time you were hired by a poor person? It is no wonder Trump and Cruz are leading Presidential candidates.

People instinctively understand that all is not well in Obamaland.

Tom Riggins’ column appears every other Friday. He may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.