Mr. Obama And Socialism

Ever since Mr. Obama’s now-infamous chat with Joe The (Unlicensed) Plumber, where he admitted that his tax plan was designed to “spread the wealth around”, his political opponents have tried to label him as a socialist. However, if you are at all familiar with the basic tenets of socialism, you know that this charge is both ignorant and ridiculous.

Obama’s proposed tax plan uses the progressive income tax, which basically means that the more you earn, the more you are taxed. This has been standard practice in the United States since 1913, and it is something that even Adam Smith, the godfather of the free-market economy, argued for. Obama will use it to give the middle class (those earning under $250k per year) a tax cut, while at the same time allowing the tax cut that President Bush gave the very wealthy to expire. So is that socialism? No.

Socialists believe that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of the population, creating huge inequalities. Thus, they advocate the establishment of an egalitarian society, in which wealth and power are distributed more evenly. To do this, socialists argue for abolishing the free market and replacing it with state ownership and administration of the means of production.

It could be reasonably argued that Obama’s new tax proposal may “level the playing field” somewhat between the very rich and the poor, but that is not anywhere even close to the degree of equalization called for by actual socialists. And it’s not like the taxes paid by the rich will be funneled directly to the poor anyway. The increased tax revenue will go to fund things that everyone uses: schools, parks, hospitals, roads, and so on.

Obama will not set up a government agency to plan the economy. He will not nationalize industries or turn them over to the control of the workers. He will not require businesses to meet production targets. He will not outlaw profit. Obama only wants to regulate the market, not get rid of it. This is nothing more than regular Democratic liberalism, not socialism.

Don’t get me wrong, though; Obama’s policies will be far from perfect. But that being said, calling him a socialist does nothing more than display one’s breathtaking ignorance of simple definitions and pathetic susceptibility to fear-mongering catchphrases. So whether you agree with his plan or not, can we please move beyond childish name-calling?

Thank you.