September 8, 2018

My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Philadelphia last week. Our eldest daughter gifted me with two tickets to see Jeff Lynne’s ELO, along with a nice Airbnb. On our sightseeing day, we decided to go see Valley Forge, the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall. The latter moved me beyond expectation and was the inspiration for this epistle.

As I stood in the quiet of the room in the old Pennsylvania State House, I was suddenly struck by the gravity of what had occurred there. A firestorm of liberty and independence was fueled by a declaration. A new government based on the ideals of freedom and liberty was founded. The world was changed by both events.

The east room in what is now called Independence Hall is relatively small. Its symmetry adds some beauty to the space. It is a comfortable space with plenty of light streaming in from tall windows. It is also air conditioned, a luxury that the Continental Congress did not have. I stood off to one side, close to a window, and was moved almost to tears because of what had happened in this room in 1776 and 1787, for in this very room our Founding Fathers declared independence and codified the ideals of freedom and liberty into a new government. They produced the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, a document that I believe is the most important secular document ever written. They put their lives, their reputations, the lives of their families, and everything they were and owned on the line for what they believed in. They gave us a gift that, once lost, can never be replaced, yet we are on the verge of losing that which so many have fought and died to preserve.

The 2018 midterm elections are not unlike other midterm elections in the United States. Two opposing candidates and their supporters go head to head with competing ideas and policies, often with disagreement and lively debate. Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, and Republican all participate in the preservation of our republic. There is, however, a new group that has entered this midterm cycle. They have been growing in popularity, primarily amongst younger voters, and are a clear threat to our democratic republic. They are the Socialists.

The socialists in the United States are predominately young. Their national organizational structure is under the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The DSA offered their full support for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, and they are currently supporting candidates across the country including Stacey Abrams, candidate for Governor of Georgia, and Andrew Gillum, candidate for Governor of Florida. Many of these candidates do not claim to be socialists, but they follow the essential socialist beliefs. If they do adapt the socialist moniker, they call themselves democratic socialists (only to make it more appealing to voters in the United States). The essence of democratic socialism is this – full democracy (mob rule), and social (group) control of the means of production (businesses and the economy). In the simplest terms, full democracy is the process by which the majority makes all the rules while the minority has no voice. Our Constitution, in fact our very way of governing, was established to prevent the majority from terrorizing the minority. Democratic socialists also believe in leveling out economic disparity through a new tax code (redistribution of wealth, massive tax increases on those who produce), consumer control of businesses, no private profit, Medicare for all (single payer or nationalized healthcare), and “fairness”. David Green, former DSA National Political Member, said in 2007 that “Our goal as socialists is to abolish private ownership of the means of production”. There is, therefore, no discernable difference between socialism and democratic socialism. They both share the same goals.

The allure of socialism is attracting a lot of people and many of them are registered voters. In Georgia, progressive Democrat and DSA supported Stacey Abrams is in a dead heat with a conservative Republican. Her agenda includes economic reform to spread the wealth in Georgia to rural areas that have not benefitted as much from our booming economy (redistribution of wealth), “free” tuition for technical schools (has said that she is in favor of free college tuition for illegal immigrants), reversing the state tax cuts (this would have a negative impact on economic development and would be detrimental to the booming movie business in Georgia. Georgia tax revenues are up 9% in 2018), expanding Medicaid, restricting gun rights, supporting illegal immigration, ending cash bail (this could cause all kinds of problems), and other progressive platforms. Her donors include socialists, communists, and many on the progressive left. This is not meant just as a criticism of Stacey Abrams, but as an indictment of where we have allowed ourselves to be led. Far too many people in our country want something for nothing. Free education, student loan forgiveness, free healthcare for all, societal control of private entities – all part of the socialist agenda. People want guaranteed economic safety. Far too many have forgotten, or perhaps never learned, the ideals of freedom, liberty, and self-reliance. Many people would rather exchange economic freedom and the possibility of becoming something exceptional for the false hope of economic parity, majority rule, and control of the means of production. Unfortunately, many schools, parents, and grandparents have done a poor job of extoling the virtues and blessings of a free society over a socialist society that tries to be everything to everybody. We have failed in telling our children and grandchildren that socialism fails every time it has been tried because it eventually runs out of other people’s money, and no – we cannot do it better than the last failed socialist country.

As we move closer to the 2018 midterm elections, I urge you to seek out candidates who support our Constitution and our country be they Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, or Republican. I urge you to walk away from any candidate that is a socialist, has socialist leanings, or has accepted campaign donations from known socialists or communists. Our Constitution and socialism cannot coexist. Our founders knew exactly what they were doing when they gave us a Republic. It is up to us to keep it, and we need to fight tooth and nail to do so.