Recognizing Socialism When We See It

 STUDENTS OF ARCANE comments, including the very best in the field, are often left mystified by the intended meaning of many of the most arcane remarks made by Republicans in general, and by minority leader McConnell in particular. Frequently appearing on the list of mysterious remarks are those made by America's right wing about something they call "socialism", without ever specifically identifying what they are talking about, or trying to talk about. Simply defined, socialism is an economic system in which goods and services are produced and distributed by government, on a non profit basis. Capitalism is an economic system in which goods and services are produced and distributed by privately owned (non governmental) businesses in the free market, on a competitive, for profit basis. One way of putting it is that the two economic systems, capitalism and socialism, are the opposite of each other, and that they "compliment" each other, both having advantages and disadvantages under certain conditions. Indisputably, both are strongly in evidence in the United States, where the government, especially since the nineteen thirties, has been heavily involved in the economy. About minority leader McConnell, what he said, paraphrased, was tat he opposed Biden's big spending bill because it is "socialism". And, indeed, it is. But what makes McConnell's comment so confusing is that, quite frankly, ALL government spending is socialism. He seemed to be referring to the sheer size of President Biden's spending package, the fact that it rose well above the two trillion dollar mark. But, so what? Would it be any less "socialistic" if it were  a mere one trillion dollar legislative initiative? Certainly not, for it would still included money for goods and services provided by the government, at tax payer expense. For that matter, even if Biden's spending proposal called for a paltry ten dollars in government, it would still be government spending, as opposed to spending by a privately owned business, or corporation. "Socialism" is, and long has been a word which conservatives of the capitalist kind dredge up and throw out whenever they want to frighten the voters into believing that some horrible force or power external to the United States and the American values looms at the border, threatening to over run the country with evils destructive to liberty, freedom, and the American way. And that's probably the old trick that McConnell was employing, the "socialism as an un-American evil" game. The dirty little secret? Whether or not McConnell receives Social Security yet, and  someday  he will if he doesn't already, and yes, social security is socialism, he is paid in his job as United States Senator by the government,, and that method of payment, is, as you may have guessed  - socialism.