ON THE BERLIN WALL, SOCIALISM, AND WARREN/SANDERS
Our youth forget or never knew of the Berlin Wall. It is worth remembering.
I read today of the celebrations in Berlin, Germany, on the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the wall that separated East and West Berlin. The twelve-to-eighteen foot wall of concrete blocks was erected during the Cold War to separate the eastern (communist/socialist) sector of Germany from the western side. The differences on opposing side of the wall were stark. On one side a prosperous Germany with jobs, freedom, a free press, dignified human rights; on the other side, political and social repression, Stazi spies, propaganda as “news”, coupled with poverty and despair.
Over the thirty years the wall existed (1961-1991) hundreds of people died attempting to cross the electrified. barbed-wire-strung, no-man’s-land guarded by vicious dogs, and AK47 wielding DRG soldiers. The troops were ordered to shoot to kill and then left their shot up victims hanging from the barbed wire fencing for weeks just to warn others who might make a similar try to leave the socialist state. In their efforts to reach freedom in the west, East Germans went to extraordinary means, When crossing to the west was too dangerous—those seeking freedom resorted even to digging under-the-wall tunnels—dark, dank, airless crawl spaces, three feet wide and three feet high—rigged with long plastic tubes hooked to a vacuum cleaner to pump in fresh air. These under-ground routes were often discovered and too often they collapsed on the diggers.
The fact that the East Germans were so desperate to abandon their —equal pay for everyone socialism—to reach a capitalist system that they even dug tunnels and crawled through them to leave the socialist systems remarkable. Does anyone in Germany what to go back to socialism? Not likely . There is no better example to understand the appeal of a free capitalism than the history of the Berlin Wall
Today Germany is united—both east and west thrive in the benefits of a robust capitalism. But still people from less fortunate nations attempt life-threatening journeys to reach this place of freedom and prosperity. Germany recently admitted more than a million war-refugees from the near east and North Africa. In the USA as well, we are flooded with immigrants—both legal and illegal—from other less fortunate parts of the world who attempt similar death defying and dangerous crossings through deserts and across rivers to reach the benefits of our free capitalist system.
Yet today, on this day of celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall —the socialist doctrine of “free stuff”, “free for all health care” and “equal pay for all”, confiscatory taxes, open borders, cries of “down with Wall Street” , comments such as; “there should be no billionaires”, etc, etc. seem to be attractive to a large portion of our (poorly informed) youth. A recent national poll suggests that a significant percentage of our young—(the millennials) “would favor a socialist system over capitalism”.
In recent presidential debates many on the left have supported polices that indicate that they espouse what is in effect a socialistic economic system. Some, such as independent (VT) Senator Bernie Sanders are admitted proponents of socialism, while others, such as Senator Elizabeth Warren, propose socialistic policies, but refuse to be identified as such—though that is the economics they favor.
The facts are that the US Democrat proponents of this economic system have seen socialism only, as my mom would say: “a traverse le telescope” (through the telescope). These politicians have given lip service to socialism from a distance (though Bernie did spend his honeymoon in cold and chilly communist Moscow). Offering “free stuff” and confiscating taxes from those middle class and wealthy Americans was means of vote gathering for them. The system they eschewed (capitalism) served and benefitted them and theirs very well. They took advantage of the system. Bernie Sanders prospered and advanced himself and his family while talking up the benefits of socialism. Senator Warren also hypocritically took advantage of the capitalist system, claiming to be a woman of color to gain entrance to an elite university and profiting from its freedoms, open educational system, the financial opportunities she would deny to you and yours if her proposals were enacted.
Today our youth should be reminded of this day of remembrance of the fall of the Berlin Wall and why it existed. They should be reminded that it was built to keep those who were trapped under the socialist system from freedom and from fleeing to a capitalist system.
Why? Socialism is a failure as an economic system. Yes capitalism has its faults. The profit motive does not solve all problems. Uneven distribution of wealth does occur. Market forces do not always arrive at outcomes that are the best long term solutions for problems. A wise non-intrusive government must step in at times.
But give a free person a choice and they will always respond with their feet. They run, walk, crawl, dig their way, swim, embark in flimsy vessels all to reach a capitalist nation where hard work is rewarded, where government in not intrusive, and where freedom reigns.
Remember 1991 and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
PS. There is no relationship between out southern border wall and that of the East Germans as some modern Germans leaders would like to suggest. The East Germans were trying to keep a people trapped in a suffocating economic system behind their wall. Ronald Reagan called for that wall rightly to be torn down. Our southern wall serves to protect our people and our system from uncontrolled, illegal entry. We welcome millions of legal immigrants annually. Every nation must be able to protect its citizens from entry of those who might carry disease—(Ebola) or illegal drugs, or simply making unauthorized entry. For the obvious well being of our own citizenry we must have control over who enters and who leaves our nation. This is a simple practical border control—there is nothing sinister about it. Those who would suggest such evil intent are simply uninformed .
PS. There is no relationship between out southern border wall and that of the East Germans as some modern Germans leaders would like to suggest. The East Germans were trying to keep a people trapped in a suffocating economic system behind their wall. Ronald Reagan called for that wall rightly to be torn down. Our southern wall serves to protect our people and our system from uncontrolled, illegal entry. We welcome millions of legal immigrants annually. Every nation must be able to protect its citizens from entry of those who might carry disease—(Ebola) or illegal drugs, or simply making unauthorized entry. For the obvious well being of our own citizenry we must have control over who enters and who leaves our nation. This is a simple practical border control—there is nothing sinister about it. Those who would suggest such evil intent are simply uninformed .
No comments:
Post a Comment