Socialism; The American Bogeyman

For Americans it seems that socialism is like the bogeyman. Mind you, they have a lot of bogey men. But it seems that this particular fear threatens life as they know it. Their rights and freedoms will all be stripped away. Life will suck. Their role as the greatest country in the world is at stake. A world leader that everyone admires. Their very precious way of life with guns and no health care will evaporate by giving in on any government directive. Like wearing a mask. Hell no!

I am not American, and I don’t have a Facebook account. Or twitter. No TikTok. I do have email, but I guess that’s not social media. Just between you and me I’m not even all that sure on how to run a blog. Type and post. That is what I know. So my news is through mainstream media. Like in the olden days. I watch Fox and CNN sometimes but mainly I read newspapers and I have quite a few subscriptions. So, all I can comment on is what I get from these sources. And what I am getting most of all is that Socialism is death to a great country.

I have said before that my late husband was a Political Science Major in university so he also influenced me along the way. I do know that he would have been over the moon with the last Presidential election results. I am not here to argue the merits or downfalls of socialism. That is a personal opinion whether you support it or not. I guess my beef with the Americans is that I don’t think they really know what socialism truly is. I guess that’s why it is such a fear for them. It is this big monster they think is hiding under their bed that is out to get them if they let their guard down. If asked to describe it they are vague. That is because they haven’t seen the monster for themselves. They imagine what it looks like. We all know that when we let our imaginations run away with things it is always much worse than reality.

Like any political ideology, Socialism has evolved through the ages. Historically, socialism came naturally. Groups of people working together for food and protection. Ancient civilizations where all contribute to the well-being of the group. African tribes. Native Americans. But there was always some form of leadership, usually in the form of a chief. One person. My husband always said the benevolent dictator was the best political form for the majority of a society. Benevolent being the operative term. Various forms have gone by different names, but the general theme is basically community ownership. There is a political side as well as economical, and social aspects to socialism. Like one big happy commune, people share and care. The term commune denotes weird free love hippies from the sixties who were stoned all the time. Yet the term communism conjures up images of stone face soldiers, a dictator, fear and a prison like existence. The term is so negative that only a handful of countries label themselves communist. Historically socialism has been around since man first existed. Back in the cave man days everyone in a tribe worked together for safety and survival. Good old Karl of the Marx variety saw socialism as a stepping-stone between the capitalist world and communism. I guess that is the main argument Americans have grabbed onto.

The confusion in all of this I believe is confusing socialism as a political directive as opposed to social programs. Many Americans see Canada as a socialist country what with our high taxes and free medical care. What they don’t realize is that our differences and similarities come under many umbrellas, a few of which are political, social and, economical. Politically they are a constitutional federal republic and the President is the head of state and the head of the government. The constitution is the rules adopted that the government must follow. The law of the land so to speak. Individual States do have their own constitutions as well. A federal republic is a group of independent self governing entities joined as a federation. Both the states and the federal government have unique authority granted to them through the constitution. There is a division of control. As in the States, the Canadian constitution is the ultimate law of the land. But, the Canadian provinces have unwritten constitutions. More rules really particular to the area. We Canadians are a parliamentary democracy. Our Prime Minister is basically elected or legitimized by the legislative branch, the Parliament and is also accountable to them. The Prime Minister is the Head of the Government. We are also a Constitutional Monarchy which means the King of England is our Head of State as we are a part of the commonwealth. Typically the Crown has very little input and is more of a rubber stamp. The King appoints a representative who is the Governor General. Typically again chosen by Canada and rubber stamped by the Crown. This also is why we are not a republic although there are longstanding debates internally about the abolition of the Monarchy.

Both countries have three federal branches of Government. Executive, Legislative and Judicial. The U.S. legislative branch is Congress composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In Canada it is Parliament composed of the Senate and the House of Commons. The Executive branch is the Head of State and the Head of the Government. As I said before in the States both are the President who is appointed by the Electoral college. In Canada the Prime Minister is the Head of Government appointed by the Governor General, and the Head of State is the reigning Monarch of England. A few differences perhaps but quite similar wouldn’t you say. Both countries have first past the post voting which is criticized by many mainly due to lack of representation but also as it is subject to gerrymandering. Better known as cheating. But that is my definition. In the U.S. The Supreme court is just that. Top dog. Although federally it branches down to a three tier system. The judicial system in Canada is basically the same in name. The courts of Canada and the Supreme Courts. So there you have it in a very high level explanation. Neither is socialist from a political standpoint.

Oh but what about a socio economic view? Hmmm. Well both countries are a mixed market economy. In a free or true market economy there is no government control, interference or ownership. What we learned in Grade eight social studies class as laissez-faire. Let whatever happens to happen. Now socialism, is at the other end of the spectrum. No private ownership. None. Zip. Nada. So everything is owned and controlled by the government or by the community as a whole. So what we have in both the United States and in Canada is a mix of the two. While there is private ownership of property and companies, the government does control some areas. And these are important areas because they are the things that no one will put money into because there will be no return on their investment. Lets face it. Would you start a company to provide a free consumer item? How would you stay in business. So the government builds roads, infrastructure that is enjoyed by the population as a whole. They also intervene in areas that protect the citizens so society as a whole can’t get run over and destroyed by a few greedy people. Services like welfare and employment insurance are social programs that are to help people when shit goes sideways in their lives. Health and education are also provided by the government as these are considered basic needs for people. None of this just happened. It was an evolutionary thing that caused the two countries to try and lift its lowest inhabitants but also make life just a bit better for all of its people.

Now this is where the Countries start to diverge. While both do have similar social programs to prop up those less fortunate, Canada does spend a lot more on some things. The obvious one is health care which eats up a lot of tax dollars. Another area that many are unaware of is Post Secondary Education. Colleges and Universities in Canada receive around one third of their income from the provincial governments with the Feds coughing up lots in times of need. Like during the Pandemic. The amount coming from student fees is increasing but mainly because of the increase in international students. These students do not benefit from the tax subsidies and can pay anywhere from twice as much as a Canadian student up to six times as much. So like statistics, we can draw all sorts of conclusions without knowing all of the information. So many Americans think Canada is socialist, we are not. We just have more social programs than the United States.

Now I could get into the political parties and where they sit on the political spectrum but the reality is that there are multiple political spectrums and we mere mortals only understand the left right straight line. That is really broken down into its simplest components of societies priorities. Money or people. Subtext is important though and aligning yourself with a political party doesn’t necessarily mean you align with all of their policies. In Canada we see a division based on location. Historically. East coast is more liberal due to the nature of their economies. More factory and labour workers. Unions. Alberta and to a lesser extent Saskatchewan are conservative. Alberta has been oil rich for decades. They are used to the money and don’t think they should have to share. Yet things are changing. Urban and rural folks differ in their mind sets. They vote accordingly. Urban is more left leaning as we saw in the last election. And change is difficult. Some accept it. Others want to go back to how it was before. Some want change to happen fast and then there is the approach of change but in a slow methodical manner. What are our ideas about trade? The NAFTA agreement was a big scary no-no back in the early days. Now it is accepted. But is free trade the answer? Or fair trade? Or protectionism? And culture. Do we protect it or embrace others? Personally when someone uses the Canadian Culture argument I am confused as to what that is. We are a country of immigration so we can’t really speak to that. I hear poutine is considered a national dish and yet I am from Alberta. I don’t see it that way. Then there is the question of religion? Where is the division there with government? What about freedom? Is a persons liberty positive or negative because both have an impact on the people around us.

Well, in a nutshell the biggest differences between the two countries is our approach to rights. In The United States, Patriotism is the word of the day. Love of country. And yet, individual rights are at the forefront over those of society as a whole. I find that to be mutually exclusive. Canada is more aligned with utilitarianism where the good of society comes before the rights of the individual. Whether or not it stays that way is yet to be seen as the anger in both countries grows. Who people are angry at isn’t really clear to me. But everyone needs a scapegoat so lets blame the government. Or the current leader. Political science is an observing and descriptive science. It shows how societies make decisions. It labels the ideologies and places ideas and people into little boxes. Social choice theory is a branch of economics that looks at how societies should make decisions. It integrates the values of the people and tries to find the best system for the majority of the people. And life is ever changing. Therefore the systems will change with time. Those who are angry are in fact often afraid of change. They are afraid of the unknown and most importantly they are afraid of losing their place in the pecking order. We have all heard that saying “When someone is privileged, equality feels like oppression.” This leads to the over used idea of “I was here first so I deserve more” mentality. Being first means you were lucky.

I am asked quite often why I voted liberal in the last two federal elections. I jokingly say it is because I am a pot smoker and I wanted marijuana legalized. The truth is, I am actually more aligned politically with the NDP which is much farther left than the liberal party. But I also knew that the NDP didn’t have a hope so my next best thing was the liberals. I love Canada. I am so happy my parents came here. I guess I could be considered Patriotic if the word didn’t conjure up negative pictures in my mind of crazy religious fanatics draped in flags. Did you know that the Canadian flag is very young. It was adopted in 1965. I love that we have social programs in place to help others. I understand the ramifications of low birth rates and declining population. I am grateful for the life I am blessed with all because a young family endured hardships to reach the eastern shores of Canada. I am proud of a nation who accepts people whose lives are impacted through war and political unrest. And while I will never understand friends and acquaintances whose ideals and politics seem diametrically opposed, I will accept their right to those opinions. But I will never back down when someone cannot answer one question. Why? If you repeat the opinions of others, I will know. If you spread the tired old rhetoric of social media self described pundits, I will know. If your views are not yours. I will know. And if you tell me I live in a socialist country, I will judge you. I am passionate about deep discussions around controversial subjects. I find them stimulating, informative, and most of all they give me deeper connections to my fellow man. I love to learn and the world is full of people who we learn from. But if the goal is to manipulate and control I am out. Just because you buy into it doesn’t mean I will. I have many people in my life who I love and accept whose views differ greatly from me. I try very hard to be silent when something I believe in is ridiculed or run down. It takes a great deal of energy to stop the judgments that form in my brain. But as I age I find peace in surrounding myself with like minded people. It is easier. So here’s the thing. Just so you know me better. Canada is a great country. Justin Trudeau is not trying to ruin it. No one has that much power. Immigration is good. Depopulation is bad. Climate change is a thing. People have accelerated the current warming. Love, sex, marriage, gender choice and procreation are rights under a kind and caring society. I believe in God but I am struggling with Christians. Drag Queens are not the enemy and the colour of a mans skin matters not. Look deeper. The cattle industry uses way too much water. Data centres use enormous amounts of electricity, so stop blaming electric cars for your utility bill. Monsantos is evil and plastic is destroying the world. Addiction is not the sign of weakness. Safe sites save lives. No one on this earth is worthless. And finally. We are not socialist. We are a society who cares for their less fortunate. And that my friends is something to be proud of.