Comments for Americans' Ignorance About Socialism Is Unbelievable | Eastern NC Now

Stan, I've already given you a bit of my personal history. I'm certainly not a member of the non-producing or freeloading class and despise them as much as anyone. But you and Alicia would have people believe they make up the majority of those who receive government assistance. This is a lie. Alicia, your response is basically this: If you'd just read my article and not take the time to investigate the facts, you would see it as truthful. And I notice that neither of you has bothered to address the facts which I highlighted in my initial response. They show many of your article's fallacies. A "zinger." A "hot pitch." Whatever.

Commented: Saturday, July 21st, 2012 @ 9:52 am By: Michael Varin

Thank you, Michael, for your kind remarks about my column. "Bunk" is an extraordinarily mild description compared to the venomous language that socialists, aka progressives and communists usually employ to critique them. I have interviewed many Baltic immigrants who are "adult" and I find their opinions more valid than the students you claim would laugh at the idea of Obama the Socialist. If you had read the article without bias you should deduce that it was meant as a warning to America which is headed down the same path as a desperate Europe. BTW Did you know that Marx was really just a layabout who lived off his parents? No wonder he found socialism so appealing. It's the perfect system for the OWS generation.

Commented: Friday, July 20th, 2012 @ 6:25 pm By: Alicia Colon

Apparently not, Stan. You're clearly opposed to socialism yet you credit Orwell (a Socialist) for alerting you to the dangers of socialism. Wrong. Alicia thinks his works are no longer required reading in public schools because they are anti-socialist. Wrong again.

Commented: Friday, July 20th, 2012 @ 6:03 pm By: Michael Varin

While reading Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine" a while back I learned about Walesa. A chapter is devoted to his Solidarity movement. Their economic program states: "The social enterprise should be the basic organizational unit in the economy. It should be controlled by the worker's council representing the collective." I could give the whole program but I think you get the point. You think Obama, the Socialist, would snub Walesa because he's a socialist? Whatever. Alicia, I work with dozens of college students from these European countries you're talking about. They would laugh in your face if they heard you compare Obama's politics to those of the Baltic states. This article was bad from the opening word and went down hill from there. Get your facts straight. And Stan, do a little fact-checking before you offer up your praise. This whole article is bunk.

Commented: Friday, July 20th, 2012 @ 4:10 pm By: Michael Varin

Obviously, George Orwell's "Animal Farm" and "1984" honed my suspicious paranoia about the creep of Fascist Socialism into our American society.

Decades ago, back when I was an intellectually blind Liberal, I now credit these two classics in helping to restrain me from falling into the abyss of "group-think," which is the grand cliche of Liberal wisdom.

Great article Alicia, and thank-you your permission to publish.

Commented: Friday, July 20th, 2012 @ 12:19 pm By: Stan Deatherage