Irony: It's a Bitch

I think I have finally figured out what is going to cause America to become a socialist society and it is not the election of the so called socialist, Barrack Obama, or the powerful lobbyists in Washington or even the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United - although those things will play a small part. It will be the fall of the two party system in America that will ultimately cause our capitalistic society to collapse. I know you are thinking I am crazy, but I think it is closer to a reality than any of us want it to be. And the best part is:

The Republican Party is going to be responsible for socialism in America.

In order to explain myself, I must start with a brief history lesson. I took a Russian history class in college and you can’t talk Russian history without understanding a little about Karl Marx. Marx was mainly a historian and I was struck by his theory on the changes that societies go through over time. He theorized that societies go through six stages, with the passing of each stage raising the standard of living of the masses. You may recognize some of these stages as our society has endured them on our way to being the greatest capitalistic society ever.

• Primitive Communism
• Slave Society
• Feudalism
• Capitalism
• Socialism
• Communism

After taking this class and learning a little about this theory, I have often wondered what trigger would bring about the rise of socialism in American society. Marx theorized that this would happen when the division between the “haves” and the “have nots” grew so wide that is caused the poor to rise up against the rich. The government would then need to step in and take over or regulate key areas of our society, and thus socialism is born in America (a very simplistic interpretation).

I didn’t think that I would live to see this uprising, but I am not so sure any more. I think we are on the brink of socialism and I think I have figured out what will trigger the uprising. And it is not the election of a centrist to the White House or the the near collapse of our economic system. Neither of those things could have the society altering affect needed to wake up the 98% of Americans who struggle everyday while our government does everything it can to ensure that the 2% continue to grow their wealth. The demise of capitalism in our society will be brought about by the collapse of our two party system. You may not realize it, but we are very close to eliminating one side of the two party fight we have been enduring for years.

How, you are wondering, would we ever lose the two party system. It seems like republicans and democrats will forever be arguing over something that is inconsequential to our everyday life while solving almost no problems in the country. Hell, many people think we are close to adding a third party into the fray with the emergence of the Tea Party. Well, I think we are close having only one party that is in power in this country – the Republican Party.

How is that possible? Well if you have been paying attention to the news, then you have noticed the debates going on in Wisconsin concerning unions. By the way, I think Wisconsin is a perfect example of what would happen in this country if Republicans had all the power. The governor there gave millions in tax breaks to business and then turned around and asked the public sector workers to pay for them by giving up their benefits. I am not saying he did this maliciously or out of greed, he did this because he honestly believes that this is the best way to grow the economy and what is best for his state.

First let me say that I am not a “union” guy. I worked for a union at the railroad for about 18 months and once I figured out that that I was rewarded based on time served and not my accomplishments, I knew the union life was not for me. I believe, as President Obama does, that we will all have to do our part in order to get out of our current situation – and that includes the unions. I don't believe they are to blame for where we are now, but neither am I and I pay a lot in taxes. They need to tighten their belt as well.

However, if the democrats allow the republicans to break the unions, they are ultimately spelling the doom of the Democratic Party. You see the democrats get their campaign contributions from two main places, the middle class and the unions, whereas the republicans get their money from the rich and big business. So you can see how breaking the unions would be really great for the Republican Party. If they are successful in their bid to break up the unions across America, then they will they will be in the majority at every level of government. And one thing I am sure of is that without a balancing party, the republicans will trickle us right into the poor house.

So let me see if I can sum this up for you.

1. Republican win elections by calling Barrack Obama a socialist and convincing Americans that Obama is trying to take over their lives.
2. Republicans use their majorities in the states to bust up the unions.
3. Republicans win more elections as democrats lose their main campaign contributors.
4. Republicans enact laws eliminating regulations on the financial industry, creating big tax breaks for rich and eliminating all social services.
5. The rich get even richer and the middle class disappears into a sea of poor.
6. Our economy shatters and the government is forced to take over failing industries.
7. America becomes a socialistic society.

The irony of it is by using rhetoric about socialism to win elections, the Republican Party will eventually cause socialism.

I am still not sure I will live to see this change. And honestly, I am not sure I want to. Things will get a lot worse in our country for most of us before our apathetic society decides they have had enough and demands change. It will likely be an apocalyptic story worse than in any movie. Who knows, maybe it will bring about “The Next Revolution.”

I wonder as we look back on our capitalistic time in America if the republicans will ever know the part they played in creating the next stage of our society.