February 12, 2019

Nope, no working the project today.  Now the grand daughter is sick.  She is the last of the grandkids to catch whatever is going around the schools.  She is a senior in high school this year.  Getting the best grades and getting selected for college is her biggest concern.  But today she is laid out with the flu.  DIL says do not come to the sick house.  It can wait.

My adductor strain has started acting up again.  Climbing a ladder and balancing on a tiny step for a few hours is all it took.  So it is good to have the day doing ice and heat packs.  Streaming some Netflix things.  And thinking about some recent articles and blogs I have read.  "Feminist" brings the stories of the 1960's and 1970's activists is what I am streaming.  An article about Democratic socialism as many of the new, woke generation are becoming.  Led by Bernie Sanders

One article in particular struck a cord with me.  This particular writer is a Christian.  She stated that Jesus was a socialist.  Sharing, caring and all equal.  For her socialism is the answer.  Workers owning the businesses.  All sharing on a equal basis.  Capitalism is an ugly word as it encourages unequal money distribution. 

Over the days since I read the article, I have been mulling this over.  Chewing on the idea.  Weighing it against my life experience.  I have come to a conclusion.  None of these systems will ever work for the common good.  None.  Human nature gets in the way.  Greed and sloth.  If you look at socialism in Russia and the old USSR you have oligarchs.  Capitalism gives you the 1 % where they never have enough $$$.  And it does not matter if one is conservative or liberal, Koch or Soros.  Sloth  is seen any time you are in the world.  There is always that person or persons that do just enough to not be fired.

When we visited part of the old Communist Bloc countries in 2016 we heard lots of stories.  The younger persons had adapted to a more capitalistic economy.  The children of parents who grew up under the Communist government felt freer to a degree.  Some absolutely embraced the freedom.  Others were still questioning.  One young man from the Budapest area noted his parents are somewhat lost.  They had worked in their government assigned jobs.  Then the government collapsed.   With nothing to replace the jobs.  The USSR had been the main consumer of the goods.  Dilapidated buildings in some parts were a result of the ensuing wars.

Before one jumps to say, 'There you go, capitalism and democracy are the way to go" consider the dilapidated inner cities of the US.  Under capitalism industry migrates to the cheapest labor.  More money for the shareholders sounds really good.  Board of directors salaries are met before any profit is shared.  Salaries of the workers are met, too.  Of course currently those salaries have not risen at the same rate at the 1 % ers $$$$.

It is a matter of pick the poison that fits you.  I just hope we choose wisely.  That the Democratic party is not hijacked by the extremists.  If it is not already too late.