A History of the USSA: United Socialist States of America––-Writers wanted!
I'd like to write this history. What better place then here on this forum to do it?
In America "socialism" for the most part is a bad word. We don't like it and we sure as hell don't like to admit we benefit from it. Which is why we use other words in place of "socialism". Most of the rest of the world doesn't have this aversion to "socialism". In fact in many parts of the world they just say it...."socialism".
I've also noticed that Americans only tend to call the "other guys" socialism...."socialism". What do I mean? Well, for example social security....no matter how you slice it social security IS socialism. Oh sure, if you are receiving it you tell yourself that its not socialism because you "paid into it". The thing you have to remember is you didn't pay into a savings account, and your benefit isn't based solely on what YOU paid into your account plus interest or investment return. In fact you don't even have a "social security account", the money you paid in was a tax not an investment. The same goes for Medicare and Medicaid. Sure, welfare is socialism, some people call it a "safety net", but so are farm and business subsidies. In fact anything that requires government to take money from one person to provide a benefit to another....is socialism.
To me the beginning of the USSA was FDR's New Deal. Almost all the socialism we have today started during this period. We can thank FDR for changing America. Before the New Deal, America was the land of the "individual". Personal responsibility and self reliance were the pillars of American culture. From the time of the founding fathers to FDR America, for the most part, was a modern libertarian's dream. It was a time of limited government and low taxes. There were few, if any, government provided "safety nets". The government didn't try as hard to "protect" people from themselves, and the choices they made. Oh sure, there where movements like Teddy Roosevelt's progressive movement at the dawn of the 20th century. We also tried to protect people from the vice of alcohol through prohibition, but for the most part these efforts were few and far between. No, up until the "New Deal" the government wasn't very proactive in its citizens lives...at least by today's standards.
SO....tell me your thoughts, write your opinions and observations for our new history....the history of the United Socialist States of America!