Conservatives And Socialism

Conservatives in Congress, cable news and so called leaders of Conservatives are once again using the word socialism to try and describe President Obama's agenda.  It represents the typical republican rhetoric to divide the country because they have no record themselves concerning progress for the country and its people.

 

Obama's $787 billion stimulus package passed by congress is socialism, but the $700 billion stimulus Bush pushed through congress  was not, even though that money was given away with no checks and balances.  But that is ok with conservatives.

 

Medicare is government socialism along with universal health care conservatives say.  Medicare cost the government $437 billion in 2007 which 59% was paid for by premiums and dedicated taxes.  Conservatives forgot to mention that.  Welfare is socialism conservatives say but the last 3 republican Presidents have no record of ending or changing welfare for the better.  But President Clinton did. 

 

Conservatives love to give corporate welfare to corporate America and other special monetary favors, but to them that is not socialism.  It is just the conservative thing to do for the transfer of wealth.  Ronald Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 ran the country 20 of the last 28 years but had no sustained policy or record of reducing the welfare or poverty rolls, but the Clinton administration did.  It was called jobs and the Clinton administration created more new net jobs in 8 years than all 3 republican Presidents combined in the 20 years they served. 

 

Conservatives republicans talk about socialism to try and escape their true identity as the masters of deficit spending and creators of debt.  As a party, progress for our country and its people have escaped them.

U.S. Policy Change Toward Cuba

The Associated Press has reported senior U.S. officials have said President Obama plans to announce a policy change toward Cuba before the Summit of Americas April 17-19 in Trinidad and Tobago.  The President recently signed legislation that rolled back rules imposed by the Bush administration that limited Cuban travel by Americans to just two weeks every 3 years and confined visits to immediate family members. 

 

The legislation that Obama signed now allows Americans with relatives in Cuba to visit once a year, stay as long as they want and spend up to $179 a day.  That is a common sense change that should have been made years ago.

 

Hopefully President Obama will continue to change our policy that will bring that Island and its people into a relationship as close allies for the benefit of both countries.  A free Cuba to manage its own affairs with a good relationship between both countries will be a benefit for the hemisphere. 

 

I have written in a recent and past posts about American-Cuban relations that our past policies should be updated to fit the times we are living in.  A country only 90 miles from our shore line would be better as an ally and partner, than an adversary.  The next step should be to lift the embargo.