Greetings Comrades

I'm still trying to understand our new President. I actually do want to believe the best. I want to be sure I've given him a fair shake and not dismiss him for what I feared he was, even said I was afraid he was, while he was still candidate Obama.

I said that I feared he was a socialist, even a Marxist. Now, for those who may not be familiar with political theory, here's the short and sweet definition of socialism:

A theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

Socialism is about collectivism. The theory maintains that government has the ability and should have the authority to make decisions for each of us.......decisions that we're accustomed to making for ourselves.

In a socialist government, most jobs are controlled by the government. The government decides what job is best for you and assigns you to that job. You give up the freedom of deciding for yourself what you want to do for a living but in exchange, you don't worry about finding a job......the government finds one for you.

A socialist government will take care of your health care needs too. You can't decide what doctor you see and you don't really manage your own health care. Instead, you follow the government program. You might be put on a diet if the government thinks you're fat. The good side is........you don't have wonder how to pay for your health care. It's paid for by the government.
Just like most other things socialism has good and bad points. A lot of worry would be removed. But, a lot of freedom would be removed as well.

Me.........I love freedom and want to hold on to my own independence. I'd rather take a chance on individual failure and have the freedom to succeed. I don't want the government to tell me where to work, what to eat and what doctor to see. I do not want to see my free America become a socialist state.

Why?

Well, it's simple really. Socialism has only been tried several hundred times by nations all around the globe. Each time it has failed. It has resulted in reduced freedoms, reduced productivity, reduced individuality and has often resulted in totalitarian regimes that oppress the weak and silence all opposition........with bullets if necessary.

When I look at the actions of President Obama I see nothing that relieves my fears about socialism. I see him pushing a national health care agenda that is quite frightening. I see language about prioritizing health care dollars so that they are most beneficial to the entire society.

Now what does that mean? Does it mean that when a decision for who gets a procedure comes down to a 35 year old man who works and pays taxes versus an 82 year old woman who has been retired for 20 years........that the young man gets the procedure while the old woman does not? And what if not having the procedure would mean she dies? I can tell you that questions like that have gone unanswered. That makes me uncomfortable.

And now I see moves by the Obama administration that one would have to say are disrespectful at the very least to our military veterans. I wish I had been wrong about President Obama. I don't think I was.

What do you think?

Snowfall and Dandelions

Snow.

I gotta admit.............there's something peaceful about watching it fall. To see all that activity.........flakes darting here and there.......and yet it's totally quiet. Have you noticed that everyone talks quieter, almost in a whisper, as they're watching snow falling?

Here in the South we don't get much snow. I'm not complaining about that.............just stating a fact. When snow does come it produces almost a holiday atmosphere. Kids are excited and some of us grown folks get a bit giggly for some reason as well. I think it's just because we are seeing something out of the ordinary and seeing it together. It makes us feel a bit closer to our fellow man.

Enjoy the snowfall but realize that it's March now. This is probably it for 2009. But that joint admiration of nature need not occur only when it snows.

We have the miracle of sunrise occur each and every day. Light creeps across the sky, the birds wake up singing...........life begins it's buzz. It's amazing to watch.

You know..............this whole thing reminds me of dandelions. Think of a dandelion for a moment. If they existed in only one spot on Earth and bloomed only once each year, people would spend thousands of dollars to get there to see the intricate beauty that God poured into the dandelion.
But dandelions are everywhere. They are abundant. And what do we do? We try to kill them. They're still intricate and beautiful but they're not rare so we don't pay attention to them.

Next time you see a dandelion, pick it. Look at the design. And go ahead and blow on it.............I know you want to. Be a kid again. Enjoy the magic, the miracle, of the little things.