How would you describe yourself? Liberal, conservative, independent, republican, democrat or none of the above? You might want to take a minute and think about that question before you commit to any one group or cause. The world we live in these days is getting more and more complicated to figure out, and before you put on a T shirt with somebody’s slogan on the back, it might be wise to carefully look around and tread softly because the “isms” are on the rise. Do you believe in capitalism, socialism, communism, Marxism, fascism or any of the other “isms” that are floating around right now? There are a lot of ‘em, and they typically got started because somebody wasn’t happy with the power of government that happened to be in charge and its economic ideas and the way that corrupt power was exercised over the lowly individual and his money and his free will, or lack of it. Down through the years this world has had its share of prophets of one “ism” or another. Adolph Hitler was one of the worst, Fidel Castro was another, Zhou Enlai in China and Joe Stalin in Russia also made the list of revolutionaries along with a whole lot more since recorded history began.
While all of this was going on around the world in a rather messy fashion, the United States was resolutely settling into a mostly peaceful period of growth guided by ideas of liberty, justice, and a whole catalogue of freedoms granted by our creator. Two hundred and fifty years later, the USA is still standing strong despite the chaos that has descended on many other places around the globe. That is a remarkable record of achievement. It is even more remarkable when you consider that most of the families in this country today can trace their roots back to citizenship in other countries less than one and a half centuries ago. And more remarkable still is the fact that this patchwork of a country made up of people from all around the world has held together thanks to the inspired works produced by a group of founding fathers during a miserably hot Philadelphia summer. After months of debate, compromise, arguments, and intellectual wrangling these worn and weary patriots unveiled the documents that laid out the rules and precepts that have guided this nation ever since.
Now, as we approach the 250th birthday of this country, we are told that the system that brought us this far is no longer working as the proper guide for our nation’s future. The recently elected mayor of New York City is someone who describes himself as a socialist democrat, intent on crusading for more and more growth of socialism into our country, our lives, and the overall political landscape. Bernie Sanders is a U.S. Senator from Vermont and a supporter of socialist candidates and causes. He also described himself as a social democrat in his 2016 failed bid to win election to the presidency. Sanders is widely seen as the strongest voice in the campaign of recruitment of candidates, voters and policies that all support the insidious growth and failed principles of socialism.
In the rise of “isms”, I have no trouble at all in describing myself and the category I belong to. Like most Americans, I am proud to be a confirmed capitalist who is continually perplexed by those prophets of the “isms” and their continuing denial and degradation of the story of our country. What is unquestionably undeniable is that after two hundred and fifty years, the story of our country has not wavered from its origins formed in that summer of 1776. We should all be thankful for that, and thankful that what we still have now is not an “ism”. Instead, it is a proud, resilient and proven country. And while it may not be perfect, it remains a remarkable achievement indeed.
