Three Threats to U. S.
Take cover. We are under three domestic threats.
The first is the threat of domestic radical Islamic terrorists. Reportedly there are cells or individual terrorists of this ilk in each of the 50 states. Also reportedly, they are identified and under constant covert surveillance.
That does not mean there will not be isolated incidents like mayhem by Major Nidal Hasanat at Fort Hood. Nonetheless, because of the diligent surveillance, they are the least threatening of the three.
Second and more difficult to defend against are the lone, deranged gunmen who want to play out the fantasies of their video games. The last two of these played out recently on the same day in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
The best defense against this threat is you and me. Everyone has to be vigilant of their surroundings and report suspicious activity.
In just one week recently, four possible El Paso and Dayton repeats were foiled by concerned citizens reporting possible incidents to police. In one case, a family member was the whistle blower.
Last week, a University of Texas student noticed and reported some bothersome behavior by a young man in a car near an Austin playground with young children. She called 911 and the police found the man, who had a police record, with several rifles and a pistol in his car.
As mentioned here previously, that neighborly surveillance and reporting is much better protection than any gun control rules that can be dreamed up.
The third and most difficult threat to control and combat is socialism. Although they do not call it socialism, this is the governing system leading Democrats are clamoring for. The support of this movement by most of the national media and universities is what makes this threat so daunting.
No one in this movement seems to understand socialism. They know that it just sounds so good—everyone is cared for on the same basis without regard for need or ability to care for oneself.
Apparently, though, these dreamers are never taught about the ultimate misery of socialism. The rise and fall of the Soviet Union and now of Venezuela is never mentioned.
They never heard of, or turned a deaf ear to, Winston Churchill, one of the leading statements of his time. He observed that, ”Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”
Years after those words of wisdom were uttered, Margaret Thatcher, another Prime Minister of Great Britain, observed, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples’ money.”
Those observations came to mind recently in a conversation with someone I had previously thought was fairly intelligent. She began repeating the mantra of some of the leading Democrat candidates for president.
This is the constant reference to the evil corporations who make too much money and pay no taxes.
This individual, who apparently has done well under our capitalist system, appeared to not understand that corporations are the major employers in the country, that their employees pay taxes on their wages from the corporations, that the corporations do pay federal and state taxes, and that the income left after paying taxable wages (including the high salaried executives) and for supplies, is distributed to its owners, the stockholders, in taxable dividends.
During this discussion, I did not have some pertinent statistics at hand. I could not mention that I own Pepsi Cola stock. Last year, Pepsi paid over 500 million dollars in federal taxes and over 300 million in foreign taxes. So far this year, untold thousands of Pepsi employees will be paid millions of dollars in wages that will be taxed, and I have received almost $6,000.00 in taxable dividends.
So here’s the perspective.
Those voters, young and old, cheering wildly for Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O’Rourke, and their ilk know nothing about government and economics.
It is past time to begin challenging this dangerous threat to the greatest free capitalist nation in history.
The fight will not be easy. It will require changing the mind set of educators. The bastion of that threat is universities where teachers and professors are hypnotized with the beauty and “fairness” of socialism.
This will not be an easy, short battle.
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