By JIM N. TAYLOR
Special to the Star
Having read the comment(s) of J. Rasmussen (VMS 04/18):
The USA already has (like Sweden) everything paid for by capitalism, while government is mostly dead weight. With the difference that we (U.S.) are unable to pay our government’s indebtedness on the books and even less will be able to pay for the unfunded mandated entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, and other welfare programs that are lawful debts not within the national debt but owed.
These are at least five times the debt or in excess of $100 trillion.
Obviously, we cannot emulate Sweden by government’s taking on the cost of universities and universal healthcare without printing the money, because our credit is no longer worth borrowing that much; and printing the money will result in a devaluation (like in Venezuela) which makes everybody poor.
This indeed is exactly what Rasmussen says Venezuela began doing under capitalist leaders before Chavez, and Venezuela had a drug-ridden neighbor in Columbia, just as we have in Mexico, trying to expand into our country.
Now, according to Rasmussen’s formula, all we need is somebody like B. Sanders to be elected by popular vote (like Chavez was in Venezuela), a communist calling himself a democratic socialist, who will take the remainder of other people’s money (OPM) until everyone is left equally destitute.
The USA is already on the path of Venezuela and doesn’t yet realize it.
Once FDR got us accustomed to voting money for ourselves, we got infected with that socialist disease for which the only cure is bankruptcy and start-over.
We are nearing that stage where we might accept some Evil bastard telling us we can have all that “free” stuff if we just go socialist with him/her. Hope I don’t live to see it.
Jim Taylor is a Harlingen resident who regularly is published in the Valley Morning Star.
