Democratic Socialism in America

How It has Failed Everywhere It was Tried; Why the Allure Keeps Bobbing to the Surface

Photo of Kelly R. Smith   by Kelly R. Smith

The economic fallacy of Socialism and redistribution
The economic fallacy of Socialism and redistribution
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This article was updated on 01/24/21.

Recently there has been a surge in Democratic Socialism in America. Bernie Sanders may have run against Hillary Clinton as a Democrat but in reality he is a self-described Democratic Socialist. He campaigned hard and gained an impressive following who subscribed to his fascination with creating an entitlement society. In the end he was sabotaged by Hillary Clinton and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

That election and the following one are over. Bernie faded back somewhat but he is a loyal trooper and has done his job for the movement. Not a whimper of complaint about how the DNC through chicanery gave his campaign the boot. Donald Trump won, served his 4 years, and now Joe Biden beat him through more political chicanery, this time at the ballot box.

Enter Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) won the Democratic primary on June 26, 2018 in New York’s 14th congressional district. In doing so she defeated the incumbent, Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley. This victory has been described by some as the biggest upset victory in the 2018 midterm-election season. She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and has been endorsed by a number politically progressive organizations.

As of this writing she is the darling of the Democrat party in general. Coming up on mid-terms though, the old hands were realizing that she is a liability. They were torn though because she was energizing the base which to a large extent consisted of low-information millennials who are suckers for the mantra, “free health care, free university, high pay for flipping burgers, more safe spaces.” Many of these individuals, although not all, are more likely to be members or sympathizers of the domestic terrorist organization Antifa rather than productive society which is supposed to pay for their freebies.

AOC and her squad, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, the far-left Democrats, the mainstream media, and many large corporations have come together to protest, riot, loot, and take over parts of major cities to produce a cultural shift in America. The COVID-19 pandemic provided the perfect opportunity. The main goal is to topple President Trump in the upcoming 2020 election.

How Can They Make the Give-Away Nanny State Work?

In an interview on “The Daily Show,” with host Trevor Noah, Ocasio-Cortez basically trotted out the tired, boring, unrealistic party lines. “If they pay their fair share; if corporations and the ultra-wealthy, for example as Warren Buffet likes to say, if he pays as much as his secretary paid, a 15% tax rate…”

She then goes on to say, “raise the corporate tax rate to 28%.” I suppose to hell with all the job creation and repatriated corporate cash that the Trump tax cuts have created.

Next she goes after the military budget. She drones on, “Just last year we gave the military a $700 billion budget increase which they didn’t even ask for. They’re like ‘We don’t want another fighter jet; they’re, like, don’t give us another nuclear bomb’. They didn’t even ask for it. And we gave it to them.”

Tell that to the USAF jet mechanic on the flight line patching up jets with “gently used” replacement parts.

This is the very same Ocasio-Cortez that tweeted that the GOP is weak on national security. So come on Alexandria, which is it? We all feel better knowing that under your Socialist party you can achieve strong national security without funding the military. How will that policy ensure our national sovereignty? Sounds a bit like unicorns and rainbows.



Socialism and Communism’s Failures Throughout History

Both Socialism and Communism have failed where ever they were tried; there are subtle differences between the two but for the purpose of this discussion, they have both enslaved vast populations and substituted the family structure for government authority. As Hillary Clinton said, “It takes a village,” referring to child-rearing. Although touted as altruistic economic systems, that has always been smoke and mirrors. Certainly there have been “true believers,” but in the end it has always boiled down to human nature.

The leaders have always become murderous, confiscatory tyrants. The followers have always submitted because of the prospect of benefiting from the labor of others. As our nature, we are for the most part a greedy lot.

“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”

― Margaret Thatcher

  • Plato’s Republic depicted a type of collective society in his dialog, (360 B.C.). This was more of a thought experiment.
  • In 16th-century England, Thomas More’s Utopia drew on Platonic ideals for his , an imaginary island where money has been done away with and people live and work communally.
  • Early socialists such as Henri de Saint-Simon, Robert Owen and Charles Fourier conceptualized their models for social organization that were based on cooperation instead of. This was largely driven by the Industrial Revolution. Saint-Simon promoted a system where the state manages production and distribution of goods for the benefit of all society. Fourier (French) and Owen (British) advocated systems made up of small collective communities rather than a centralized state.
  • Owen had owned and operated textile mills in Lanark, Scotland. He set off to the United States in 1825 to launch an experimental community in New Harmony, Indiana. His doomed commune was based with the expectancy of self-sufficiency, cooperation, and public ownership of property. The experiment was at odds with the American spirit, soon failed, and Owen lost much of his fortune.
  • Over 40 small cooperative agricultural communities were inspired and built per Fourier’s theories across the United States. Only one of these, based in Red Bank, New Jersey, lasted into the 1930s.
  • Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto offered theories that were taken up and slightly modified by various political parties (such as the German Social Democratic Party) and leaders like Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong. Thousands of deaths and acts of brutality ensued.
  • After the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the formation of the Soviet Union—social democracy and communism emerged as the two most dominant socialist movements throughout the world.

History of Socialism in America

In the United States Socialism found its beginning with utopian communities in the early 19th century. A good example is the Shakers. Labor activists who were usually British, German, or Jewish immigrants founded the Socialist Labor Party in 1877.

The Socialist Party of America was established in 1901. It is interesting to note that anarchism also established itself around the nation. At this time socialists of different stripes were involved in early American labor organizations and struggles. One thing led to another resulting in the Haymarket affair in Chicago which started International Worker’s Day.

This evolved into the main worker’s holiday around the world except in the US, which observes Labor Day on the first Monday of September.

The Socialist Party of America presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs was opposed to World War I and his influence led to the governmental repression we know as the First Red Scare. The Socialist Party declined in the 1920s, but nonetheless often ran Norman Thomas for President. Fast forward to the 1950s; socialism was affected by McCarthyism and in the 1960s it was revived by the general radicalization brought by the New Left and other social struggles and revolts.

The socialist movement has always had its adherents on our soil but has never been able to sway the majority of the population. For one thing, many hard-working Americans are well informed enough to know that socialism does not work.

Democratic Socialism in America is also hampered by the freedom of citizens to participate in a capitalist system where hard work pays off.



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Photo of Kelly R. SmithKelly R. Smith is an Air Force veteran and was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation, financial, and energy-trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.

About the Supreme Court

What You Need to Know: History, Constitutionality, Usurping Power

Photo of Kelly R. Smith   by Kelly R. Smith

Supreme Court 2018
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This article was updated on 04/28/21.

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When Judge Anthony McLeod Kennedy, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, announced his retirement from the Supreme Court, that freed President Trump to appoint his successor.

The Supreme Court is a unique institution in all the world. If you live in this country (USA), this article will explain what you need to know about the Supreme Court, or as it is sometimes called, SCOTUS, (Supreme Court of the United States).

Supreme Court Justice is a Lifetime Gig

Once seated, a supreme court justice can hang up his or her resume. There is no expiration term on this job unlike regular judges who must pander for your votes at each election cycle. The president appoints SCOTUS justices according to his or her political persuasion. For this reason some have argued that the ability to appoint supreme court justices is one of the most powerful tools that sitting presidents has. Presidential terms in office are fleeting, a mere four to eight years, but their policies embedded in their SCOTUS selection endure far beyond their years.

This is the reason why President Obama’s appointment of Sonia Maria Sotomayor was so disturbing to constitutionally-aligned Americans and even foreign-born critics.  She indicated that she intended to pass rulings based on her personal sentiments (“empathy,” she said) rather than on the basics of the constitution which she is bound by oath to comply with and defend. This is to say, not even contemporary sentiments, no, just her own as she defined herself, a woman of color. In other words, incrementally change the country based on her personal life experiences, not the citizens.

I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.

Sonia Maria Sotomayor

Well, that statement is just sexist and racist.

An unabashed left-wing liberal radical, she also ruled against the Stolen Valor Act which prevents individuals from portraying themselves as armed forces heroes for false personal gain. This (from my perspective as a veteran) is a poor choice for this high office. What possible reason could the be to oppose this other to discredit veterans? Shame.

So there’s that.

President Biden and Court-Packing

Joe Biden, when “campaigning” for office from his basement bunker, claimed that he was not a fan of packing the court with leftist judges. However, after the “election” was over, he began to conceptualize the process. Or perhaps his staff did; it’s not clear.

Congressional Democrats have introduced legislation to expand the Supreme Court from 9 to 13 justices, joining progressive activists pushing to transform the court in order to render “woke” judgments and mold the country into one that complies with Critical Race Theory guidelines. President Donald Trump and Republicans appointed 3 conservative justices in 4 years, including one who was confirmed just days before the 2020 election. Thus, the left is seeking not only to rectify that but to do it in a most unorthodox way. The time-honored tradition, honored by both sides is “retire and replace.” It is a kind of gentleman’s agreement that with this administration has been relegated to the trash-heap of history.

However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters on Thursday she has “no plans to bring it to the floor. I don’t know that that’s a good idea or bad idea. I think it’s an idea that should be considered,” she said of the court expansion plan. “And I think the president’s taking the right approach to have a commission to study such a thing. It’s a big step.” In other words, she’s being a mugwump, playing both sides of the fence. She wants it but knows she will be partially culpable for setting a precedent when the Republicans take the reins in the White House.

History Behind the Supreme Court

The Constitution wisely permitted Congress to decide on the make-up of the Supreme Court although it seems like a conflict of interest. The three branches of government are the executive (the United States President), the legislative (Congress), and the judicial (SCOTUS). The legislative branch first exercised this power with the Judiciary Act of 1789. The act, signed into law by President George Washington, specified that the court would be made up of 6 justices who would serve on the court until they died or retired.

Today there are 9 sitting justices and together they hold more power than arguably anyone on the planet. An odd number makes it hard to reach a tie vote on a ruling. They serve and issue edicts until they retire or die.

Anthony Kennedy Retires

For example, when Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement it set the stage for President Trump to appoint a successor.

Why does this matter? Whoever Trump places on the bench will wield power for years, even decades, long after the presidential torch has passed. This is why the power of the president can last far longer than his term. It doesn’t always work out that way and there is no denial that some justices are flawed.

For example when Justice Roberts “interpreted” Obamacare non-compliance to be a “tax” rather than a “fine” he usurped Congressional authority. Specifically, the Supreme Court has no such authority but they have “assumed” it over time. Like, if I jaywalk enough times without getting busted, it becomes legal. Bullcrap, but there you go.

The Supreme Court Justice Nomination Process

As we mentioned, there are nine Supreme Court justices. One is designated as the Chief Justice and the other eight are Associate Justices. When any one justice dies or retires it makes for a vacancy. Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution makes it clear that the president has the responsibility of nominating a Supreme Court Justice replacement.



The reason for using nine, an odd number, is so when SCOTUS hears a case and rules on it there will not be a tie.

Next the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing to approve the nomination, or not. Following a lengthy question and answer, the committee votes on the prospective justice. If approved, all is good. If not, the process begins anew.

However, there is a fly in the ointment. Republicans usually appoint conservative judges and Democrats, liberal ones. It is very possible that one party will unanimously oppose. In fact, it is not inconceivable that outright political chicanery will take place.

The Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh

The last nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a good example. After other Democrat stalling techniques had failed, they brought Christine Blasey Ford out of the wings to accuse him of sexual misconduct (he allegedly unsuccessfully tried to force himself on her) some thirty five years ago at a high school party.

One problem is that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee had received a letter from Ford regarding the alleged misconduct. But rather than share the letter with the committee as one might expect would be part of the process, she deliberately withheld it, perhaps to use as ammunition when all other delaying tactics had failed.



Ford was found to be making false statements and working with the Democrats to disrupt the process. This “make it up as you go” tactic failed, but not before causing he and his family irreconcilable harm. This is how the radical Democrat left party operates. Can’t win with the facts? Just make it up. Pay stooges to bear false witness. It certainly almost worked when Hillary and the DNC scripted and paid for paid for a fictional dossier in an attempt to impeach President Trump. Yet, no one went to jail. Go figure.

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Photo of Kelly R. SmithKelly R. Smith is an Air Force veteran and was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation, financial, and energy-trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at Considered Opinions Blog where he muses on many different topics.


Democrat Activists Have Become the Deplorables


Maxine Waters waving the flag
Maxine Waters waving the flag

This article was updated on 02/18/20.

Do you find this hard to swallow, that the Democrats have become the new deplorables? Well, it’s true. Just the Red Hen restaurant refusing to serve Sarah Sanders is the tip of the leftist bigot iceberg. Not content with just refusing service, the owner “organized a mob and followed her family to their next restaurant where they yelled and screamed at them,” according to CNSNEWS.

How is this not like the Nazi treatment of the Jews? How is this not like the way the Blacks were treated in the Old South? Should we expect another home-grown Kristallnacht against conservatives?


This is how bigot Maxine Waters puts it, “For these members of his [Trump] Cabinet who remain and try to defend him they’re not going to be able to go to a restaurant, they’re not going to be able to stop at a gas station, they’re not going to be able to shop at a department store, the people are going to turn on them, they’re going to protest, they’re going to absolutely harass them until they decide that they’re going to tell the president ‘no I can’t hang with you, this is wrong this is unconscionable and we can’t keep doing this to children.'”

This is not what America is. Perhaps in California but not in fly-over country. But for some odd reason many Americans are A-OK with the mob mentality that Waters and other liberals advocate. It’s fine to persecute your adversaries as long as they are not in your voter base. This is the same tactic that Obama learned from Saul Alinski.

But keep in mind that this witch lives in a multi-million dollar mansion with guards and she is not offering to host any of these illegals in her home. Because she’s above all the riff-raff. Go figure. She is still against Trump’s border wall (she was for a wall when Obama held sway) likely because she sees illegals as future voters if only we can “give them enough stuff.”

Enter the Radical Anti-Semite Squad

The Democrat party has spent years trying to build an image as the “tolerant and compassionate” party despite its history with the Ku Klux Klan and Jim Crow. A lot of citizens bought it. But lately their prejudice and hatred is surfacing, spearheaded by the “Squad” — Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York (AOC), Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Along with Bernie Sanders, they all lean towards Democratic Socialism.

AOC twists the truth. She claimed that Israel had committed a “massacre” of Palestinian protesters at the border fence last year. In reality, the vast majority were actually members of Hamas which of course is a terrorist organization using the fake “protest” to launch infiltrations and violent attacks against Israel.

As far back as 2012, Omar tweeted, “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”

Tlaib made the strange statement that she experienced “a calming feeling … when I think of the Holocaust.” She explained by making the false claim that Palestinians had offered Jews a “safe haven” from the Holocaust.

The more moderate Democrats will not call these representatives out on their hate speech and anti-antisemitism, which is tacit approval. Even Speaker Pelosi is afraid of the power they wield. They have become, as Hillary would say, a basket of deplorables.


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The Sad Demise of Michelle and Barack Obama’s Legacy

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Article updated on 02/28/20

A presidential legacy is a term that is often bandied about as an indicator as to what kind of impact the president had on society and global policy. This is also true, albeit to lesser extent, with first ladies and their “pet projects.”

For most presidents the jury remains out for a while, sometimes as long as a decade, in order to give the dust time to settle. But with the Obamas, it began happening almost overnight. There is no way to sugar-coat this—the initiatives were bold but they were doomed to failure due to being ill-conceived or outright counter-American values.

One problem is that Barry Obama never really had any real world experience to prepare him for office. Even the most lowly congressional aide knows that the president of the United States doesn’t bow to a Saudi king.

Or deliver pallets of cash to the Iranians like some mafioso, just to avoid banking channels and legitimate procedure.

Even had he been the best community organizer in that economic crackerjack city of Chicago, that doesn’t really qualify as the executive experience that a job such as the Presidency demands. And nothing he did was even original; it was mostly cobbled together from the ideas of his mentor Frank Marshall Davis and Saul Alinsky both avowed communists or socialists.

If it can be called a component of a legacy, the establishment of a highly-effective shadow government was brilliant. His loyal civil servant followers continue to soldier on long after that last trip on the tax-payer’s dime.

And Michelle? Meh. She may have been a competent lawyer, who knows? But for someone to utter, “This is the first time I have been proud of my country,” only after she has landed the fattest plum of a spousal job on the planet? Oy vey! What a total lack of decorum.


Barack Obama’s Failed Programs

Although Obama delved into many social and economic experiments consistent with his progressive agenda, only three have the dubious honor of taking center stage.

For example, venturing into the clean energy game might have been a laudable goal but doing it with no real scientific justification and rolling the dice with taxpayer money was just a bad move; there is no other way to put it. Remember Solendra? They left taxpayers liable for $535 million in federal guarantees. This kind of speculative investment is best left to the private sector because they can conduct business much more effectively and realistically.

The next failed initiative is Obamacare. Granted that it’s inception was perhaps done with the best of intentions, but it was unworkable from the beginning. Now it is collapsing under it’s own weight; the last of the huge insurance companies are bailing and Grandma can’t afford her meds.

Finally, the Iran deal brokered by John Kerry was doomed to failure from the get-go. This was a bad deal and it resonates with the Neville Chamberlain mindset when dealing with Hitler—you know; just give them a bit of appeasement and life is good. It’s not playing out so well with the emboldened Iranians now that they have cash-in-hand and an Obama absolution for all things done.

Obama’s Transgressions Just Keep On Coming

Unlike past ex-presidents, Obama hasn’t had the good grace to bow out and let the new president go about his business. He keeps his hand in it, partially some think by guiding his own shadow government with the help of his old allies and minions who are still in government employ (and are the prime suspects of carefully-planned leaks under the Trump administration).

It turns out that it is a two-edged sword. Yes, he can continue as a radical organizer on a grand scale to try to topple Trump but it also keeps him under public scrutiny. His misdeeds keep surfacing.

  • Sam Westrop of the Middle East Forum tells us that following the civil war in Sudan, ” The Obama administration approved a grant of $200,000 of taxpayer money to an al-Qaeda affiliate in Sudan — a decade after the U.S. Treasury designated it as a terrorist-financing organization. More stunningly, government officials specifically authorized the release of at least $115,000 of this grant even after learning that it was a designated terror organization.”

Michelle Obama’s Failed Legacy

Michelle Obama had a laudable goal of getting American children in shape and eating right. The problem is that she approached it too scientifically and in too much of a heavy-handed manner.

Schoolchildren would hardly eat the industrial slop they were fed to begin with, but at least it was things they liked such delicacies as pizza, burgers, fries, etc. When all of this was replaced with “healthy” industrial slop the kids rebelled and most of the victuals ended up in the trash.

She also failed to take into account that kids that participated in after-school activities like sports and cheerleading were running on empty when expected to perform since they were not allowed to pack snacks on school property; many schools were instructed to frisk the kids and to dispose of “unauthorized” food items, leaving the parent’s wishes completely out of the loop.

Her stance today is summed up as, in her words, “So consumers out there – again, I don’t care where you’re from, what your party is – I would be highly insulted by that thought. ‘You want to talk about nanny state and government intervention? Well, you just buy the food and be quiet. You don’t need to know what’s in it.’ That’s essentially what a move like this is saying to you, mom. They think you don’t care because what they hear from are the people who want their kids to eat whatever they want to eat.”

Her legacy on this issue is doomed because parents don’t want to be preached to, don’t want to be told that the government does not approve of the way they handle their private and personal family relationships.

Barack and Michelle Obama's failed accomplishments
Barack and Michelle Obama’s failed accomplishments

The Bottom Line

The joint Obama legacy will not likely be one that is a long time in the making. Just five months into a new administration all these lofty ambitions have crumbled into the footnotes of history. Is this good or bad? That is your decision to make, dear reader.


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Photo of Kelly R. SmithKelly R. Smith is an Air Force veteran and was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation, financial, and energy-trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.






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About the author:

Photo of Kelly R. SmithKelly R. Smith is an Air Force veteran and was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation and financial and energy trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.


And Coming Up to the Mid-Term Elections

Economics & Consequences of Illegal Aliens

Both Illegal Immigration and the Willy-Nilly distribution of Work Visas Have a Dramatic Impact

Photo of Kelly R. Smith   by Kelly R. Smith
RIP America
RIP America
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This article was updated on 01/28/21.

No one can dispute the fact that Donald Trump was whisked into office on a wave of fly-over America. Not left-coasters, not right-coasters, but the average American who has lost his and her job due to exporting production, importing foreign talent, bad trade deals, and illegal immigrants.

Yes, illegal immigrants are felons. Sneaking into another country is a crime. I’m not making a moral judgement here; how can you fault a man or woman who just wants to provide for family since the rabiblanco government in Mexico makes no concessions for their own poor and downtrodden? It is the encouraging system that is at fault.

The Economic Effects of Illegal Immigration

America has almost always encouraged immigration. Where would we be without the Irish and Italians? Not in the prosperous position in which we find ourselves.

But those Irish and Italian emigrants came in according to the law, embraced the country, and assimilated to the point that some never taught their children the old-country language.

The problem with the illegals today is that for the most part, they don’t have those same goals. They come here illegally and suck up tax-payer provided public services (emergency room medical, food pantry access, public transportation, etc.) without giving back to their hosts.

The problem is that after working under the table or under a fake or stolen social security number, rather than pumping wages back into our economy, they send it back to their home country as remittances which does nothing to stimulate or sustain our economy. The center will not hold.

According to CNN, “Last year, Mexico received $27 billion in remittances — a record high and far more than what the country got from its oil exports, $18.7 billion, according to Mexico’s central bank. The vast majority of remittances sent to Mexico come from the U.S. and they support millions of low-income families in Mexico.”

This is money that should have been spent in the country that is providing all the services that the illegals willingly consume.

I’m all for hard-working people but not when their prime motivation is sucking my country dry in order to make theirs more prosperous.

Americans Won’t Do that Work

How many times have you heard this bovine excrement canard? Most likely, many times! Complete liberal nonsense. Who do you think did all these jobs before the Rio Grande got an express lane?

Point in case: I am a veteran and went through a 4-year carpentry apprenticeship. After that I worked as a commercial journeyman carpenter for 20 or so years. Today I can’t even buy a job framing or hanging drywall. Why? Because I have a real social security number and can’t afford to work for $5/hr.

The same is true in many other industries. But the authorities, especially those on the Democrat side of the aisle will not address it. Why? I don’t know; ask them that after they explain why they can’t be bothered to fix the VA hospital problems.

When I say authorities do not think that I am casting stones. This encompasses both the Republicans, the progressive Democrats, the RINOs (can you hear me John McCain?), the whole kettle of rotten fish.

How About the H-1B Work Visa?

This one is all over the map. Silicone Valley says they need them because there are not enough Americans. Total bovine excrement, again. It really all boils down to the paycheck. You can say whatever you like about how great these employers are but their bottom line is more important than their loyalty to our citizens and the country that has provided them such a great work environment. And social media platforms like Facebook are making things worse by banning conservative voices and promoting posts that glorify Antifa and BLM.

Many companies have not only sought to import foreign workers and sponsor their H-1B work visas but force American employees to train their replacements prior to being fired!

Disney, that standard-bearer of the American entertainment industry, is one of the worst offenders. The New York Times states, “About 250 Disney employees were told in late October that they would be laid off. Many of their jobs were transferred to immigrants on temporary visas for highly skilled technical workers, who were brought in by an outsourcing firm based in India. Over the next three months, some Disney employees were required to train their replacements to do the jobs they had lost.”

“I just couldn’t believe they could fly people in to sit at our desks and take over our jobs exactly,” said one former worker, an American in his 40s who remains unemployed since his last day at Disney on Jan. 30. “It was so humiliating to train somebody else to take over your job. I still can’t grasp it.”

Even more ominous, some tech and energy workers here in Houston that I have talked to have been told that they had two termination choices. Either train your foreign replacement and get your severance package or just walk away with nothing. Some choice.

No wonder we elected Donald Trump. And no wonder Congress members on both sides of the aisle are throwing dirt on him and trying to block his every move. He threatens their jobs in the good old boys and girls club and all the insane perks that that entails. These are just some of the economics and consequences of illegal aliens and work visas.




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Photo of Kelly R. SmithKelly R. Smith is an Air Force veteran and was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation, financial, and energy-trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.

Why is the Democrat Left so Angry?

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This post was updated on 07/30/20.

Joe Biden's attitude; systemic, arrogant anger
Joe Biden’s attitude; systemic, arrogant anger

The mainstream left, since President Trump’s election, would be better described as the alt-left. Even previously reasonable citizens have jumped on the crazy bus. These people acted normally when President Obama was holding sway, signing constitution-adverse executive orders and playing hooky to hit the golf links. But now that the tables have turned, the alt-left has reduced itself into a saliva-slinging frenzy.

Just Can’t Accept Hillary’s Defeat

I was surprised when none of these Saul Alinsky wannabes didn’t let a single sigh escape their collective mandibles when it was shown that Hillary effectively stole her nomination by rigging everything against Bernie Sanders in collusion with the DNC and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Neither did they cry foul when it was revealed that she gamed the system by having the debate questions spoon-fed to her beforehand. Neither did they cry foul when it was revealed that her “foundation” skimmed the donations meant for starving Haitians. She also dipped into those funds to pay for Chelsea’s wedding. OK, I could go on and on but you get the idea. The bottom line is, “Elect me because I’ve got a vagina, I’m entitled, and it’s my turn.”

But she lost. Forget the left and right-coasters; fly-over America spoke.  The electoral college has been much bemoaned. Middle America want its jobs back. They want off Obama food stamps and free cell phones. They want their dignity.

The problem now is that the activists (many professional activists paid by George Soros) are still looking for that free meal ticket. Supposedly from the party and philosophy of “inclusiveness, diversity, and respect for the rights of others,” they feel that it is OK to destroy public property and physically beat the crap out of people that don’t march to their brown-shirt tune. Antifa thugs relate to the Democrat party today just as the KKK did when they were the party’s enforcers.

When All Else Rails, Resort to Vulgarity

Conservatives may be a basket of deplorables but the Anti-Trumpers on the left enjoy getting down in the the pit of verbal excrement and have a good roll.

Case in point: Mark Roberts, an Oregon independent congressional candidate, caught fire with his canard calling the First Lady a “hoebag” during a bizarre series of Tweets whilst feuding with Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. One must wonder if he kisses his mother with that foul mouth.

The first lady Melania Trump’s spokesperson Stephanie Grisham said in a statement to CNN, “This is just more hypocritical intolerance from those who oppose her husband’s administration. To say such ugly words about a mother, wife and our First Lady is not just a pathetic attempt at getting himself in the news, it is disturbing and despicable.”

What Can be Done in Government?

Unfortunately, not much. The geriatric Democrat party (Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi exemplify this in their state of senility) is still being marionette-string-controlled by the likes of Pelosi and God-help-me feces-for-brains Chuck Schumer. The average Democrat seems now willing to toss them on the dung-hill of historical have-beens but there isn’t really any new talent to replace them. These guys have been around since the Democrats sponsored the Ku Klux Klan and their heels are dug in. 

Face it, they are mad, mad, mad. The leftists don’t want jobs. They don’t want their neighbors to have jobs. They are not interested in safe neighborhoods. They don’t care about social justice unless it is their particular flavor (otherwise they will beat your ass, especially if you are wearing a “Make America Great” hat). What they really want is more free stuff, paid for by someone else. Their new rallying cry is, “Socialism now! Everything is for free!”

Wake up America. Have some self-respect, and for crying out loud, pull up your britches, yo. Nobody wants to see your ghetto boxers. The Democrat left continues to be angry.




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About the Author:

Photo of Kelly R. SmithKelly R. Smith is an Air Force veteran and was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation, financial, and energy-trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.

Sorry Bernie, Socialism Doesn’t Work

America’s Democrat Fascination with Socialism

by Kelly R. Smith

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Hungry Venezuelans queue up for food scraps after socialist government collapse.
Hungry Venezuelans queue up for food scraps after socialist government collapse.

This article was updated on 10/09/20.

Bernie Sanders was a strong contender for the Democrat party nomination during the last presidential election. In fact, there is much (well-deserved) speculation that he only got edged out by Hillary Clinton and the DNC’s dirty tricks.

Bernie’s issue with middle America was that he is a Democratic Socialist. Most folks in flyover country don’t want free stuff; they want jobs. Of course the youth want free college and forgiveness of student loans but for those of us that actually have to foot the bills, that is not such a promising prospect. In what world does it make sense to fund someone else’s children’s higher education? K-12 is one thing; that is good for society at large, but college? No.

Bernie Sanders is not alone in his desire to control every aspect of our lives and sweep the Constitution away like so much rubbish. Upstart first-term congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (aka AOC) is busy making waves. Her antics and lack of knowledge about all things economic and otherwise are beginning to rankle even her fellow Democrats. The first term is supposed to be about learning from established colleagues but she will have none of it.

Her outlandish ideas are exemplified by her proposed “Green New Deal” which aims to allow the government to regulate bovine flatulence (cow farts), eliminating air travel (although she doesn’t mind using it herself), and a government-enforced retrofit to her green standards of all buildings across the country. That’s right; the property owner doesn’t get a say. This, people, is what Democratic Socialism has in store for you.

What is Socialism?

Socialism is defined as a range of economic and social systems that are characterized by social ownership and worker’s self-management of the various means of production as well as the political theories and the movements that are associated with them.

Social ownership is a broad term. It may refer to forms of public, collective, or cooperative ownership, or to citizen ownership of equity There are a number of varieties of Socialism and there exists no single definition encapsulating all of them, however, social ownership is the common thread woven throughout its various forms. The problem is human nature. Why should I work hard if most of the resulting gains are to be distributed to those less disposed to do so? The incentive is removed; society stagnates. Entrepreneurs and visionaries fade away. All that’s left is a glut of worker-bots and government central planners.

Socialism vs Capitalism

Welcome to Venezuela

A recent Foxnews report tells us that, “a new nationwide survey shows that in the past year nearly 75 percent of the population lost an average of 19 pounds for lack of food.”

This in a country that should be enjoying riches from its oil reserves. But looking deeper there are two issues. First, and most problematic, is that Venezuela has a fondness for socialism rather than a free market.

Yes, free stuff works fine when the oil is flowing but basing your economy on just one commodity is dangerous, nay, it is suicidal. The problem with their oil, as abundant as it is, is that it is extremely sour crude. This simply means that the sulfur content is so high that hardly any refineries will process it. It just costs too much to refine and the extracted sulfur itself is dangerous and difficult to dispose of.

It’s Simple Economics

It is no secret that the market today is flush with sweeter crude due to shale sands, fracking, and other technologies. So why import and refine Venezuelan crude at higher prices? The issue will only get worse since President Trump approved the Keystone Pipeline. There is no prospect for any improvement for the common Venezuelan citizen. People will starve and medical care will stay on its downward spiral.

So there you have it. Socialism, a reclusive and closed country, a reluctance to develop agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism; it is simply a recipe for disaster. The common people suffer. We see it not only in Venezuela but also in countries such as North Korea. Socialism has only worked in one place as far as I know. That would be the Panama Canal Zone before President Carter gave it away. Ironically, it was a federal agency run by that bastion of free enterprise, the USA. So yes Bernie, you were wrong from the get-go.

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” — Winston Churchill

But the problem is that Bernie is a Utopian. He sincerely believes socialism is the way to “govern” society. Here’s his take in his own words:

Bernie wants to mold America after the (former) Soviet Union and the impoverished Cuba. Both are failed states, which is a fact that he will not acknowledge. Democratic Socialism in America would be no different.

How Socialism Destroys Societies

By its very nature socialism destroys society; no intent is needed. This has been proven over and over. Unfortunately, zealots such as Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and AOC always say they can make it work. The fact is that it is all a mad thirst for power and riches. The previous attempts just didn’t do it the way Karl Marx envisioned it. But, history has proven that…

  • It destroys economic growth. It penalizes success and rewards failure. When the government confiscates money from successful people and redistributes it to the less successful, the successful have no incentive to build businesses and create jobs. Why should they? Just look at Greece today. Once socialism bottomed them out, rather than rethink their economic system, they simply turned to the European Union to keep them afloat. An entire country asking for redistribution from the EU. That might be called macro-socialism.
  • Free speech goes out the door. Just look at the extreme speech codes in Canada. Speak out against the government in China and you are going to jail. Socialist governments can’t abide honest, informed debate about its merits between citizens (or, comrades if you will) who are free to choose or reject it. So they stifle it with regulation.

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About the author:

Photo of Kelly R. SmithKelly R. Smith is an Air Force veteran and was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation and financial and energy trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.


Yvette Felarca – Antifa Schoolmarm

by Kelly R. Smith

Crazy Yvette Felarca alt-left activist
Crazy Yvette Felarca, alt-left activist
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This article was updated on 12/26/20.

I just happened to see an interview with this alt-left looney toon some time ago. It is simply impossible to get any more left-coast than this. Yvette Felarca is a public middle-school teacher in California and self-avowed antifascist activist.

She is the leader and spokesperson for the anti-fascist group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) and a middle school teacher in Berkeley and has been accused of inciting and participating in a riot in 2016 between white nationalist groups and counter-protesters.

The assault charge was filed after a video captured her hitting Nigel Walker, a member of the Traditionalist Worker Party, and calling a man a Nazi before repeatedly punching him in the stomach while shouting “get the f— off our streets.”

Breitbart.com reports, “In 2016 the educator and two of her radical pals were arrested and charged with several crimes, including felony assault, for inciting a riot in Sacramento. Felarca was captured on video calling a man a Nazi and punching him in the stomach repeatedly while shouting obscenities at him. More than a dozen people were injured in the riot, at least 10 with stab wounds, and the capitol grounds suffered thousands of dollars in property damage. In 2017 Judicial Watch filed a California Public Records Act request seeking records about Felarca’s Antifa activism and its effect on the Berkeley Unified School District that employs her. She sued to stop the school district from furnishing the records and a federal judge determined that it was an entirely frivolous lawsuit and ordered her to pay Judicial Watch’s legal fees.”1

Why on earth is this woman allowed to teach middle-school children? Oh right, California. That’s where when a person incites a riot, commits assault on another citizen, and whose actions lead to damaged property, the courts protect her. That’s the country we live in now. Why bother to de-fund the police? The state has already taken away their man-cards.

Her Activist Mission

It seems that her mission in life is to take on the mantle of police for humanity. Anyone she deems a “fascist,” she said, must be silenced by “any means necessary.” So when someone near her says something that she doesn’t personally agree with, hey, that’s license to just beat the crap out of them on the spot. First amendment be damned.

Democratic Socialist playbook
Democratic Socialist playbook

She particularly focuses her laser beam of violence on Milo Yiannopoulos, surprisingly. She is cool with the fact that he is openly gay but how dare he expose the ugly hypocrisy of her and the non-inclusive alt-left.

Felarca’s Hypocrisy is Overwhelming and Utterly Transparent

She justifies her hypocrisy by defining a target fascist this way, “It is someone who is committing violence and someone who is trying to organize other people to commit violence.” Teacher Felarca said, “And Milo Yiannopoulos is a fascist.”

Oh, but it is OK when she whips her students up into a California style Bezerkley leftist frenzy and and physically assaults peaceful demonstrators that don’t agree with her very narrow view of reality. Oh, that’s what an  antifascist activist is. She’s in good company with violent Antifa thugs. Good to know. Kind of reminds me of those Islamic police that wander around the Iranian streets measuring beards and inspecting burkas.



What a world we live in when a woman like this is allowed to teach the youth of a country that used to honor the First Amendment of the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Only when she approves of it I suppose. Everyone else is a fascist and deserves the business end of a baseball bat. Because she says so. Harrumpf!

So When is the Anti-Fascist the Fascist?

Her definition, from a FOX news interview is, “A fascist is someone who is organizing a mass movement that’s attacking women, immigrants, black people, other minority groups, and a movement of genocide. That’s what a fascist is. It’s someone who’s committing violence or organizing other people to commit violence.”

So, let’s interject a bit of reality here. Her organization BAMN, with Felarca as the spearhead, incites riots and attacks non-violent protesters who are exercising their first amendment rights and then she and her followers destroy property. Now tell me again, who is the brown-shirt fascist here?

It is a sad state of affairs when an individual like Yvette Felarca, an Antifa style operative and a purveyor of violence not only gets a pass from the mainstream media and the very authorities who are sworn to maintain the laws and Constitutional mandates. But that’s now the state of the Union. Dis-Union. Dark days are ahead of us indeed.

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Sources

  1. Tom Fitton, Breitbart.com, Antifa Militant Who Praises Cop Killers Gets Cash Settlement, https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/01/antifa-militant-who-praises-cop-killers-gets-cash-settlement/


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About the Author:

Photo of Kelly R. SmithKelly R. Smith is an Air Force veteran and was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation, financial, and energy-trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.

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