Response to another email from someone who is confused on the definition of socialism.

Having received another email claiming to be a "concerned citizen fed up with the way this country is headed," I've decided to once again go to my keyboard and push back against thinly veiled racism and class warfare. The letter supposedly was written by a woman named Cyndy Miller to the executive director of the AARP. In it she explains why she and her husband are not renewing their membership to the association. The full letter can be read by clicking here. To summarize its contents, she basically is in complete disagreement with the AARP's continued support of the Obama administration and their "Socialist Mindset." She doesn't like illegal immigrants because, according to her, they get too many handouts. Actually, she seems to be opposed to everything the government does, and doesn't like tax money going to anyone or anything. She supports political gridlock and partisan strife by stating that "DIVIDED WE FAIL presents neither an impartial view nor the one we have come to embrace." Mrs. Miller seems to prefer inequity and total self reliance. She takes into consideration neither the racism that still plagues this country or the social obstacles that the disadvantaged face. While the letter has apparently been correctly attributed to Cyndy Miller, it could have easily been produced by a computer algorithm set to write with a strong right-wing bent and strident hatred of the president. "Obama is a socialist. Socialism is bad. Obama is bad. (I'm not too keen on minorities either.) God bless America. I'm angry. Grrrr." Standard drivel that gets passed onto everyone and shouldn't be read by anyone. Anyway, what follows is my response.

I know ad hominem attacks should be avoided, but this is just a stupid diatribe of an uniformed and racist (against immigrants for sure) woman who is "afraid of what this country has turned into." What exactly that means is unclear; she simple calls Obama a "socialist," and she assumes that explains everything. Her rant against immigrants is ludicrous. This country was founded on immigrants, and the current animosity towards "those illegals" is referring solely to those coming from Mexico and other countries in the southern hemisphere. At one time, the same type of paranoia surrounded the Polish, Italians, Germans, etc. The only difference is that then we didn't really have the concept of "illegal American." Our current immigration policy is the problem, and contrary to what this lady claims, illegal immigrants pay into the tax system more than they receive. For example, say an undocumented individual works under the table for cash only. Well, he or she still has to pay sales tax on purchases. If they are using a false social security number, then they are paying into a system that they will never receive any benefits from. There are plenty of citizens who treat the emergency rooms as a doctor's office, and 47 million citizens on food stamps (again something illegals are not eligible for). If her concept of "Socialist Mindset" refers to a government that looks out for the least of us, then I'm all for it. She doesn't like seeing people (i.e. minorities) receiving handouts. Perhaps if she noticed the shitty life circumstances that many of them have been born into she would have a little more compassion. When the remnants of racial segregation and increasingly, class segregation give rise to impoverished neighborhoods and substandard schools, the children raised in these areas never have a chance. Sure they try to excel, and some do, but the road they have to take is littered with obstacles. How can they afford to go to college? Without college, what kind of jobs are they going to get? If someone has to bust their ass just to make ends meet, don't they deserve a little help from others? But as a "little old, white lady" she's never faced the kind of discrimination that the lower class have. She sure can dish it out though.

I understand that there are government inefficiencies that lead to mistakes. Some people game the system in order to get more out a disability check than they should. Others abuse the food assistance programs. But these are rare occurrences. Simply put, the United States is the wealthiest country in the world, and there is no excuse for the kind of financial inequity that is oppressing so many of its citizens (and non-citizens). What scares me is that some people are perfectly fine watching this country become a land of the "haves" and the "have nots." If all you care about is not paying taxes and cutting all government spending, then be prepared to live in an uncaring and uncompromising nation. Medicaid? Nope, sorry. If you're old you should have saved in life. But you're only 72, why not get a job? Lost your job? Can't help you. You're going to have to find a way to take care of your family and find a job in this terrible job market. You get my point? It's great if you can make it life without ever needing someone's help, but there is a significant portion of this country who have been given a raw deal from the beginning. Are we all a bunch of heartless bastards who care nothing for others? Why are we essentially equating as criminals the people who are down on there luck or never had any luck at all?

Sorry Mrs. Miller, but you aren't mad; you are scared because you perceive this country as shifting away from white dominance. You think something is being taken from you, but it's not. You see social equity is not a zero sum game. Raising up the poor does not make the rich less wealthy; it makes the county stronger. Immigrants come to the U.S. because it is still a great nation and a land of opportunity, but we can stand to open even more doors of opportunity. So you're afraid of "20 million" immigrants becoming citizens? That's about a 6% increase in the U.S. population. 6%! Now is that really so scary? Sure the country is going through changes, but it shouldn't make you paranoid. If you don't like the AARP's political stance fine. Just try not to confuse socialism with democratic compassion, and try to keep your racism more concealed.