When I listen to the TV or radio news commentary from back home I
hear political commentators accusing each other of Socialism. Many of
those commentators have no idea what Socialism really looks like.
But we do over here. It looks like us.
In a Socialist system, all the money is collective--there is one budget.
Just like us. There is an Army budget. If pay goes up, procurement
goes down. The opposite is also true. Reduction in Force (the Army's
version of layoffs) means more money for equipment.
Medical care is free, or the same price for all, but no one gets to
choose their doctor. Just like the Army.
In a Socialist system everyone gets the same pay if they have the same
rank, regardless of their productivity. Unions work this way. In the
Army an E4 with four years service who is a first-rate Blackhawk crew
chief, fit, and fully qualified makes exactly the same pay as an E4 with
four years service who is truck driver flunked the PT Test and still
can't fill out a maintenance inspection form.
In a really ideal Socialist society, no one owns private property. Your
housing depends on your rank. If you lose your rank you lose your
house. Since there are no privately owned vehicles, the only vehicles
are state-supplied and go with a position. So a unit commander gets an
SUV, a platoon sergeant takes the bus.
In a really radical Socialist system, everyone would dress alike and eat
together. If they had to carry weapons, they would only carry the
weapon designated for their job.
So here we are with assigned housing, assigned vehicles (or not), and
assigned weapons. We eat in the same three DFACs. We all dress alike,
both men and women. The commercials on our radio and TV do not sell
products, they attempt to modify our behavior for the betterment of the
state. We get the same pay for very unequal work. We all have the same
doctor.
In a radical socialist system we would not have freedom of worship as we
have here. In an interesting socialist aspect of life here, all
Churches use the same building. So the Catholics, Lutherans,
traditional and contemporary Protestant services, Gospel service, and
any other group that wants a worship service holds it in the same room.
This aspect of our socialist world emphasizes that all Christians really
worship the same Lord. I like that.
In America, in the active Army, even though we still dress alike at
work, we can wear our own choice of clothes after work. A Colonel can
choose to drive an 8-year-old Chevy and a Specialist with a
re-enlistment bonus can drive a new BMW M3 or a Suzuki GSXR. But not
here in Iraq.
We are defending freedom but for now, we are what Socialism looks like.
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Hmm,never thought of it that way.
ReplyDeleteSomething to think about next time the polls are open. Thanks for this perspective. JasonT
ReplyDeleteMay I just say, wow. A truly interesting and gutsy perspective. I have a question though, under this "socialist" system are you happy, content, fulfilled? There is a common purpose and a dedication to an end goal, but is that spark of individualism and uniqueness that God created in each of us able to thrive, over the long-term, in such a "socialist" system? Is "productivity" alone expected to be the only gratifying end to the means? Is inward happiness and contentment even obtainable in a socialist construct where individuality is considered counterproductive to the perceived end goal of the collective?
ReplyDeleteI find this very fascinating, Neil. Thanks for serving up interesting food for thought today.
During the healthcare debate, I liked to point out that I had government-run "socialized" medicine for almost seven years while I was in the Marine Corps and given the option, would go back to it in a heartbeat, rather than take my chances with a private plan. I don't want a company whose goal is to make money to take care of my medical needs.
ReplyDeleteMilitary medicine has been great for me. The surgeon who fixed my broken neck honed his skills in Baghdad. I wrote this just because I hear the word used in silly ways by commentators. Socialism like capitalism has its good and bad points.
ReplyDeleteAt least the E4 who excels has a chance to be promoted over the E4 who goofs off.
ReplyDeleteUnder a true socialistic system, the E4 who excels in his job would have the same opportunity to be promoted as the one who goofs off - basically no chance at all unless he pays off the right people.
-Julian
Well, one thing to consider is that a normal socialist society wouldn't be funded from outside, so the military represents a fairly prosperous society from the socialist mold.
ReplyDeleteThe medical thing is kinda missing the point, guys.
I, too, was extensively treated under the military medical system and while it was alright, the hurry up and wait was staggering and they took so long diagnose my injury properly that by the time I got surgery, they'd added an extra eight months to rehab due to muscle atrophy and an extreme loss of flexibility.
I was injured the day before a scheduled leave, so I went home and went to the ER there, and was in to see an orthopedic surgeon inside three days. He diagnosed me with a serious ACL and meniscus tear (injuries from deployment let go in combatives training right after we redeployed), and he could have had me in surgery in less than a month if I was staying in town.
Guess how long it took me to even see a surgeon back at post? Three months. They lost my MRI image, and my knee was guarding so badly they couldn't even conclusively say my ACL was torn, despite my repeated explanation and a writeup from one of the best orthopedic surgeons in New York. Eventually they agreed to scope my knee, after another four months of rehab that was not working, and do a repair if necessary (obviously it was). The surgeon himself was awesome, but the system was ridiculous.
After all that, it's not like the military medical system on the whole is SOCIALIST. It's just a horrible bureaucracy. In a true socialist system, the incentive wouldn't be there at all for such a skilled surgeon to have worked on my knee. From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs, does not really apply here.
Agree with what Anonymous said - That top-rate Blackhawk crew chief won't be ab E-4 for long, while the fat truck driver will never see another promotion unless he gets his act together.
ReplyDeleteIn a true socialist system, the E-4's will have the same base-pay as the Division Commander.