Yellow Pages
‘Choice’ what U.S. is about
I am writing in response to the article in the Sunday, Nov. 1, newspaper entitled “Vancouver man rejects the American dream.” This is a good story that tells the path that one man took to find meaning in his life. I commend him.
Toward the end of the article he says, “No man should have more than he needs. Nobody should have an abundance while his neighbor doesn’t have what he needs.” And the article goes on to say, “But isn’t that socialism?” To which Mr. Holtzlander replies, “Socialism, yes, I am 100 percent in favor of socialism.”
While Mr. Holtzlander might well be in favor of socialism, that is not socialism. It is his personal belief. Socialism is when the government forces him to do what he is doing — to give what he has to others — whether or not he agrees.
It is good he found his way to a rewarding life and I am grateful he had the choice, rather than being forced. That is, indeed, what America is about.
Janet Moore
Anacortes
Working toward socialism
I am a 63-year-old local businessman who has traveled to 54 countries. My wife and I were in Czechoslovakia in 1971. The Russians had invaded in the winter of 1968. We saw the effects of a free country turned socialistic.
In January 1990, I was with the first U.S. trade delegation to China after the Tiananmen Square riots. I had the opportunity to meet Zhu Rhongi, who at that time was mayor of Shanghai. He was educated as an engineer at Western University in the Midwest here in the U.S. and then became a vice premier and architect of the Chinese economy.
He realized that when Russia went financially bankrupt, that socialism didn’t work. He then helped develop a policy of socialized democracy — socialism to maintain their political power and democracy/capitalism as the financial tool to make the country grow.
I worked over in China back and forth for six years. I’ve seen government-run socialism up close. As a matter of fact, we have it here in the U.S. It’s called prison; prison is where the authorities control everything you do.
The U.S., on the other hand, is a capitalist country working toward socialism. It’s not surprising then that China holds $800 billion of our debt. They are using capitalism, learned from us, to become more economically successful and we are turning to socialism, which will be the downfall of our country.
In the 1960s, Nikita Khrushchev said, and I am paraphrasing, “The U.S. will be beaten from within.”
Liberals, be careful what you wish for! I guarantee that you are not going to like socialism.
You know what they say, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” I guess that means us.
Tom L. Bolser
Mount Vernon
