I've been repeatedly questioned about why I think Barack Obama's policies are socialistic. This is the most straight-forward response I can think of, so if you can't at least partially agree with me after reading this, there's something wrong with either your eyesight, or your reading comprehension. Below, I will compare the platforms of the Socialist Party of the United States and Barack Obama. Each position will be numbered to make the comparison easier to follow.

Socialist Party USA:

1. We support the right of any number of interested workers in a workplace to form a union with no limits on the subjects upon which employees and unions may bargain with employers.

2. We support the right of public sector workers to strike.

3. We call for a minimum wage of $15 per hour, indexed to the cost of living.

4. We demand the immediate withdrawal of the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and oppose the creation of a widened Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

5. We support a program of massive federal investment in both urban and rural areas for infrastructure reconstruction and economic development.

6. We call for an international treaty outlawing all weapons of mass destruction, including the use of depleted uranium in conventional weapons.

7. We are committed to confronting the heterosexism that provides the fertile ground for homophobic violence, and support all efforts toward fostering understanding and cooperation among persons and groups of differing sexual orientations.

8. We strongly support affirmative action, civil rights, and anti-discrimination laws and programs to end institutional racism

9. We oppose the privatization of the Social Security system and the use of Social Security trust funds for any other purpose, such as offsetting the federal deficit.

10. We demand full support for every woman's right to choose when, if, and how to have children, including the right to free abortion on demand at any stage of pregnancy, without interference or coercion. Clinics providing abortion services must have the full protection of the law.

11. We call for organizational structure based on mutual consideration and respect, rotating leadership, gender balance, and processes that welcome and enable open and equitable participation in discussion and decision-making.

12. We support a national health program with full standard and alternative medical, dental, vision, and mental health coverage for all, publicly funded through progressive taxation and controlled by democratically elected assemblies of health care workers and patients. The National Health Program should extend, and replace, Medicare and Medicaid.

13. We call for an end to home foreclosures

14. We call for the "unconditional disarmament" by the United States.

15. We call for a "steeply graduated" tax policy to redistribute wealth.

Barack Obama:

1. Ensure Freedom to Unionize: Obama and Biden believe that workers should have the freedom to choose whether to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers.

2. Protect Striking Workers: Obama and Biden support the right of workers to bargain collectively and strike if necessary. They will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers, so workers can stand up for themselves without worrying about losing their livelihoods.

3. Raise the Minimum Wage: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs.

4. Amend the North American Free Trade Agreement: Obama and Biden believe that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people. They will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers.

5. Create a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will address the infrastructure challenge by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments. This independent entity will be directed to invest in our nation’s most challenging transportation infrastructure needs. The Bank will receive an infusion of federal money, $60 billion over 10 years, to provide financing to transportation infrastructure projects across the nation. These projects will create up to two million new direct and indirect jobs and stimulate approximately $35 billion per year in new economic activity.

6. Toward a Nuclear Free World: Obama and Biden will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and pursue it. Obama and Biden will always maintain a strong deterrent as long as nuclear weapons exist. Butthey will take several steps down the long road toward eliminating nuclear weapons. They will stop the development of new nuclear weapons; work with Russia to take U.S. and Russian ballistic missiles off hair trigger alert; seek dramatic reductions in U.S. and Russian stockpiles of nuclear weapons and material; and set a goal to expand the U.S.-Russian ban on intermediate- range missiles so that the agreement is global.

7. Obama and Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.

8. # Keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work. (Aug 2008)
# Apply affirmative action to poor white college applicants. (Apr 2008)
# Legalized discrimination meant blacks could not amass wealth. (Mar 2008)
# Fight job discrimination to give women equal footing at jobs. (Feb 2008)
# Remove discriminatory barriers to the right to vote. (Feb 2008)
# Benefited from affirmative action but overcame via merit. (Dec 2007)
# Include class-based affirmative action with race-based. (Oct 2007)
# Better enforce women's pay equity via Equal Pay Act. (Aug 2007)
# Blacks should infiltrate mainstream to affect change. (Aug 2007)
# Commitment to diversity by CEOs is advisable. (Mar 2007)
# African-Americans vote Democratic because of issue stances. (Jul 2004)
# Supports affirmative action in colleges and government. (Jul 1998)

9. Obama and Biden are strongly opposed to privatizing Social Security.

10. Supports a Woman's Right to Choose:
Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.

11. As president, Obama will continue to promote paycheck equity and close the wage gap between men and women.

12. Provide Universal Health Care and Lower Health Costs: Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to signing universal health legislation by the end of their first term in office that ensures all Americans have high-quality, affordable health care coverage.

13. Combat Mortgage Fraud and Subprime Loans: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we must establish stiff penalties to deter fraud and protect consumers against abusive lending practices. Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act, which would increase funding for federal law enforcement programs, create new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and require industry insiders to report suspicious activity. In March 2007, Obama urged Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to bring together lenders, consumer advocates, federal regulators and housing agencies for a summit meeting on preserving home ownership. The bill also provides counseling to homeowners and tenants to avoid foreclosures. As president, Obama will continue to fight to ensure more Americans can achieve and protect the dream of home ownership.

14. Obama has promised to dramatically reduce defense spending.

15. Obama has promised to increase the tax burden on the rich to redistribute wealth to the poor.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Need I go on? While not all of the policies are EXACTLY the same (which would make sense, seeing that Obama ran as a Democrat and not a Socialist), there are a LOT of similarities. In a Capitalistic society, individual prosperity and achievement are rewarded. In a Socialistic society, equity is the goal, and average is good enough, because government will take care of the rest. While America will not become Socialistic overnight, these policies set the tone for a gradual shift from Capitalism to a nation of government controlled mediocrity.

I am not a "right-wing nut," but I will call a spade a spade. Nor am I some "psycho chick" that would "yell out 'FIRE' in a crowded theater." I also am not "one of those lucky Americans making more than 250K/yr." However, you should still be "honored to be graced by my presence." For those of you who are totally confused by now, everything in quotes was pm'd to me simply because I called Obama's policies socialistic. I won't name names--you know who ya are

“One of the consequences of such notions as "entitlements" is that people who have contributed nothing to society feel that society owes them something, apparently just for being nice enough to grace us with their presence.” ~Thomas Sowell

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” ~Winston Churchill