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“Some of my “first-hand” thoughts before November 6.Would any sensible person desire to be enslaved, to live according orders and rations, to willingly enclose himself behind the barbed wire? The answer is no, isn’t it?What if a person is promised to have free food, free housing, free education, free healthcare. And no need to sweat for it. Some would say yes to this.However, free cheese can be found only in a mouse trap.I was born and grew up in the Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics (Soviet Union). I remember how happy I was in a childhood because I believe in the “best country in the world, in the real and only democracy” and not In that “cruel and awful America, where they exploit working people and kill blacks.” All America was presented to us as one big KKK society. It was lie, but we were well brainwashed because we did not know the difference.It was like if you were born in a prison – you did not lack food, you had bed and roof, you had books and entertainments. You actually could do many things on your own. Except that you didn’t have choices or freedoms. Also, if you said something bad about the prison or about the administration, you would be punished. You had to live according the prison’s rules to be safe . Of course, this comparison is virtual, but very close. And actually, we were even happy. We didn’t know different.We did not know that we were not free, because we didn’t know what freedom really was; we were raised brainwashed by school and mass media. We presumed that we were free because we were told so. I was a third generation of Soviet people. My grandmother who was a teenager when Socialistic revolution occurred in Russia told stories how “collectivization” was Imposed — if the government considered that you had too much the “extra” was taken from you (expropriated) and given to less fortunate. If the government considered that you owned a house too big for you, you were given one room in this house, the rest were distributed between other, less fortunate, people. My grandmother also said that many people welcomed the Socialistic revolution because it promised to eliminate rich and make everyone equal. Little did they know that they will not be equally rich. Distribution of wealth plus governmental control made everyone equally poor and dependable. As a third generation I did not know the difference. I was brainwashed and happy. I was raised a communist and atheist by my socialistic country. Thanks to my family, who taught me to use my own brain and independent thinking, I became neither.If anyone is interested, I ‘d like to share some facts first hand:1. Health care in Soviet Union was free. Hospitals were awfully poor— shortage of equipment, of material. Post-surgical infections. There were up to 8-10 beds in a hospital room and very often there were beds in hospital’s hallways. There were no appointments to visit a doctor- people came to a clinic and had to wait in a hallway to get in, first come – first served.Education was free. In school you had to follow the government-approved programs which were the same for anyone.3. There was one and the only one political party- Communist Party (with its branches for youth Comsomol, for middle-school – Pioneers and for elementary school – Octiabriata). The elections were pure profanation.There was equality, there were no rich. Everyone was equally poor. But we didn’t know that we were poor. We had enough money to buy food, we had free municipal housing (usually parents and their married children and grandchildren lived together in a one or two-bedroom apartment).Wages were more or less the same for all citizens. Doctors, teachers, engineers had the same salaries as factory line workers. Salaries were just miserable fraction of what those people really produced, more the pocket allowances enough to cover essential needs. We didn’t have middle class, rich or poor. There was “working class” and “intelligence.” “Intelligence” (people with university education) was despised but often envied by “working class.” Also, there was a special category — Party leaders and departmental workers.6. Possession of weapon was forbidden for average citizen and restricted only to military or militia. However, criminals seemed to always get access to guns.7. Lack of freedom and choice was compensated by people in their own ways – some people got into lot of reading and culture, others found rescue in deep drunkenness.There is a saying that we learn from our mistakes. There is a better saying that we should learn from somebody else’s mistakes. Why do we act sometimes in a certain way and don’t think that the same actions didn’t work right for somebody previously? Why do we have to go the same way as somebody else went and didn’t succeed?Socialistic regime was established in several countries and didn’t work in any of them. In the Soviet Union it lasted for less than 80 years and now, after it fell, there is a tremendous mess there. My friend, who lives there, says that they are considered to have a “transitional period from socialism to capitalism,” but it is far from both. It’s just a lawless mess; it’s more like a post-dictatorship era with the same dictatorship, but with a “bonus” of free uncontrollable market. America as a Republic lasts more than 200 years and till last period of time it was a model for the whole world” Why would anyone here desire to be led into a mouse trap with the promise of free cheese? Beats me.Americans, please, wake up. On November 6, you will be voting not only for the following four years; this time you’ll be voting for your generations to come.”
