obama is not a socialist

I accept the definition for Socialism that is presented by my opponent. I also thank my opponent for clarification of the " If he is than America is a socialist society." statement. Due to the fact that my opponent offered no contentions or attacks I will proceed to present my own case. In order to properly debate and discuss this topic, two things must be realized. First, many Americans do not believe in or fully understand Socialism. This causes either disapproval or fear of a Socialist. It is for this reason that no politician will admit openly that they are a Socialist. Secondly, we must realize that the only way to properly discuss and conclude that President Obama is, in fact, a Socialist is to examine his past voting choices and his previous statements. With these two realizations in mind I will now move on to my reasoning. Contention 1: Obama's own statements. I would like to present various statements made by President Obama and analyze why they define him as a Socialist. Subpoint A: Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, said Bush's political philosophy consists of giving tax breaks and encouraging "everyone to go buy your own health care, your own retirement and security, your own child care, your own schools, your own private security forces, your own roads, your own levees. "It's called the ownership society. In our past there has been another name for it; it's called social Darwinism. Every man or woman for him or herself," he said. "We know that government can't solve all our problems, and we don't want it to. "But we also know that there are some things we can't do on our own. There are some things we do better together. "We have an individual responsibility but we also have a collective responsibility to each other," he said. [1] These statements obviously define President Obama as a Socialist. He states, in a negative light, the policies of his opponent, President Bush. However these policies are the consistent with those of a true Capitalist. He then goes on to compare the Capitalist policies to Social Darwinism; a concept that is often looked down upon. Finally he goes on to state that we have collective responsibilities to each other and that there are some things that we do better as a whole people. These statements are obviously in line with Socialist values. Subpoint B: It's because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role you'll play in writing the next great chapter in America's story. [2] As the major goals of Socialism are the furthering of the community as a whole; these statements obviously display a Socialistic viewpoint. He speaks of the need for collective salvation over individual salvation; as well the need to "hitch your wagon" to something bigger than yourself. These statements obviously display a very socialistic viewpoint in President Obama. Contention 2: Obama's health care policies. Ronald Reagan once said, "One of the traditional methods of imposing socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It's very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project; most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can't afford it." This was during a campaign against socialized health care programs. This applies to the health care programs of Obama. In theory, his programs will force companies to give health insurance to all people. This is blatantly Socialistic. It will lead to eventual financial loss by the insurance companies because they will have to support people that they normally wouldn't have accepted because of the increased risk. So, the health care programs of Obama will take from the wealthy (insurance companies) and give to the poor (those who can't afford health insurance). We must not look at the morality of this but instead how it adheres to the ideals of Socialism. These health care programs obviously focus on the good of the community as a whole versus the ability of Capitalism or the individual to succeed; thus making the programs socialistic. In conclusion, it is statements and policies like these that openly display that President Obama is a Socialist. We must look to these statements and policies said and created by the president as evidence of his obvious socialistic views. I look forward to the response of my opponent. 1:http://www2.ljworld.com... 2: http://www.wfsb.com...