Since my days as a young mustard seed, the horror stories of my parents' lives in a former Soviet republic have been the drab and dreary backdrop of my unbelievably fortunate life. To live in a country where I can speak freely, travel as I please, take advantage of the myriad opportunities available to me and know that my civil liberties are protected by my government, this I have never taken for granted.
Amerika, it was good to know you, at least for a little while.
"The destruction of words is a beautiful thing."
OK, so maybe we aren't whisked away in the dark of night for saying the wrong things.
Yet.
But I find myself increasingly censoring my speech, especially around work colleagues. You thought I write under this ridiculous name because it's cute? Come on.
Making my living as an artist, I am often outnumbered by the more enlightened among us, who so clearly see this country's evil ways and have brilliant, sure to succeed and completely original ideas about how to make things right.
Well, maybe not so original. I think Marx may have had a slight inkling just a few years ahead of them.
But, who cares? What's important is that every country that's been ruled by these principles has been a beacon of hope for the world. Take, umm ... hold on a sec, I'm sure I can come up with an example ...
Well, now that I think of it, socialism has led to nothing but tyranny and misery for untold millions.
Oh, but we'll do it right! If we just elect enough liars, sorry, progressives, to take money from the rich and big business, and parcel it out to the honest, hardworking little guy, we will be the people who finally manage to achieve utopia!
Yeah. Ok.
So, you want the government to be the arbiter of what's a fair redistribution of goods and services?
Cuba's not very far. Plus it's got gorgeous beaches. Why don't you move there for a spell and sign up as a citizen. You can always move back if you change your mind.
Oh, wait. Maybe you can't.
OK, I know, I'm being ridiculous. Why go all the way to another country when you can just fuck this one up? It's easier, involves far less packing and you can still watch your favorite daytime television programming.
Thanks to my mom and dad, I have an insider's view of what happens when the government becomes the benevolent provider.
State run hospitals lacking basics, like blankets, medicine, rooms for the sick and injured. Or nurses who bother to empty filthy bedpans you've been laying on for hours. They don't have the resources. Well, not unless you have the dough. As soon as you grease some palms, you are transformed into a guest of honor, and all the necessities, as well as a few luxuries, miraculously appear.
Standing in line for hours at a time, only to get to the front and be greeted by a surly clerk guarding shelves full of nothing. There's no more 50 kopek government bread. But, if you have a few rubles, he may find a loaf or two in the back.
Come on, that sort of thing can't happen here. We are the land of the free, the home of the brave.
Really? Is it possible that you can be so mind-numbingly naive?
Alabama, August, 2010, from AJC:
A crowd of people hoping to get federal housing assistance became unruly Wednesday morning with reports of fights breaking out in the crowd.
Thousands of people were lined up at the Tri-Cities shopping center, hoping to apply for a voucher from the East Point Housing Authority that will give them a discount on their rent.
People began lining up at the shopping center two days ago, and by Wednesday morning the crowd had grown to over several thousand people. East Point police, some wearing riot helmets, were patrolling the area. Firefighters and EMTs were attending to people who were overheating in the sun. Police from College Park, Hapeville, Fulton County and MARTA assisted in crowd control.
Felecia McGhee told the AJC she arrived around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. She said the major problem began when people started breaking into the line and officials started moving the areas where they were handing out applications. She said she saw at least two small children trampled when the crowd rushed the building where the applications were to be handed out.
"It's a real mess out here," she said.
You said it, sister.
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