Congressman McClintock Joins Effort Denouncing Socialism
Washington, DC — An early move by US House Republicans, now in the majority, was to push forward a resolution that calls for “denouncing socialism” and “opposing the implementation of socialist policies.”
It is not about any specific legislation, but it symbolically draws a line in the sand in regards to preferring capitalism over socialism. The resolution notes the concentration of power has “time and time again collapsed into communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal dictatorships.”
Mother Lode Republican representative Tom McClintock argued on the House floor, “It is often said that socialism is sharing and capitalism is selfishness, but it is precisely the opposite.”
He continued, “The only way to prosper in a capitalist society is to identify what somebody else needs, and to provide it for them better than they can provide it for themselves, whether it is sweeping a floor or designing a microchip. Socialism is taking what one person has earned, by helping others, and giving it to someone who hasn’t.”
109 Democrats joined the Republicans by voting in favor of the resolution, 86 voted against it, and 14 simply voted present.
Some Democrats in opposition raised concerns about how it calls for “not implementing socialist policies in the US,” and questioned whether government programs like Social Security and Medicare would be considered socialist.