Lately, we have seen government, first under Bush then under Obama, give away billions of dollars to Wall Street, to mitigate the damage caused to the nation by obscene and cynical greed. Republicans objected mildly, for good form and to placate their constituents.

Faced with possible and urgently needed health care reform, Republicans are becoming absolutely hysterical, screaming “socialism” every time an aspect of legislation appears to even mildly favor the people at the possible expense of industry.

Let’s put this in perspective: all forms of government bailouts, industry subsidies and corporate tax incentives, which by the way have always been equally endorsed by both parties although both are equally good at playing the blame game to fool the electorate, are for all intent and purpose socialism for the wealthy, what has also been called corporate welfare.

To heavily subsidize an industry with taxpayer money is a socialist policy, contradicting basic free-market principles. In true socialist nations, the government owns industry. In pseudo-socialist nations like the US as well as in fascist nations, industry owns the government. The end result is the same, which is that government and industry have a romantic love affair, and ordinary people get screwed.

The US government has always subsidized industry, in essence intervening heavily to favor and sustain unsustainable industries, such as industrial farms, and damaging or bankrupting others, such as small farmers.

This, obviously, invalidates all claims to the existence of an American free-market system. However it should be noted that the point here is not ideology, but profit. It is not about capitalism or socialism, but about the bottom line, as America is a highly pragmatic nation, not inclined to fight over concepts but over concrete results.

Profit at the very top is the name of the game, which is why there is no left in this nation, not even a center, but a “right” (Democrats) and “far right” (Republicans), because government of the people, by the people and for the people would be denounced as a radical leftist agenda and completely un-American if actually applied.

It is rather simple: in America, all policies that favor ordinary people are denounced as “socialist,” and all that favors the rich, even through blatantly socialist policies, is called “capitalism.”

We are told that we live under a free-market system. False. We are told that this is a form of representative government. Who is represented? Who benefits from the government anti free-market, socialist policies? The rich and powerful, such as Big Oil.

Who funds elections? The rich and powerful. Who controls government, who controls policies?

There is no need to come up with an elaborate conspiracy theory to plainly see that the crooks are in charge, and it requires a certain amount of naivety on the part of the public to still be disappointed by government, it takes a certain amount of denial to even give in to cynicism: would anyone become bitter learning that a thief steals, that a liar lies?

The American government is not worse than any other … as all governments are more or less corrupt. The problem is that it has more power than any other, and consequently has the ability to strongly influence world policies and global trends, such as subsidizing industries like oil that depend upon and lead to ever more wars and suffering, rather than subsidizing industries and technologies that would sustain peace.

According to the Women’s Environmental and Development Organization, the estimated funds needed to look after basic global human needs are as follow: to provide shelter, $21 billion; to eliminate starvation and malnutrition, $19 billion; to provide clean safe water, $10 billion; to eliminate nuclear weapons, $7 billion; to eliminate land mines, $4 billion; to eliminate illiteracy, $5 billion; to provide refugee relief, $5 billion; to stabilize population, $10.5 billion; to prevent erosion, $24 billion. Total estimated budget for human needs, $105.5 billion.

The actual global military spending comes to $900 billion … $900 billion spent to oppress, destroy, and kill with ever more efficacy, versus $105.5 billion to protect and sustain life. Is this such a difficult choice? Should we really keep calling subsidizing peace and harmony between nations a socialist agenda because it benefits ordinary people and the poor, and subsidizing conflict and war a capitalist agenda because it is extremely profitable to some industries and to the rich, while allowing for the expansion of governmental bureaucracies and powers, such as Homeland Security and the Patriot Act, and an ever more effective control of a populace made to live in fear?

Don’t be fooled by ideological labels … The only ideologies of the wealthy and powerful are power and money, by whatever means necessary. If you still believe in the relevance of political ideologies, you are believing in fairy tales.

Raphael Montoliu lives in Lakeport.