On Socialism, Golf Courses, Blackwater, Water, Turkeys And Other Things

There are tens of thousands of public golf courses in the United States. Except for a group of Milton Friedman economists,  I doubt that the millions of right-wing Republicans who play them consider that to be socialism.

The same may be said of other public services. Water systems, streets, and libraries are all forms of socialism under the modern definition.

The right wing has a convenient mechanism for sorting out what is socialism and what is not. If there is a public good, then the government should provide the service. National defense is the most common example. If the subject is a private good,and if the government provides the service, then we have socialism. Heath care and education come to mind.

After all, there is water for sale from Nestle and many others. As for national defense, we have Blackwater and others providing on-the-ground combat service in war zones.

All of which gets us to the central point, namely the definition of public good and private good. My public good is a government function; your public good is socialism.

That reminds me. If we ever do privatize the golf courses, obviously we sell the land to the bidder with the most cash who will undoubtedly put the land to the highest and best use, which is probably not golf. Maybe a factory or a real estate subdivision when the economy improves.

I do not recall the few thousand people who gathered at the April 15 Tax Party applauding Representative Paul Ryan suggesting he was a socialist although he voted for the bailout bill. This the same Paul Ryan that accuses the President of bringing European Socialism to the United States.

All of which takes us back to the best definition of all this which is my own turkey theory of government. If there is no profit in it, and the right wants government to provide it, then  it is a legitimate function. As soon as a profit is to be made and delivery of the service is no longer a turkey, it is socialism and needs privatization.

Go figure.

(A friend recently wrote and asked my thoughts on President Obama's 'socialism' which inspired these thoughts.)

Comments

[R.J.]

Why is it the BEST golf courses in the state are private run?

[jim guilfoil]

Politicians are privateers when they turn their services into commodities for sale,i.e.votes for contributions. Politicians are socialists when their service cannot be commodified into votes for sale. The public is not a commodity until it is turned into what can be advertised and PRed into a 'need'...noone needs to be told that food, shelter,clothing etc is a need, although we have been convinced that these are 'consumer' goods,i.e.commodities.
Why have we been willing to accept the lie that a public good is best offered as a commodity? That water is best served in a bottle? That food is best when branded? That clothing is better in 'style'?
Socialism seems to want to maintain the public character of those goods needed...not wants advertised as needs. Who pays for advertising?

[nonheroicvet]

Nice image - Gung ho capitalists playing a minicipal course whining about socialism.

[dp]

Many think that University Ridge is one of the best courses in the State. I for one don't think that we should have any publicly owned golf courses. It costs many times more to maintain and run a golf course than to run a park. Overall I think that Paul is on to something. Conservatives complain about the schools but won't send their kids to private school, because it costs money. Sometimes to prove a point you have to spend money.

[John Foust]

Right now, the City of Jefferson (pop. 7,500) is paying to mow the lawn of a privately owned golf course that's gone bust, on the premise that this will preserve the value of the property so some other private entity can run it, as well as preserving the value of homes along the golf course, where the mayor lives.

At the other end of the city, the County-owned-and-run Countryside nursing home, completely newly built in 2003, is about to go on the auction block. The 150-year-old county nursing home buildings and property across the road is for sale, too. The broker? The mayor.

http://dailyunion.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=110&ArticleID=2287

http://dailyunion.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=2270&SectionID=36&SubSectionID=110&S=1

[Paul]

the best golf courses, like many of the best cars are most expensive. Not everyone needs the most expensive car.

[nonheroicvet]

Full disclosure: All I need to play a round of golf is for the cows to get out of the way.

[RalphL]

I guess I consider it Socialism only when I do not have a CHOICE to participate in the plan\scheme.

Public Water systems - pretty much funded by those who choose to live there (or business expenses passed to customers...etc.),

Public Golf courses..again typically municipality operated and funded...I can move away.

Public Highway systems - funded through excise taxation this would be a public good properly implemented by government...funded through non-Excise taxation it tends toward socialism as the expense cannot be avoided. (And Obama's characterization of Auto Insurance corellating to Health Insurance is laughable...I _can_ operate without a car and thus avoid auto insurance...not so much with the proposed Health Scam.)

Public School - (full disclosure: I homeschool ALL of my kids) again properly funded this would be a fantastic public good..but placing people at potential loss of their homes in retirement (financial hardship, etc..) is WRONG and presents what is wrong with the socialist (forced) aspect of such systems.

Public Healthcare - again, properly funded and operated..wait, no - you can't pull this one off without forcing people to do that which is not in their best interest. This has even less 'public good' behind it than Public Schooling...at least there we have the potential for lower crime, etc... Healthcare is pretty much a 'selfish individual' thing. Emotionally is "feels good" to say we're helping the "poor kids"...but our other social systems have created the very problems we are purporting to solve here. Logically this is a "horrid" concept leading to too many 'worse' possibilities than leaving the system alone.