Socialism is Falling from Greece to California

Socialism is failing from Greece to California
By Glen Meakem

This past weekend on my radio program, I spoke about the Facebook IPO, our weakening economy, volatile investment markets, and the continuing economic and cultural problems in Europe (listen here.).

Bob Fragasso — Chairman and CEO of Fragasso Advisors — joined me with his thoughts on Greece’s continuing economic problems, and what they mean for Europe and the United States. Bob and I also discussed the lessons that we all must learn from the continuing failure of socialist ideas and policies around the world. The socialist "entitlement" mentality that is promulgated by the "progressive" political left in America today is destroying Greece, threatening much of Europe, and also creating a negative spiral in U.S. states like California. If President Obama and the Democrat Party are able to continue their implementation of the same ideas here in the United States (i.e. government controlled health care, huge — rapidly growing — government spending, massive and powerful government workers’ unions, government subsidized industries, etc.), then our economy and culture will continue to decline until we can never recover. It is time for all Americans to be responsible, get off drugs, get to work, and start taking care of ourselves like generations before us. This is the cultural attitude we need to shrink the size and role of government, reduce government spending, and reduce federal debt. This is the path to prosperity and a bright future for all Americans.

Bob and I also discussed the increasing problem of over-regulation. Bob sits on the board of an organization that lobbies Congressional and Washington D.C. leaders regarding regulations related to investing and investments. Bob shared some of the current liberal "progressive" plans to increase regulations on personal retirement plans. These new regulations would decrease the ability of investment advisers (such as himself) to provide advice to individuals and plans, reduce the number of investment opportunities available to retirement plans, and reduce the potential for overall portfolio growth. In short, Bob calls these "progressive" plans "cataclysmic." We must reduce the number of "liberal" "progressives" in Washington D.C. before they destroy our retirement savings, and more of our economy. And if you think I am exaggerating, just look at Greece.

I also talked about the Obama Administration’s decision to issue an entry visa to Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban Dictator Raul Castro, and member of the Communist Cuban regime. Long standing State Department guidelines specifically prohibit entry visas for officers of the Cuban government. Ms. Castro is planning to attend a left-wing political conference in San Francisco. The decision to allow Ms. Castro into our country sparked an immediate outcry from Republicans and Democrats alike. Democrat Senator Robert Menendez of Florida said Mariela is "a vociferous advocate of the regime and opponent of democracy." Republican Senator Marco Rubio (also of Florida) said Mariela "is an arm of [Castro’s] regime… It’s shameful that [the Obama Administration] would grant that visa." Both Florida Senators are right. Unfortunately, this decision is not unique for our current administration. Whether he is bowing to Middle Eastern Royalty, coddling the Iranian regime, or increasing dialogue and lessening travel restrictions with Cuba, President Obama appears to have a soft spot for totalitarian governments. I have a simple question. Why on Earth would the Obama Administration break with previous, bi-partisan policy and allow Mariela Castro to enter the United States? Why would they do this?

I also provided some updates on the 2012 Presidential race. It appears that Vice President Joe Biden is feeling some heat for his outlandish comments made on the campaign trail. This week in Ohio, Biden issued an angry and somewhat bizarre speech about resenting the "rich" and resenting class warfare, even as he perpetuated a false "us" verses "them" campaign paradigm. Instead of screaming about the middle class and their "dreams," perhaps this administration should recognize that their anti-domestic energy policies have hurt workers all across our country, but specifically in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. This is one reason why a federal inmate pulled 41% of the Democrat Presidential primary vote away from Obama in West Virginia two weeks ago.

Colin Hanna, President of the grass roots organization "Let Freedom Ring," joined me with his insights on the 2012 election, and what he believes conservatives must do to win back the White House. He also offered some insight into what his organization plans to do to promote pro-freedom and pro-liberty candidates, and how they plan to point out President Obama’s failures to voters. It all sounded good to me.

I always appreciate your thoughts and input. Please feel free to share them with me at [email protected]. And please share your conservative insights with your family and friends. And then make sure they are registered to vote. We all must do our part to "get out the vote" in November. If we all continue to work together, we will win a majority in the U.S. Senate, grow our conservative majority in the U.S. House, and take back the White House.

Despite all of our problems and challenges, I am feeling optimistic about the future because I believe that conservatives from all over our country are going to put America back on a positive course. Thanks for reading this and I look forward to communicating again with you next week.
Glen Meakem is a successful technology entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and conservative talk radio show host, who offers information and insights on how individuals and our nation can be more successful. Glen’s unique perspective has been shaped by his experiences as founder, chairman and CEO of the B2B internet success Freemarkets Inc – which he founded in 1995, took public in 1999, and sold to Ariba in 2004. In 2005, Glen co-founded Meakem Becker Venture Capital, a firm that invests in early stage start up companies. Concerned about the liberal political agenda that has gripped the United States and his home state of Pennsylvania, Glen launched "Glen Meakem on the Weekend" in 2008. Glen served as an officer in the United States Army Reserve and is a veteran of the First Gulf War. He also earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard and his MBA from Harvard Business School. For more information about Glen and his radio program, or to read his blog, please visit http://glenmeakem.com.
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