Page 6 - Discover Summer 2020
P. 6
Editor’s Note
By Tim Ernandes
More than 50 years ago, Paul Harvey broadcast and distributing goods is owned collectively or
a commentary entitled, “If I Were the Devil”. by a centralized government that often plans and
controls the economy.
Therein, he lists all the methods that he
would use against us in order to drive our society I feel the need to include the above definition
away from God and toward less noble pursuits. in my remarks, because half of those who support
He cleverly avoids accusing secularism or its socialism would likely accuse me of not knowing
followers of being Satanic, but rather encourages its definition. The other half doesn’t seem to know
the listener to question the similarities in its definition. In a nutshell, it is the abolition of
methodology. private property and total state control of the
economy. While the definition does offer the
May I humbly employ his line of reasoning
option of collective ownership, that is in reality
with respect to Covid-19?
ownership by the state, for it is the state that will
If I wanted to transform the United States and necessarily enforce it.
every other free nation in the world to totalitarian
Therefore, if I wanted to instantly subjugate
rule, how would I do it?
the United States to totalitarian control, the surest
I have seen that free and prosperous people path to that end seems to be through extreme
have less use for government control of their poverty. The last time such conditions existed in
lives. I have also seen that most totalitarian this country was during the Great Depression,
governments arise from extreme poverty, and/or and it was not intentionally caused. However, the
the devastation of war. I recognize that it has been result was, and I can hear many of you sharpening
over a century since we have seen all-out warfare your spears, that we got a “President for Life”.
on our own soil. It is clear that even in a slightly
So along comes the dreaded Covid-19. Many
depressed economy, our voters reject socialism.
politicians who seem to favor socialism decried
so•cial•ism/sō′shə-lĭz″əm/ early attempts to isolate this country from it.
Some even encouraged people to mingle in large
• n.
crowds, and to travel to and from places that
Any of various theories or systems of social were known hot spots. After the virus was firmly
organization in which the means of producing established within our borders, they reversed
4 Discover Smith Mountain Lake SUMMER 2020
