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
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