Change: Facts Proven by History

In a letter to the editor of The Southern Illinoisan newspaper, Raul Ayala of Carbondale, Illinois summed up a succinct parallel from a socialist regime to our south to the Obama proposals of today. The letter was entitled:  Change: Facts Proven by History. In his letter, Raul stated that:

“In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, most Cubans were at least receptive.

When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him.

They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said, “Praise the Lord.” And when the young leader said, “I will be for change and I will bring you change, everyone yelled, “Viva Fidel!”

But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner’s guns went silent, the people’s guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education, it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented, Cuba had been knocked down to a third-world status under a communist government. By the time the change was over, more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore, anywhere in the world regardless what struggle they had to overcome, the fortunate Cubans.

Remember these words from Thomas Jefferson: “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.”

Americans must wake up to avoid making the same mistakes made by the citizens of Cuba! We can little afford to ignore the mistakes of history.

In his Second State of the Union Address (4 January 1935), Franklin D. Roosevelt said,

“The lessons of history, confirmed by the evidence immediately before me, show conclusively that continued dependence upon relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fibre. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit. It is inimical to the dictates of sound policy. It is in violation of the traditions of America. Work must be found for able-bodied but destitute workers. The Federal Government must and shall quit this business of relief.”

Some in government today ignore this fact while attempting to emplace the very policies and systems that induce the very spiritual and moral disintegration of which Roosevelt spoke.

Philosopher George Santayana wrote earlier in the 20^th century that, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Star Parker, in an article for GOPUSA included similar facts, opinions and conclusions about today’s political world. See the article at http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/sparker/2008/sp_11242.shtml.