When a nearly 40-year-old Boeing 737 crashed last weekend shortly after takeoff, killing more than 110 people aboard, I thought to myself: "Can you imagine the terror of people forced to fly Cuba's national airline?"
It's one thing when Cubans are forced to keep repairing automobiles that are 50 years old. It's another thing when the one and only airline choice is flying 40-year-old planes that are not properly maintained.
Welcome to the happy world of socialism – the place into which the Democratic Party is eager to transform America if it regains control of the U.S. Congress this year.
It's the kind of place President Trump was probably thinking about when he allegedly used the term "s-hole." The "s" shouldn't stand for the familiar barnyard epithet and vulgarity though. We should call such countries "s-holes" for what they have in common – socialism.
Some take pleasure knowing the government's in charge of everything. They think that's "safe." But there are no consequences when government fails. There are usually consequences for businesses and private citizens fail, cheat, take short-cuts, don't play by the rules and safety standards.
The day that Cuban plane, flown by a Mexican crew, went down, fully one-third of Cuba's airliners were already grounded for safety concerns. In other words, this plane, which crashed shortly after takeoff for a short cruise across the island, was one of the few "safe" planes.
For the dead, it was hardly a consolation that Cuba's leftist friends in the U.S. have such high regard for the Cuba's socialist health-care system where doctors scarcely make a living.
Do you want to live in a socialist "paradise"? Hey, there are plenty to choose from around the world. Pack your bags and go, please! Why transform a basically efficient, responsible, free-enterprise system that works, with government oversight, for a socialist system that has never seen success anywhere it has been tried – one without checks and balances on power, without freedom, without responsibility for failure, without everything except … shortages.
Can you believe so many Americans don't get this concept?
It's an indictment first of America's schools, colleges and universities. The schools are almost all government-controlled. American education went socialist a long time ago. Still, despite the educational system's wholesale failings, you can't even have an intelligent and rational debate about going back. Socialism always denies its inherent and consistent failures. Meanwhile, the colleges and universities in America are filled with socialist dreamers at every level – from the boards to the administrators to the faculty and the end result – the poor, misguided and exploited students and graduates.
Barack Obama's major dis-accomplishment was turning the medical system into a socialist morass, from which we are still miraculously extricating ourselves under President Trump's watch.
Still, socialists seldom learn – even ancient ones like Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, who, now that she's not likely to run for office again claims she's not really a socialist. You can't deny socialism any longer and run as a Democrat. It's just not a formula for winning.
You also can't believe in borders and national security.
You can't believe MS-13 is a profoundly evil, band of monsters with no redeeming qualities.
You can't believe the gravest threat human beings face is not "climate change."
You can't believe evolution is just a theory that cannot be scientifically proven.
You can't believe killing unborn babies isn't an inherent, inalienable right in all circumstances.
You can't believe government isn't the highest authority.
You can't believe Islam produces a profoundly high percentage of terrorists as well as anti-Semitism, oppression of women, violence against homosexuals and self-destructive religious fervor.
You can't believe in controlled immigration.
You can't believe in free speech, only speech codes.
You can't believe there really are "s-hole" countries.
You can't believe America is the greatest country in the world, just one with a shameful history for which it needs to make endless apologies.
To which I say to Americans, and all those who proudly vote Democratic and believe such nonsense, love it or leave it – please.