Lots of goofy and arrogant little neo-cons love to call reasonable, moderate people who think that capitalism needs regulation (classic definition of a political liberal) "socialists," once again letting their ignorance show.

See, Socialism means a state managed economy. We are not now nor ever have been socialist. We are a liberal democracy with a lightly regulated free market economy. Interestingly, even in the depths of the "malaise" of the late 1970s, we remained the richest and most economically robust nation in the world, despite the right wing's patron saint's unsupported claims to the contrary. Reagan blamed all our woes on regulation, and that resonated with youngsters ignorant of the great depression and the way things were before the Federal Reserve and the SEC. Before that, bubbles like the Real Estate fiasco in the 80s and the tech stock nonsense of 2000 happened about every 15 to 20 years. Check your history books if you don't believe me. By the way, the real estate bust in the 80s was due to the stupidity and greed at many Savings and Loans when they were, say it with me now, deregulated.

Regulation was intended not to punish entrepreneurs or strangle small business, but to provide sane boundaries and limits so that the natural corrections of the market didn't hit us so hard. Yes, it prevents us from running at full speed or getting too high too quick, but the idea is to minimize the number of Icaruses out there in business land. Plus it attempts to keep corporations from manipulating resources for maximum profit.

In case you think that's bad, I remind you of Enron. Now we have proof they are evil. Check it out:

In the now infamous Grandma Millie exchange, recorded on Nov. 30, 2000, two traders, identified as Kevin and Bob, discuss demands by California officials that electricity-generating companies and traders pay refunds for price-gouging. They also refer to the disputed presidential election, which was as yet undecided.

Kevin: So the rumor's true? They're [expletive] takin' all the money back from you guys? All those money you guys stole from those poor grandmothers in California?

Bob: Yeah, Grandma Millie, man. But she's the one who couldn't figure out how to [expletive] vote on the butterfly ballot.

Kevin: Yeah, now she wants her [expletive] money back for all the power you've charged for [expletive] $250 a megawatt hour.

Bob: You know - you know - you know, Grandma Millie, she's the one that Al Gore's fightin' for, you know?

Later in the same conversation, Kevin and Bob express little sympathy for Californians.

Kevin: Oh, best thing that could happen is [expletive] an earthquake, let that thing float out to the Pacific and put 'em [expletive] candles.

Bob: I know. Those guys - just cut 'em off.

Kevin: They're so [expletive] and they're so like totally - -

Bob: They are so [expletive].

That from an article in the NY Times this weekend. the whole article is at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/13/weekinreview/13word.html

Check it out, get riled and get active. The biggest threat to you is not big government. Rather, it is unfettered crooks like this.

Which brings me to my modest proposal. I would give the residents of Ca. onw whack each at these bastards in some suitably public place. What you think?