So You Wanna Make America Socialist?

The recent escalation of the Occupy movements has lead me to write some words about a part of that movement. The youth and troubled Americans and citizens of the world are being fed that they way out is through Socialism. Not so fast, please. I asked myself what (if any) countries are currently considered Socialist countries. Thanks to the wonders of the internet and Wikipedia I have my answer.

CHINA
CUBA
LAO
VIETNAM
NORTH KOREA

How do you feel about being like them? Many of these countries have some of the most oppressed and poor people on this planet. If you honestly believe you'd be better off in one of these countries than please tell me why. I would be very interested in your reasoning. Teach me how this system, usually ran by a controlling dictator with little or NO individual human rights is better then living in America even with it's troubles.

North Korea is written about on Civil Liberties at About.com - "The State of Human Rights in North Korea: North Korea is in all likelihood the most oppressive regime on Earth. Although human rights monitors are generally banned from the country, as are radio communications between citizens and outsiders, some journalists and human rights monitors have been successful in uncovering details about the secretive government's policies. The government is essentially a dictatorship--previously operated by Kim Il Sung, and now operated by his son, Kim Jong-il."

Cuba is written about on Human Rights Watch -  "Events of 2006: Cuba remains the one country in Latin America that represses nearly all forms of political dissent. President Fidel Castro, during his 47 years in power, has shown no willingness to consider even minor reforms. Instead, the Cuban government continues to enforce political conformity using criminal prosecutions, long- and short-term detentions, mob harassment, police warnings, surveillance, house arrests, travel restrictions, and politically-motivated dismissals from employment. The end result is that Cubans are systematically denied basic rights to free expression, association, assembly, privacy, movement, and due process of law."


China is written about on Amnesty International -  "Amnesty International has documented widespread human rights violations in China. An estimated 500,000 people are currently enduring punitive detention without charge or trial, and millions are unable to access the legal system to seek redress for their grievances. Harassment, surveillance, house arrest, and imprisonment of human rights defenders are on the rise, and censorship of the Internet and other media has grown. Repression of minority groups, including Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongolians, and of Falun Gong practitioners and Christians who practice their religion outside state-sanctioned churches continues. While the recent reinstatement of Supreme People's Court review of death penalty cases may result in lower numbers of executions, China remains the leading executioner in the world."

These are just a few examples. Human rights and living without oppression are basic fundamentals of a happy life. We do have our issues here in America but we DO have our freedom without oppression. We can do better, but Socialism is not the path to get there. I am no expert but I do speak my mind, do my research and think for myself. I hope you all will do the same. We may not agree on any or all of this but in America you have the freedom to let your voice be heard. At least for now, but if it is lost here where would it be found? 

We don't need to fundamentally transform, we need to RESTORE!