During this time of unprecedented assaults on our liberty due to the coronavirus hysteria sweeping the nation, I’m amazed at how there are still those who fail to realize how dangerously close we are to seeing our great Republic destroyed by the growing acceptance of socialism.
Paid family leave, increased government spying via a Patriot Act for healthcare, and a host of other liberty-killing ideas have been passed or proposed by socialist Republicans and Democrats — better known as Nationalists and Democratic Socialists — as they channel their inner Rahm Emanuel by not letting the COVID-19 “crisis” go to waste in order to do things they couldn’t do before.
Nationalists believe many of the same things as their Democratic Socialist counterparts. They both preach that the “evils” of capitalism and individualism are responsible for the ills of society and how we need big government to live our lives as we choose. This creates a Unibrow Party approach to issues where the socialist agenda is considered the only answer.
A few days ago, I wrote about how Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s Green New Deal — which has the support of Republicans — has become a part of the coronavirus discussion, with socialists in both parties calling for it to be included in the $2 trillion infrastructure coronavirus stimulus being discussed.
The Green New Deal has long been a goal of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and was identified as a priority of the organization in an official statement released last month calling for a “working class solution to the COVID-19 crisis.” Their statement also demanded comprehensive healthcare for the “uninsured or underinsured” along with a demand that “housing, water, electricity, internet, and more be provided as social rights to everyone, [and] not hoarded for the profit of a few billionaires.”
Before you dismiss their statement as too extreme to ever become a reality in America, remember that we’re talking about using coronavirus hysteria to advance the socialist agenda.
Last week, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and several other members and/or supporters of Democratic Socialists of America in the House introduced the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act (RMCA), a bill allegedly created to support renters and landlords.
We need to take bold action to provide much needed support to renters and landlords.
Today, I announced my bill to cancel *ALL* rent and mortgage payments during this crisis. https://t.co/sbtKdG7u7Q
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) April 17, 2020
She may be calling it her bill, but a closer look at the fine print shows us how the Act could have been written by the DSA itself.
Omar said that “Congress has a responsibility to step in to stabilize both local communities and the housing market during this time of uncertainty and crisis,” and her $1 trillion proposal “would constitute a full payment forgiveness, with no accumulation of debt for renters and homeowners and no negative impact on their credit rating or rental history.”
An extreme proposal for sure, but here’s the DSA part of the bill: In order to receive relief money, landlords would have to agree not to raise rental rates for five years, and they would be required to give tenants a 10 percent equity stake in their property. (emphasis mine)
Her bill gives the U.S. Attorney General power to take civil action against property owners and mortgage companies for violating renters’ and homeowners’ rights. Penalties for violations include fines and, if necessary, seizure of the property involved.
Whenever Washington passes spending legislation — especially when it’s supposed to be necessary to address a “crisis” — there’s always a truckload of money included to pay for unrelated political agenda items, and RMCA is no exception.
For example, Omar’s proposal provides money for the federal government to create an Affordable Housing Acquisition Fund administered by HUD. This fund would subsidize nonprofits, public housing authorities, coops, community land trusts, and state and local governments to purchase private buildings in order to convert them into income-restricted affordable housing.
And here’s the kicker: anyone agreeing to participate in the fund would be required to provide tenants with free healthcare, childcare, employment and education assistance, and financial literacy education. (emphasis mine)
Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t it sound like like this part of the RMCA accomplishes DSA’s COVID-19 goals of comprehensive healthcare for the “uninsured or underinsured” and providing “housing, water, electricity, internet, and more” as a social right?
While the outcome of Omar’s bill remains to be seen, the fact remains she put it out there. If it fails, who’s to say it won’t find new life when the next “crisis” hits and Democrats are running the show? And even if Washington’s fake divided government remains — it’s fake because there’s no difference between Republicans and Democrats — this crisis has shown us liberty will always play second fiddle to the socialist agenda.
They don’t call it Disaster Socialism for nothing.
David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative. He holds people of every political stripe accountable and promotes conservative principles over political parties.
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