Today I was reading this article about a protest in Washington over, among other things, health care reform & the wild and irresponsible spending of our government. I was enjoying the article because for the most part I agree with what was being said and the intent behind the protest. Then, I saw the picture you see on the right. It just pissed me off. Too often I see this on both the left and the right. A complete lack of understanding when it comes to political philosophy. Granted, I tend to see this more often on the right, but both sides are guilty of ignorance and stupidity. A perfect example of this was the depiction of President Obama as a monkey during the race for presidency, which coincidentally was done previously to President Bush. In both cases, the use was distasteful and low. But what frustrates me more is the lack of understanding were each person stands in politics. Comparisons of Obama to Hitler, are way off base sinmply based off of the philosophical differences of each.

Putting aside the fact that I do not agree with President Obama, I want to clarify this issue of where he stands on the political continuum as compared to the Nazi Party and Communism.

The Nazi movement was that of Fascism, a movement of extreme loyalty to ones country (I am keeping it simple. There is more to them than that, but work with me.). Nazism is extreme right wing philosophy. It has some ideas that are very different from the right wing of the United States, but not by much. Is one were to want to make a comparison to any individual in political office, past or present, you could argue that F.D.R. could have very easily become a Fascist, or even George W. Bush. Yes, F.D.R. was Democrat, but his policies, at least initially, were more centrist. This is all conjecture mind you, and I am not accusing either of being Fascist or Nazi.

President Obama, on the other hand, leans towards the left. Socialism is his focus more than anything. This is the idea of redistributing wealth through government programs and taxation. Socialism is basically a lighter version of Communism (some would argue it is a  check point on the road to Communism) which is an extreme redistribution of wealth by ultimately abolishing private property and making a strong central government in charge. Here are some people who under stand where President Obama stands on the political continuum.

Given the nature of the political debate that is raging in the United States, I can't help shaking my head at all the juvinalle behavior that is displaced on a regular basis by all sides. These things being debated have the potential to change America as we know it. One side claims to be listening to what they other is saying then doing the exact opposite. Both side are focusing on extremes to the problem rather than looking for a solution that can benefit the entire nation. Political corruption is rampant in both parties and no one is considering the possibility that this entire petty battle is tearing America a part. All that aside, I really wish people would know what they are talking about when they make a political statement or sign.