SDS plays large role in trend of socialism in U.S.

On May 5, I received an e-mail about an "Honors ‘60s forum," so I decided to attend as my own ENGL110 class freshman year dealt with similar topics. One of the major topics up for discussion was the involvement of the panelists with the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), an organization with which I was not too familiar.

After performing some research, I wanted to provide a brief and incomplete history (but one you will not learn in school) of the Students for a Democratic Society and their place in the larger detrimental trend of socialism in the United States.

The genesis of the collegiate socialist movement was the Intercollegiate Socialist Society (ISS) which was founded in 1905 by Upton Sinclair and other intellectuals including Jack London. Obviously these two are very well known for their writing, but they were also both deeply socialist------—London by his upbringing and Sinclair through his muckraking. The ISS changed its name to the League for Industrial Democracy (LID), whose student branch became known as the Student League for Industrial Democracy (SLID). The SLID then gave way to the SDS.

A more extreme faction of the socialist movement, which contained many crossovers from the SDS, was the Weather Underground, co-founded by Bill Ayers, who was also a leader of SDS. The Weather Underground was responsible for a string of domestic terrorist bombings of public buildings during the ‘60s and ‘70s.

While Mr. Ayers is now an established expert on education, his theological impact on the sitting president of the United States cannot be overlooked. The relationship between President Obama and Bill Ayers began in the formative years of Obama's political career. Ayers and Obama sat on the same nine-member board of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago, which helps underprivileged families by creating a "sense of community," focusing on community responsibility instead of individual responsibility.

Socialism strives for the decreasing of personal responsibility through the "sense of community" and advocates for the increasing of the size and power of government. The role of the government should be to protect the people that elect them to power, not to abuse that power and attempt to control the private sector.

Let me be clear that I am not anti-socialist and I believe that system of government works in some countries, but not our country. This is the greatest country in the world and there is a reason for that; this country gives average people with drive and determination the ability to advance their social and economic status in society with hard work and ingenuity. This republic was built on individualism and capitalism, but there are powerful forces that are trying to destroy capitalism as we know it.

After receiving some bad press, Mr. Obama has tried to distance himself from Mr. Ayers, and only they know to what extent their relationship has impacted the president's decision-making process. As you can see, a movement that started out as a jumbled intercollegiate socialist organization over a century ago has grown tremendously and infiltrated the most powerful ranks of the government.

This administration has already proven that it is willing to take over the American auto industry and the health care industry. It also has shown that it will determine which companies are "too big to fail." The next target for the administration is the energy sector. The cap-and-trade bill would change the energy policy. By taxing any production of energy that does "harm" to the environment, the cost of energy would, as Obama stated, "necessarily skyrocket."

By relying on the government for sustenance as many people now do through welfare, social security, pensions and many other public funding outlets, we enslave ourselves to the very government that governs us. The SDS and the LID strive for bringing about "freedom" from the oppressive nature of capitalism, but what freedom do you gain from relying on the government for your income?

Whether you agree or disagree with my position, if you care about the future of this country, get involved in the political process. Do research. Watch and listen to politicians. Vote on your ideals as I will vote on mine, but I urge you to really know who you are voting for. This country declared its independence from the European system of government 234 years ago, so why would we model our system on their system now? My vote will not let that happen. Will yours?