“Boy, let me tell ya, an empty wagon makes a lot of noise.”

My Dad, US Army Corporal, World War II Veteran, Herman West Sr.

Greetings y’all, and I truly hope you had a great and Happy 248th American Independence Day. I guess all those prognosticators who embrace the concept that America was founded in 1619 had to work and did not enjoy a long weekend.

The title of this week’s missive comes from one of my Dad’s favorite sayings. You know, those old-school Southern men and women could whip up some real doozy nuggets of pure wisdom. Now, of course, when my Dad first broke this on me, I had little to no understanding. But oh, would it be revealed to me in my later years.

What ol’ Buck West was referring to is that people who don’t have a lot in their head, their wagon, make a lot of noise to cover the emptiness. I remember having a Drill Sergeant yell at us at my Army ROTC cadet training that we were “dead from the neck up.” And, of course, we all know the infamous saying, “stuck on stupid” and “you can’t fix stupid.” Sadly, a Drill Sergeant saying such things today would be reprimanded for hurting a recruit’s feelings and not being sensitive to their emotions.

I am truly mystified at the self-imposed conundrum in which the progressive socialist left, aka Democrat party, now finds itself. I mean, when the Disney heiress claims she is cutting off donations until Joe Biden steps aside, well, there is trouble in the perceived leftist utopia. However, let’s be honest: it doesn’t matter who the left selects to drive their wagon; it is empty. Hence, why they are loud, obnoxious, violent, full of maniacal rants, and publicly unhinged. As Dad would say, the empty wagon makes a lot of noise.

Let’s consider what the Democrats are trying to peddle upon us, We the People. It is imperative that we have a philosophical discussion about what socialism is. Socialism is an economic model and has five basic tenets.

First, socialism believes in wealth redistribution, you know, pay your fair share. At the close of his abysmal debate, Joe Biden said that his economic plan was to “soak the rich.” That is not an economic plan; that is what French economist Frederic Bastiat called in his essay The Law, legal plunder. And it is the most basic of Marxist principles. After all, Karl Marx asserted, “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” Leftists believe that they have the right and the power to determine who has needs and who has abilities.

The second tenet is the nationalization of economic production. In essence, the government takes over the means of production in a Nation, State or Country. We have seen that happen in countless places in the world, most recently in Venezuela, with the government’s confiscation of the oil and gas industry. As always, this ends up with catastrophic results. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, when confronted with the fact that stores are leaving the inner city, Black communities due to rampant crime, responded by offering…that the government should just take over grocery stores. Yeah, that worked really well in the Soviet Union; perhaps Johnson should travel to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), aka North Korea and study their government food supply chain management?

Remember how in the movie “Hunger Games,” the country was divided into districts that only served to provide resources to the elites who lived in “The Capitol?” This is the leftist utopia that creates a bifurcated society of the haves and the have-nots. The elitists will always have.

The third tenet of socialism is the creation of a welfare state; I also call this the nanny state. Remember that Obama video called the “Life of Julia?” It was the leftist utopia of having the government provide for all one’s needs…refer back to the Marx quote. After all, if you are going to transfer wealth, then the recipient has to become dependent. Socialism does not want individual economic empowerment and independence; it wants economic enslavement and dependence.

The fourth tenet of a socialist economic model is the left’s favorite, social egalitarianism…equity. It is all about making us equal; no more valedictorians and salutatorians. Progressive socialists do not believe in the equality of opportunity that can take a kid like me, born in a Blacks-only hospital from the inner city of Atlanta, and enable him to write for a top conservative opinion media outlet. Nope, the left embraces the ideal of a perpetual participation trophy that makes one feel good but rewards them for substandard performance. Socialism makes everyone a “C” student. As the only foreigner to have a US Navy warship named after him, Sir Winston Churchill said, “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.” This model serves to relegate us to a collective, disavowing recognition of the individual. In other words, it sucks, and it is an empty wagon.

Lastly is secular humanism. Karl Marx was an avowed atheist and saw religion as his greatest adversary. Why? Because leftists do not want any faith put into anything except government, with the little “g.” God, the Judeo-Christian faith heritage God, is the one who endows us with our unalienable rights—life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness (property as defined by John Locke). Secular humanists must first undermine God and His omnipotence and omniscience by means of assuming His powers—you can remake yourself into whomever you want. Man is the reason for the weather. Man, ie, government, can decide on issues of life. Never forget that in March 2020, the government decided that churches, not McDonald’s, Home Depot, Marijuana stores, or even abortion clinics, were non-essential…a complete violation of our First Amendment.

It doesn’t matter who the left chooses to drive their wagon; it is empty and has nothing to offer the American people besides the equal sharing of misery. The Democrat party’s wagon is pulled by jackasses, hence that animal being chosen as their mascot. It is time we here in America realize that the Founding Fathers were simple, intellectual, and principled Men who left us a full wagon of individual rights, freedoms, and liberty that has quietly traveled down many paths and roads over the past 248 years. An empty wagon is easy to tip over, and there are enemies at and within the gates of liberty seeking that end.

Steadfast and Loyal.

This article originally appeared at TownHall.com.