Socialists in the House

"It is always pitiful when any human being falls into a condition hardly more respectable than that of an animal. How much more pitiful it is when the person who falls has had all the advantages!" Kilgore Trout

An Alabama congressman told local officials this week that he's worried about the number of socialists in Congress, and he put the number already there at 17.

"Some of the men and women I work with in Congress are socialists," Rep. Spencer Bachus, the top Republican on the Financial Services Committee, said at a breakfast with city and county officials.

The congressman made his comment on the heels of a Rasmussen poll that found 53 percent of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism, 20 percent favor socialism and 27 percent were not sure which is better.

You can tell by the way Bachus says it that he feels he's pointing out a bad thing to sic the dogs on -- you, the public, being the dogs. I picture him beaming and proud, pancakes untouched, as he throws caution to the wind and lets out his scandalous secret that is sure to change this nation around and around and around.

I see it as a sign of hope, though am skeptical of his number 17 -- I think he just picked the obvious ones to get the ball rolling.

Here is an explanation of the poll numbers:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/weekend-opinionator-a-different-sort-of-red-america/?em