Talking back to Thomas Peterffy

who should have stayed in Hungary

As many of you throughout the world have noticed, we are having an election in the US next week. And I am sure you are sick of hearing of it. I know I am. But here's a pernicious little twist: an immigrant from Hungary, a nice looking gray-haired little man, is spending millions to tell how how he is voting and why.

When he came here at age 12, he dreamt of being rich. That's ok, I dreamt of being a ballerina at that age. And Soviet oppression was - oppressive. So yay, he comes here and somehow, in about 20 years he's made enough money to buy a seat on the New York Stock Exchange and now he has between 5 and 7 billion dollars, all gotten on the up-and-up I am sure.

He has made 2 commercials which you can find on YouTube, or in the US by watching CNN. He looks into the camera and speaks softly and earnestly, telling the story of his life and imploring us to avoid socialism, which he has seen first hand. Accompanied by grim black and white photos, he tells of the freedoms of the US capitalist system and how, if we discourage people who make money, we will become like his native Hungary, poorer and poorer. The wealthy, he tells us, take care of the needy, unless we discourage them, presumably by taxing or regulating them.

And Hungary is such a bleak place. It was socialist and became poorer and poorer. The pictures he shows prove it.

He doesn't mention a candidate, but tells us he is voting Republican. So rich people won't feel discouraged. As  they did in Hungary. Against another grainy b/w photo of people out of a refugee movie he says we must learn from the past. (One of my contacts on another site, a Danish woman, is puzzled. You don't have socialists running for office in the US, she said. I told her many people think Obama is a socialist. She was dumbfounded.)

So here is my rebuttal. I'll acknowledge that Hungary in the 50's was poor and under the thumb of Soviet Russia. But by the mid-1960's, it had begun to move toward a more open society. The years between the late 60's and early 90's saw a loosening of totalitarian shackles and the forming of a country that was able to balance commerce and social welfare.

A woman I know quite well went to visit Hungary in 1981 with her sister, both fluent in Magyar or Hungarian. They found and enjoyed an open, vibrant society, quite unlike the gray misery shown in Peterffy's ad. They were free to travel, speak with the people and even enjoy some nightlife. I am including three pictures she gave me to contrast with Thomas Peterffy's b/w pictures of poor discouraged hopeless Hungary.

What impressed her more was the fabric of society. Here was a modern nation which had an ethic of taking care of its people. Most women worked, but were given 2 years of paid child care leave and their job back at the end. Education, healthcare, care for the elderly and the infants were all part of society. The Hungarians were quite proud of themselves.

But the nation was still unhappy with Soviet influence, so in the early 90's, when the Russians withdrew, they rushed to do a U-turn and voted in many capitalists. They got a few Hungarian millionaires, but the standard of living fell under the capitalist system. Oops. In the elections of May 1994, the people voted the socialists back in. They remain a potent political force to this day.

So I say this to Thomas Peterffy: socialism works. Given a choice, the Hungarians voted socialists back in. In free elections. They liked it. Taking care of each other works. Totalitarian communism doesn't work, but there is a difference and you know it. You should have stuck around your native Hungary. Maybe you wouldn't be a billionaire, but really, how much money do you need? Why don't you just shut up, pay taxes, and let us find our own way without lying to the American people.

One last thing you cheapskate. You spent millions on this ad campaign, but you only gave $61,000 to the Republican party. Wanted control over the dough, didn't you? That's what it's all about, isn't it? Power and control. And you are trying to tell me the wealthy will take care of the needy? Pfft.