Few speak the truth as clearly and succinctly as House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Appearing on ABC's "This Week" last Sunday, co-host Jonathan Karl challenged the speaker's calling the recent No King rallies "Hate America Rallies," calling them "the modern Democratic Party."

Johnson responded that "there is a rise of Marxism in the Democratic Party ... just look what is happening in New York."

"They are about to elect an open socialist Marxist as mayor of America's largest city."

Johnson did not also note that this "socialist Marxist" has been endorsed by New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The data bear out clearly what Johnson is saying.

Per Gallup polling of one month ago, 66% of Democrats said they have a positive view of socialism compared to 42% saying they have a positive view of capitalism.

Among Republicans, 74% expressed a positive view of capitalism and 14% a positive view of socialism.

The ideological chasm between the two parties has never been deeper or wider. And now this has important implications for national security.

Amid the current government shutdown, Republicans want to extract the Defense Department (now War Department) from the morass and are advancing a separate bill to fund the department for one year.

Senate Democrats are blocking the bill from a vote unless Republicans agree to what started the shutdown to begin with — Democrats' insistence on restoring some $500 billion in funding for Obamacare premiums that were enacted as temporary during Covid.

Per the Peter G. Petersen Foundation, discretionary defense spending in 2025 will come out to 2.9% of GDP. This matches its all-time low over the last 50 years. The average annual defense spending as percent of GDP from 1975 to 2004 was over 4%.

The Government Accountability Office just issued a scathing report of the state of readiness of Army and Marine Corps ground vehicles — tanks, self-propelled artillery and armored personnel carriers.

According to the report "since FY 2015, mission capable rates declined for 16 of 18 vehicles we reviewed."

In a July report in Business Insider, the Navy's acting chief of naval operations was quoted as rating the Navy's average combat-surge readiness at "around 68%."

Per the story, the Navy is "bogged down by shipbuilding struggles and maintenance woes." China, per the report "has the largest navy in the world, and it is building new warships at a faster pace than the U.S."

Ronald Reagan observed that "We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted."

But the love of big government and political power of the socialist Democratic Party is now so great that it is more important to them than our national security.

Per the Cato Institute, the Obamacare "enhanced subsidies" that Democrats want to restore, "are a costly reminder of how temporary government programs can become billion-dollar permanent entitlements."

The analysis urges that these temporary subsidies are not restored. Per the analysis, extending the temporary subsidies would increase the deficit by $350 billion over 10 years, increase overall spending by more than $488 billion and increase interest costs by $60 billion. Because the temporary Covid subsidies removed the 400% of poverty spending cap, some one-third goes to individuals with incomes above 400% over the poverty line. Further, per Cato, enrollment fraud is rampant, with "more than 6.4 million improper enrollees, costing taxpayers $27 billion in 2025."

Long-term budget projections from the Congressional Budget Office show interest on the federal debt taking 3.2% of our GDP. That puts interest on our debt higher than our defense spending at 2.9%. CBO projects that interest on the federal debt will reach 4.1% of GDP by 2035 and continue to grow along with ongoing bloating of our federal debt.

The big government socialists are squeezing out our national security. We can't let it happen.

Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Her recent book, "What Is the CURE for America?" is available now. To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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