It’s never worked. But it keeps popping up. We can’t seem to put the stake through its heart. What is it? Socialism!
Yet, for whatever reasons—left-wing professors, a corrupt mainstream media, lack of historical knowledge—many young people like the idea of socialism. So, let’s look at what socialism is and what it leads to.
Socialism is nothing more than the government taking money from you and giving it to someone else. In America, the Pilgrims first tried socialism. One of the stipulations of a group of investors who had lent money to the Pilgrims for their voyage to the New World was that everyone in the colony was to divide all the proceeds of the colony equally…no matter how much work he or she did. This meant that those who worked hard were paid just the same as those who chose not to work at all. The result: lack of productivity.
The Pilgrims soon realized it was a failed system. It runs against human nature. When you tell people that the community will care for you, they work less. It undermines character.
Governor Bradford changed that in 1623. He ended the communal idea and instated land ownership. Every family would own their own land, grow their own food, feed themselves, and trade among us that we have left over. It worked, and no one starved after that.
Today, Democrats call it “democratic socialism,” as if ”democratic” makes socialism different. Some people actually believe that. Comedian and political commentator Steven Crowder notes that putting “democratic” in front of a word doesn’t change what it means. Just because we toss something to a vote doesn’t change what that something is, nor does it alter whether that something is.
He cites a few examples. Hamas was democratically elected as the government in Gaza – although the destruction of not only Israel but the eradication of all Jews is in their official charter.
Another one. Hugo Chavez was democratically elected as a socialist in Venezuela. Prior to Chavez, Venezuela was a functioning democracy with a rapidly developing economy and an expanding middle class. But under Chavez and now Nicolás Maduro, the country is a basket case. Despite being one of the most resource-rich nations in the entire world, basic things like eggs, milk, flour, and toilet paper are either too expensive for the average Venezuelan or simply out of stock… out of stock, mind you—democratically.
What about the Western Europeans? Aren’t they socialist? Nope. That’s a fairytale. Most are capitalists. The major difference between the U.S. is that they provide more government benefits than we do. The debate continues about the costs of these benefits and whether they reduce individual initiative, thereby creating more harm than good.
Scandinavians have been grappling with this for years. But only a free-market capitalist economy can produce the wealth necessary to sustain all the supposedly "free stuff" Europeans enjoy. To get the "free stuff," after all, you have to create enough wealth to generate enough tax revenue to have all the free stuff.
Scandinavia is not socialist. In fact, Denmark’s Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said in a 2015 speech at Harvard, “… I would like to make one thing clear. Denmark is far from a socialist planned economy. Denmark is a market economy.”
The fact is that capitalism clobbers socialism. Policies that lower taxes and less government regulation have led to greater economic expansion. Unemployment, notably among minority groups typically most at risk for poverty, is at a generational low. Economic expansion gets people off welfare and into work.
You don’t need to be an economist to understand this. Just common sense. That’s why it’s frightening to see young people embracing socialism and demeaning capitalism. They don’t seem to know what’s good for them.
Capitalism leads to economic democracy. Socialism leads to the economic dictatorship of the elite.
So, kids, as the saying goes, “Be careful of what you wish for. You might get it.”
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Frank Victoria is an award-winning author and screenwriter. He’s been an Amazon bestseller with his recent book, The Founders’ Plot, a political thriller for our times. He donates proceeds of his books to Tunnels to Towers and Fisher House, helping military veterans and first responders. His novella, The Ultimate Bet, is available on his website and Amazon. Check out his new website: FrankVictoriaAuthor.com
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