James Lambert
What's wrong with socialism? It's a disaster for our society, economically and culturally, and it threatens our personal freedoms
By James Lambert
It clearly appears that there are a number of high profile Democratic and Independent party local, state and national politicians who have declared that they believe in socialism. According to (Webster's ) dictionary socialism is defined as "economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods." It is "a system of society or group living in which there is no private property." It is "a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned or controlled by the state."
The definition itself (as outlined above) should alarm a lot of voters and citizens. Do we really want to live in a country where our government has absolute control over business and social enterprise?
At least in a democracy you can own property. It's up to you. People have the option to work hard and progress in an occupation of their choice. People can work up the ladder and eventually increase their salary. They can further their education to be more attractive to a potential employer. In a free enterprise system, one can even start their own business or company.
All these choices are ours in a democracy. With socialism one has limited choices. In a socialist society, the individual becomes the slave of government.
© James Lambert
February 9, 2020
It clearly appears that there are a number of high profile Democratic and Independent party local, state and national politicians who have declared that they believe in socialism. According to (Webster's ) dictionary socialism is defined as "economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods." It is "a system of society or group living in which there is no private property." It is "a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned or controlled by the state."
The definition itself (as outlined above) should alarm a lot of voters and citizens. Do we really want to live in a country where our government has absolute control over business and social enterprise?
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1) Socialism gives too much power to the government and their administrators. We have already seen the devastation that has resulted in countries where socialism reigns supreme. All you have to do is look at countries like Cuba, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Sweden and Nigeria. Socialism pushes people to become dependent on government.
2) It provides for a system where a 99.5% of the population is subservient to the .5% of those in government. This is a system that can quickly become overtly corrupt.
3) It removes (for much of the population) the incentive to work. Why have colleges? Why have business promotions? The people of this country have observed the hard working tradition to get ahead. They educate themselves and advance in order to increase their wages and provide for their families. Socialism runs contrary to this. It depends on a system where there are no incentives.
4) Socialism slows down economic growth. Free enterprise is discouraged.
5) Socialism pushes people to become dependent on government. Already our country's federal debt is growing by over $1 million dollars a minute. Most of this can be blamed on politicians in Washington DC who are more interested in placating their constituents than balancing the budget. With socialism this problem would significantly increase.
At least in a democracy you can own property. It's up to you. People have the option to work hard and progress in an occupation of their choice. People can work up the ladder and eventually increase their salary. They can further their education to be more attractive to a potential employer. In a free enterprise system, one can even start their own business or company.
All these choices are ours in a democracy. With socialism one has limited choices. In a socialist society, the individual becomes the slave of government.
© James Lambert
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