Despite a bloody, cruel, devastating history of death and destruction, socialism is somehow gaining traction with some Americans. It has always been in vogue among elite leftists in academia and politics, but common-sense folks have always managed to discern the deception. Yet, Democrat Socialists are taking the Democrat Party by storm winning Democrat primaries and even ousting establishment Democrat incumbents. Is socialism really ascending in America or is the Democrat Party just suffering an insurrection from its extremist progressive base?

Quite simply, socialists are snake oil salesmen; they promise lots of free stuff and threaten citizens with dire consequences if they don’t support socialism. The mantra is the system is unfair and average folks cannot make it without government assistance, so vote for socialists and they will be sure to give you your fair share. They invoke class warfare to incite envy among the people, so confiscating the wealth of some people to redistribute to others is acceptable and just.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill explained well the scourge of socialism: "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."

We must recognize that affordability is a real challenge for many Americans that makes them vulnerable to the siren song of socialism. However, socialism is a poison pill; the government produces nothing, so when it promises everything to the people, it must ultimately confiscate all wealth to pay for its grandiose guarantees. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher quipped "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

In his seminal 1944 book, “The road to serfdom,” Friedrich Hayek warned that socialism or central economic planning leads to tyranny and eventual loss of individual freedom. When folks are struggling economically, it may be appealing to hear someone else will pay for your food, education, housing, and healthcare. The problem is none of that is free, so someone must pay for it. The government has no money, so it must take money from its citizens.

It’s a slippery slope. If the government will provide your every need, it will require all the resources to fulfill its promises. That means all wealth and power will be concentrated in the government which makes the government our de facto master. To ensure all receive the same outcome, the government will necessarily have to dictate what you can and cannot have. Individuals will no longer have the freedom to choose anything rather deferring everything to the elusive concept of the greater good – that’s tyranny.

Intrinsically independent, Americans have historically rejected tyranny in favor of freedom, so who is succumbing to this scam? The first problem is our miserable education system has failed our youth because it no longer teaches the horrors of socialism and the incredible success of capitalism. Most young voters are unaware that notable socialists Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol pot, Castro, Chavez, and others massacred over a hundred million souls over that last century; and that capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system. Moreover, too many youth do not appreciate that the USA is the most prosperous nation in history because of capitalism.

Like Karl Marx, our universities are infected with rabid leftist professors spouting unproven theories that have failed every time they have been tried. They teach the failed ideas of globalism and socialism, so our students are disadvantaged. Furthermore, after decades of the higher education scam of peddling useless degrees, we have a segment of highly miseducated leftists with useless degrees, so they cannot get lucrative jobs to pay their ridiculous student debts. Therefore, they cheer any effort to make them whole by stealing someone else's money.

The extreme leftists produced by our failing universities are probably not enough to sway general elections; and hopefully the inevitable failures of socialists ruling California, Chicago, New York City, Seattle, and other blue enclaves will demonstrate the utter unviability of socialism. However, the affordability challenge is real for too many working Americans, so they are willing to listen and some willing to try it.

The problem is you can vote your way into socialism, but you can only fight your way out. Americans want to work and provide for themselves to maintain their independence and freedom, but they want a fair playing field. President Trump has done a miraculous job reversing Biden’s hyperinflation, but food, energy, and housing are still too expensive for too many working Americans. Republicans must redouble efforts to make the American dream attainable.

The Democrat Party is in crisis trying to deal with its extremist Democrat Socialist wing, but they do not have the fortitude to resist the socialist wave masquerading as populism. To their credit, a few Democrats recognize the dangers of the brazen communism and raw antisemitism of radical Democrat Socialists, but they cannot stop it. It will be up to the voters to repudiate the rising socialist threat in November.

America has stood against socialism around the globe for more than a century and we have largely defeated it, but now the socialist threat is domestic. Pray for America and vote this November to defeat socialism in our homeland because our freedom depends on it.

“For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them” (Isaiah 61:8).

Pete Riehm is a Navy Veteran, conservative activist, and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.