According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the definition of “socialism” is:
1: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.
2a: a system of society or group living in which there is no private property.
2b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state.
3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done.
If this sounds attractive to you you’re probably either a communist, a socialist already, or a confused young democrat/liberal (with the exception of Bernie Sanders).
“Socialism is the new liberalism.” – MrEricksonRules
Let’s see what some other notable people had to say about socialism:
“We are socialists, we enemies of today’s capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are determined to destroy this system under all conditions.” – Adolf Hitler
“The problem with Venezuela is not that socialism was poorly implemented, it’s that socialism was faithfully implemented.” – Donald Trump
“A socialist is someone who has read Lenin and Marx. An anti-socialist is someone who understands Lenin and Marx.” – Ronald Reagan
“Socialism requires that government becomes your god.” – Rafael Cruz
“The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.” – Karl Marx
“Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.” – Thomas Sowell
“The goal of socialism is communism.” – Vladimir Lenin
“No one should suffer from the great delusion that any form of communism or socialism which promotes the dictatorship of the few instead of the initiative of the millions can produce a happier or more prosperous society.” – Charles E. Wilson
“Socialism is a fraud, a comedy, a phantom, a blackmail.” – Benito Mussolini
“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” – Winston Churchill
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples’ money.” – Margaret Thatcher
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” – Winston Churchill
Still hanging on to some idyllic vision of socialism that only works in your make-believe world? Please read on.
Mark J. Perry graduated from George Mason University with a Ph.D. in economics and is now a professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan’s Flint campus. More than 20 years ago he wrote an article titled, “Why Socialism Failed.” Dr. Perry requests that we note that in the title of the article (“failed”) implied the past tense, because he assumed the failures of socialism were so apparent and obvious (he called it “the Big Lie of the 20th century”) that it would be forever considered only as a discredited system of the past, and never as a viable option going forward into the future!
Dr. Perry concluded, “The main difference between capitalism and socialism is this: Capitalism works.”
Walter E. Williams an American economist, commentator, and academic. He is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University, as well as a respected syndicated columnist and author.
Mr. Williams believe that, “Socialism is evil.”
“What is socialism? The essence of socialism is the attenuation and ultimate abolition of private property rights. Attacks on private property include, but are not limited to, confiscating the rightful property of one person and giving it to another to whom it doesn’t belong. When this is done privately, we call it theft. When it’s done collectively, we use euphemisms like: income transfers or redistribution.”
“Regardless of the purpose, such behavior is immoral. It’s a reduced form of slavery. After all, what is the essence of slavery? It’s the forceful use of one person to serve the purposes of another person.”
“Some might rejoin that all of this is a result of a democratic process and it’s legal. Legality alone is no guide for a moral people. There are many things in this world that have been, or are, legal but clearly immoral. Slavery was legal. Did that make it moral? South Africa’s apartheid, Nazi persecution of Jews, and Stalinist and Maoist purges were all legal, but did that make them moral?”
“Can a moral case be made for taking the rightful property of one American and giving it to another to whom it does not belong? I think not. That’s why socialism is evil. It uses evil means (coercion) to achieve what are seen as good ends (helping people). We might also note that an act that is inherently evil does not become moral simply because there’s a majority consensus. An argument against legalized theft should not be construed as an argument against helping one’s fellow man in need. Charity is a noble instinct; theft, legal or illegal, is despicable. Or, put another way: Reaching into one’s own pocket to assist his fellow man is noble and worthy of praise. Reaching into another person’s pocket to assist one’s fellow man is despicable and worthy of condemnation.”
Still not convinced that socialism may not be the most desirable form of government? If so, can I interest you in a one-way trip to Venezuela? I hear the weather is really nice there this time of year!
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