Socialism is NOT ok.

I've seen a disturbing trend over the past number of years.
Socialism is no longer a dirty word.


I know that no one studies history anymore. Most public schools aren't teaching real American or world history anymore and have started teaching a distorted view of both. Suddenly, socialism and communism are just fine. They're just different forms of government and just because we disagree with them doesn't make them wrong. Really? REALLY??


Merriam-Webster defines socialism this way:

Full Definition of SOCIALISM

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

b :  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

Does anyone else see the glaring problem here? 

Where's the freedom? When do we get to think for ourselves? Create, dream, start businesses? Under socialism, never. Everything you do is for the state and they get to decide how it's used. You are nothing but a cog in their wheel.

Every time socialism has been tried, it's failed. European countries have been trying to function this way for years and are now collapsing. They've taxed their people into oblivion and the people get nothing. As Margaret Thatcher said "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." Socialism says "I'll take all your money and decide what you should have based on what I believe your perceived needs are." So we have no say in how the money we've earned is spent.

The whole premise of this flawed philosophy is based on the belief that the government will always know what's best for us "workers" and always supply our needs. The gov't is a pure entity that has our best interest at heart. Well, given our world history, this just categorically untrue. Government is just one, big greedy monster that, no matter how much you give it, will always want more. What we will get is what we're seeing right now. The people at the top, i.e. the White House and politicians jetting around the country and being picked up by limos and black SUVs, going on luxurious vacations, golfing at the best country clubs, receiving outrageous speaking fees while the people who elected them and are paying their salaries are struggling to find work, pay astronomically high taxes and are living paycheck to paycheck.

Professor Ludwig von Mises said the following about socialism:

Capitalism means free enterprise, sovereignty of the consumers in economic matters, and sovereignty of the voters in political matters. Socialism means full government control of every sphere of the individual's life and the unrestricted supremacy of the government in its capacity as a central board of production management.

As a human being, excluding for the moment that I'm also an American, I have to ask, where's the cry for freedom? Are we really willing and able to give up our freedom for "free" stuff? And by free, I mean things that people who don't work get from the gov't that is funded by the rest of us who do work. Where is shame? Where is the work ethic?

I understand that there are some legitimate hard luck cases where people can't work. This isn't what I'm talking about. I'm talking about able bodied men and women who can work but won't because it's so much easier to accept handouts. Those people SHOULD be ashamed of themselves. But it seems that shame is dead. Doing what makes us happy at any given moment is just fine. Even if it means taking from others who actually work and need the money they make.

All of this comes from a belief that society is unfair and socialism will fix everything. Well, I can't think of one single thing the gov't does right. NASA did pretty well for a while and when the gov't condescends to take care of the military, it functions adequately too. But right now, the space program is being dismantled and our vets are being treated like garbage. We are in no way ready to fend off an attack by terrorists because bureaucrats keep hacking away at our armed forces and denying benefits for those who've already fought and continue to do so. And why? To fund social programs and hand out goodies to make everything "fair".

The cold hard truth is in order for socialism to work, we have to believe that everyone will work an equal amount of time and that the gov't can be trusted to treat everybody fairly. This kind of utopian society is not even remotely possible. There will always be those of us who work hard and those of us who refuse to work because it's just too hard. The more free stuff that's distributed, the less people will be willing to work because given the choice, an awful lot of people will choose laziness. It's just our human nature. Work is hard. Sitting around on our asses doing nothing while the gov't pays for your food, housing, phones, healthcare and whatever else they "provide" is SO much easier.

Here's the problem-once you start accepting all the goodies, your life will go no where. There's no upward mobility or chance to better yourself as long as you choose the free stuff. That pile of crappy, bottom of the barrel stuff is the best you'll ever get.

Socialism should still be a dirty word. It means, at it's core, that the government controls everything. We have no choices. I don't know about the rest of you, but I want freedom. I want the government that we're paying for to do our bidding, not the other way around. They work for us, not the reverse.

Socialism sucks. Work hard. Don't be lazy. Keep your own money and spend it however you want. That's REAL freedom.