**WARNING** This is a political opinion and you can read at your own discretion
A great part of our society today seems to be leaning in their thought processes towards a Socialistic form of government which is not an alternative economic system. It is instead a program for consumption. Furthermore, Socialism is the wedge which opens the door wide and invites Communism inside. Why? Because after Socialism gets through with you, Communism looks like a Democracy. Knowing my own limitations as a "political" person, I decided to do my own research and this is what I found for myself.
Admittedly, equality rings in the ear for people and they want to incline themselves toward Socialism. Here are a few of things to consider before you all hold hands around the campfire and go all Kumbaya on Socialism.
The politicians in America who are spouting a Socialist platform will raise taxes on the rich. Ooooh, doesn't this sound exciting? News flash.....the rich already do pay taxes and a lot of them. But... but...so do we, you say. Yes, we do, and perhaps we might want to concentrate our efforts on the fact we have allowed our government so much control over us that we don't notice when we are the 5th owner of a "beater" of a car and in certain states are paying sales tax on it again. In spite of the fact that some poor schmuck paid a boatload of sales tax on it when it was new, a vehicle eventually has more tax revenue invested in it than it is worth, or the gas it takes to power it. Some will say that taxing the crap out of the rich will build the middle class. News flash.....our current administration has taxed them and the middle class is actually shrinking. That doesn't mean we are doing better, it means due to the things I'm about to list much of the middle class is sliding over into the lower class - aka poverty.
When the rich are faced with ever burgeoning taxes, this is what happens. Because they are usually the backbone of our infrastructure they are forced to make changes in how they do business. Employee lay-offs, pay cuts, or price increases on goods they produce. Let's take these points one by one.
1) Employee layoffs: now there are more people forced onto the rolls of unemployment which ultimately trickles down to higher taxes on the middle class (you and I that is.) Or....more and more companies will simply move their operations out of the country and continue on leaving the American workers behind and on Welfare.
2) Pay cuts: now there are more people forced to take welfare, food stamps, etc. from the government. Who pays for this? Again, the middle class. Please remember our government produces nothing of monetary value - it is instead a giant sucking machine of American dollars via tax revenue and when they take over all the manufacturing and production how long before each segment of our society fails...and falls. After all, has not time proven them incapable of handling or managing ANYTHING? Most (not all) of our current politicians are what I call "silver spooners" who were breast fed on the sweat of someone else's brow, grew up to become highly paid professionals who entered into politics because, let's face it, it's a cushy gig, and then sat on their ever increasing backsides raking in payoffs from lobbyists and special interest groups and getting richer by the day. Please know that those Washington Fat Cats will find a way to avoid the tax increase on the rich (them) and suddenly the definition of rich will be something a little more familiar to us - say $40 to $100 k. Are you seeing a trend here? And politicians feel they have a moral imperative to spend money they do not have and did not make. After all, aren't you seeing the increase in those in the political limelight explaining how dumb we are and how much we NEED them to make our decisions for us and take care of us.
3) Price increases: In order to pay those higher tax bills, prices have to go up. I don't know about you but I can't afford for things to get any more expensive than they already are and given our government's woefully lacking understanding of what a real American dollar is and buys I'm pretty danged sure we can't look to them for any real answers.
I have a lot of sympathy for the poor - good heaven's I grew up the spawn of real Americans. The people who pulled cotton in the hot Texas sun, or scratched out a living in the dry Oklahoma red dirt, and worked 10 - 12 hours a day at hard labor in oilfields. I have no rich relatives. I do have hard work, grit, sweat and tears in my core. But as much as I feel for the poor I have never gotten a job from someone who doesn't have a little cash in their pocket. And jobs is what it is all about. Jobs that pay fairly and give you a hope that if you do well, you will increase your own value.
I also hear people say "if you don't believe in Socialism, then give up your Medicare, your Social Security, and all your other "hand outs." Well.....unfortunately those are benefits granted to Americans through good old fashioned capitalism. From the fact that they worked and EARNED THEM. There is a huge difference and if you can't see it then no one as dumb as I am is ever going to be able to explain it to you. But, by the Socialist mindset it would entirely okay for me to hand someone $100 for no reason, and I would be inclined to agree. However, if I handed someone $100 it would because I worked for it in a Capitalistic system. And they could take it and be grateful........or not. They could thank me.......or not. They could pay me back when their circumstances change......or not. However, in Socialism....the only entity with the means to give someone $100.00 would be the government and they WILL expect something in return. Like your vote....maybe involuntary inscription into their military....or maybe your children to be sent away to be taught their propaganda instead of your own core beliefs.
I hear stories about all the tremendously successful Socialist countries out there and just for shits and giggles I read up on them. In the opening paragraphs for each country they mention their Welfare and Unemployment programs. Not much about jobs. Just programs. Therefore I would invite you to read this article which I felt more accurately sums up Socialism. https://mises.org/library/greece-illustrates-150-years-socialist-failure-europe If you don't want to read the whole article please take at least this excerpt away with you to think on.
"Socialism will not work, whether in one country, a multi-state region such as Europe, or the entire world. Ludwig von Mises explained that socialism is not an alternative economic system. It is a program for consumption. It tells us nothing about economic production. Since each man's production must be distributed to all of mankind, there is no economic incentive to produce anything, although there may be the incentive of coercion and threats of violence. Conversely, free market capitalism is an economic system of production, whereby each man owns the product of his own labors and, therefore, has great economic incentives to produce both for himself, his family, and has surplus goods to trade for the surplus product of others. Even under life and death threats neither the socialist worker nor his overseer would know what to produce, how to produce it, or in what quantities and qualities. These economic cues are the product of free market capitalism and money prices."
I would encourage you as well to study the country of Greece which has spent itself into national bankruptcy because they blindly accepted the bill of goods called Socialism they were being sold by the EU. My husband was stationed in Greece when he was in the Air Force and he has told me that there is nothing quite as sobering as to be sitting in a little cafe on a beautiful day surrounded by people laughing and enjoying themselves, and then watch them fall furtively silent when the government's police force enters the building. Remember if you are entirely dependent on someone for your existence there is an expectation you will do as they tell you. You won't be free to spout your opinions against things that rankle with you on social media. You will be afraid to disagree. Socialist countries are ripe for a coup a minute....today someone I agree with, tomorrow someone you agree with and next week, someone neither of us agrees with. This is counteractive to a growing and productive society.
Just remember, if it sounds too good to be true, chances are it is. Nothing worth having in life comes easily. For me...I want to work, work hard, take care of myself and have a few dollars to buy what you are selling so that you can continue to work, work hard, take care of yourself and continue to produce what you make by purchasing your materials from someone else and so on and so on and scooby dooby do. That my friends is Capitalism and it works - it works every time it is given a chance to flourish.
We have real problems in America and we have work to do, but throwing the baby out with the bath water will not fix what is broken here. Big government needs to take a step back and let the common man succeed and thrive. Try not to be swayed into starry eyed submission by all the "free" stuff and the "feel good" stuff. Government's job is to protect our borders.....period. It is not their job to own us like cattle and if we don't break out of the herd mentality soon, the slaughter house will be stinking with our blood.
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