Posted on 03/19/2016 1:36:29 PM PDT by Kaslin
I received some push back from a number of readers regarding my last column on how to help millennials learn the truth of socialism. Some argue that surely Bernie Sanders has no intention to bring the Soviet or the Chinese communist style gulags, famine, and reeducation labor camps to the US.
But if you examine the history of the 20th century: when Stalin, Mao, Castro, Kim, Pol Pot and others came to power, none of them declared they would bring gulags, reeducation labor camps, famine to their countries and people either. They all won popular support of their people by promising them new nations where everyone enjoys equality and freedom. They all made similar declarations to this one:
· "We demand a generous increase in old-age pensions.
· We demand the creation and maintenance of a sound middle-class, the immediate communalization of large stores which will be rented cheaply to small trades people, and the strongest consideration must be given to ensure that small traders shall deliver the supplies needed by the State, the provinces and municipalities.
· We demand that specially talented children of poor parents, whatever their station or occupation, be educated at the expense of the State.
· The State has the duty to help raise the standard of national health by providing maternity welfare centers, by prohibiting juvenile labor, by increasing physical fitness through the introduction of compulsory games and gymnastics, and by the greatest possible encouragement of associations concerned with the physical education of the young.
· COMMON GOOD BEFORE INDIVIDUAL GOOD!"
Sounds nice, doesn't it? Would you take a different view if I tell you the above was an excerpt from a 25-point plan, presented by Adolf Hitler on February 24th, 1920, at the National Socialist Party (commonly known as the Nazi) convention?
All socialists promised to save us and provide us with a better life. Only after they came to power, and despite the different cultural backgrounds they grew up with, they all resorted to using gulags and reeducation labor camps as effective means to suppress individual freedom. The very evil nature of socialism/communism[1] requires a government to abolish private property rights and individual freedom at all cost, so the government can have the sole ownership of all the means of production and is in charge of the distribution of resources. It's a system by design to make the state/government as powerful as it can be, while treat individuals as insignificant as they can be. Of course, soon after, socialists realized that the natural laws of economics was not something they could just bend to proletariat's will. Food shortages, long lines and famine were the natural consequences of their disastrous policies. Unfortunately, it fell on ordinary people to pay the ultimate price--their lives. But socialists considered their blood soaked hands clean as snow. Pol Pot famously said “I did not join the resistance movement to kill people, to kill the nation. Look at me now. Am I a savage person? My conscience is clear.”
Bret Stephen of the Wall Street Journal recently wrote, "In the work of preserving civilization, nine-tenths of the job is to understand the past and stress its most obvious lessons." So it worth repeating again and again: socialism has never worked. If you still want to know whether there's a gentle and benevolent version of socialism. I ask you: is there a lighter shade of darkness? The answer to both questions is "no."
Only if you live in a country the size of New Mexico, with the population of Rhode Island, and have more Oil than Saudi Arabia and extremely secure borders.
Yes. It's the socialism where you get toilet paper until there is none left. But, you get to stand in line first for the daily allocation of squares. "Do you have a spare square?" "Sorry, I have no squares to spare".
To do all that socialism claims the government has to have the power to take from one and give to the other. And this authority has to be absolute.
It denies the individual their rights and freedom.
Only in a socialist’s mind.
The reality of socialism is a different matter.
Sure, in someone’s dream, but NOT in the real world.
What works in small does not work in big and what works with children does not work with adults.
In a word, no. I believe I saw it first here at FR and it has, over the past 15+ years, become even truer now than ever.... “Socialism is just communism with a smiley face.”
Correct.
Is there a gentle and benevolent version of the commandment, "Thou shall not steal."?
No, there isn’t. Socialism saps the energy and initiative and ambition of a people until there is nothing left but a dependent shell of what once was a free and independent human being.
A Homogeneous, Mono-Cultural Society that only shared borders with people who shared their same religion and beliefs?
THEN you had Millions of disassociated people who never paid a dime into your Social Net at any point and are rapidly overwhelming and draining the money that the natives put years of the life into and who will never see a kroner of it back again?
As P. J. O’Rourke put it, “Socialism is communism sold by the drink”.
Socialism can work well, on a small scale and limited basis and if it is entirely voluntary.
It’s all about scale and lack of coercion.
No.
That idea is like being “partially pregnant”.
“You mean how Sweden USED to be.”
Yup. You caught me. I was thinking Norway.
But the laws of “northern euro socialism” are completely opposed to what Bernie wants:
Taxes for the rich in Norway/Sweden =25%
Taxes for the rich in US =36% and Bernie wants to raise to 95%.
Tyranny must always be in the wings as an option for socialism to function. Take it away and someone might not want to share.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.