This page was last updated on December 13, 2010.
Why not give socialism a try?; Shane Inches; Beaver County Times; December 12, 2010.
The only previous Inches letter of which I’m aware was “We must be wise and not prejudiced” (12/5/10).
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“Socialism is a great idea that I would like more people to see and think about everyday [sic].”
[RWC] If “[s]ocialism is a great idea,” why does it always eventually fail? Has Mr. Inches missed what’s currently going on in Europe and Venezuela? Historically, let’s remember Nazi (national socialist) Germany, the USSR, Cuba, et cetera.
I have no idea who Mr. Inches is, but this letter reads like something a youngster would write.
“And by socialism, I mean democratic socialism, which gives everyone equal rights and as well as equal opportunity.”
[RWC] Note how this sentence is ideologically 100% opposite to the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. In Mr. Inches’ world, the government “gives everyone equal rights and as well as equal opportunity.” The claim of “equal rights and as well as equal opportunity” is also a hoot. A major characteristic of leftist ideology is to divide people into grievance/victim groups along lines of age, education, ethnicity, income, religion, sex, skin color, wealth, et cetera and then pit them against each other. Also be aware that what you and I may define “equal rights and … equal opportunity” likely differs from Mr. Inches’ definition.
In contrast, the DOI refers to “unalienable Rights” “endowed by [our] Creator,” not by government. Regarding the Constitution, in Federalist Paper #45, James Madison (a Founding Father and fourth President) wrote, “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments [and the people] are numerous and indefinite.” The 10th Amendment states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved for the States respectively, or to the people.”
“Under democratic socialism, everyone will receive what they need from the government, and also we will no longer have a free-market.”
[RWC] Note how easily Mr. Inches tosses away individual liberty, represented by “a free-market.”
“Therefore, corporations will be less successful and also the ‘mom and pop’ businesses would again be a common store in society.”
[RWC] Why would we want corporations – or any type of business – to “be less successful?” In any case, as economist Bruce Bartlett puts it, “The last thing most businessmen want is a free market, where they must compete, slash prices, continuously innovate, suffer narrow profit margins, and live constantly on the edge of bankruptcy. They would much rather have assured profits, monopoly positions, price supports, trade protection and the other trappings of a corporate welfare state.”
Where does Mr. Inches get his info about “‘mom and pop’ businesses?” According to the SBA, small businesses are 99.9% of our businesses, provide about 50% of our jobs, and “accounted for 65% (or 9.8 million) of the 15 million net new jobs created between 1993 and 2009.”
“With this idea, citizens may pay higher taxes, but the government will give you everything you need, things such as a car, house, electric, water, health care, etc. The people need to see a government as a tool to success rather than people of higher wage.”
[RWC] “[C]itizens may pay higher taxes?” Yeah, like if I drop an anvil on my foot I may get hurt.
If “the government will give you everything you need,” why would anyone work? If no one works, or if everyone works less, who will “pay higher taxes” to support the system?
Finally, it’s amazing how many of us don’t see how dangerous it is for citizens to be made dependent on government for “everything you need.” Government should be controlled by “We the People,” not the other way around.
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