Socialism's Unbroken Trail of Failure
American Thinker,
by
John Eidson
Original Article
Posted By: Imright,
12/10/2019 10:22:01 AM
Evidence that socialism is doomed to fail wherever it is tried occurred long before America became a nation. In 1607, inhabitants of Jamestown, Virginia were on the verge of starvation, largely because the settlement's communal living arrangement failed to produce enough food. Among the steps that saved Jamestown from oblivion was doing away with communal sharing in favor of incentive-based farming that rewarded personal initiative. (Photo) Three and a half centuries later, the same lesson repeated itself in San Francisco and elsewhere, when the utopian "free food" communes of the hip generation went the way of the dinosaurs.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
LadyHen 12/10/2019 11:05:18 AM (No. 257964)
“Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.”
and
“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”
Sir Winston Churchill
2 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
DVC 12/10/2019 11:38:18 AM (No. 257998)
When I was a child, I lived in coastal Va, near Norfolk. One of the many wonderful historic sites within reach of our school field trip bus rides was the remake of Jamestown, just being built at that time. It was quite interesting to see them build wattle walls, since they were actually making it at the time we visited. But another one of the educational things we 4th graders learned was that people are lazy and won't work for "the common good" if they think they can skate and still eat. A memorable lesson in how our government should work.
When we visited the House of Burgesses on another field trip, suddenly all those stories we learned in Virginia History class became real. We saw the place where Patrick Henry said "Give me Liberty or give me death", only a short distance from the Governor's Mansion, where the British governor lived.
It's a real shame that kids today don't get taught much history, cannot learn from our huge trove of "big mistakes we made in the past" because they never hear about them.
6 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Clinger 12/10/2019 11:40:37 AM (No. 258001)
Our "Democrat Socialists" would have us surrender our natural god given "negative" rights, defining what others through government can't do to you, for positive rights, that which your neighbors through government must do for you.
They wish to trade the power of successful capitalists who face free market competitive forces and lack the power to force you to do anything, with the power of government that has a monopoly on all decision making, faces no competition and also has a monopoly on the use of force.
And somehow they think this system has the potential if done correctly to advance the state of the common people despite a couple hundred million corpses that suggest otherwise.
1 person likes this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
JimJr 12/10/2019 2:13:19 PM (No. 258112)
Socialism is slavery.
Socialism is murder.
1 person likes this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
jeffkinnh 12/10/2019 2:25:02 PM (No. 258115)
"it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest."
This is such a critical piece of understanding. In addition, the butcher, the brewer, or the baker CANNOT pursue their interests in a void. They require customers, workers, a broad range of services, and a structured and orderly society in which to function. Beyond producing their products, the capitalists also contribute to society through taxes, wages, and participation. The wise capitalist understands they function as a conglomerate citizen. They utilize the assets of the community as does everyone else. They pay into the community as does everyone else. They have vested interest in a good place to live with good schools, roads, fire and police protection, and other such services. All of this interaction happens largely without government guidance or control, except for the parts specifically allocated to government responsibility.
Perhaps most important, without the capitalist to drive the process and take the associated risks, it all comes to a crashing halt. Yes, they DO build that. And have a LARGE, generally positive influence on the communities in which they exist. Government cannot do what capitalists do. Most other people cannot do or are scared to do what the capitalist does. Capitalists bring a unique set of skills to the table without which society would falter.
The failure of socialism can be tied to the elimination of the capitalist and the attempt of the Socialists to play their role. It doesn't work. Further, it CAN'T work. Thus the predestination of Socialist societies to failure.
"A large and prosperous middle class like what we have in America does not exist in countries with single-party socialist rule."
This is a corollary to the reality that a capitalist cannot succeed in a void. The more successful a capitalist is, the more they MUST spin off success to to others. Thus, a wealthier middle class is created. In Socialist countries, the failure and lack of goods is spread among the masses and all live in poverty together. The dems are promising free stuff to all. The problem is, doing things their way, there won't be anything to share.
3 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
privateer 12/10/2019 2:30:27 PM (No. 258119)
Socialism is Feudalism 2.0 !
1 person likes this.
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