Bernie Sanders’s ‘Democratic Socialism’ Is
The Same Kind That Destroyed Venezuela
The Federalist,
by
Helen Raleigh
Original Article
Posted By: Pluperfect,
3/7/2020 5:00:52 AM
He told his supporters during one presidential campaign that this nation’s wealth “was stolen from its citizens by the evil capitalists and the evil corporations.” He assured them that once he was elected, he would end corruption in the current political system, eradicate poverty, strengthen democracy, and return the power back to the people.
His name was Hugo Chavez, and those were his campaign promises in 1998. He became president of Venezuela in 1999 and remained in power until 2013, when he lost his battle to cancer and died in office.
Why bring up Chavez now? The more I listen to Sen. Bernie Sanders’s talks and analyze his policies,
Reply 1 - Posted by:
F15 Gork 3/7/2020 7:00:58 AM (No. 339181)
Socialism fails every time it’s tried - shame this is no longer taught.
17 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Strike3 3/7/2020 7:16:31 AM (No. 339199)
Four years of Bernie would open a lot of eyes in America. Unfortunately that is one lesson that the country would not survive.
22 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
planetgeo 3/7/2020 8:01:27 AM (No. 339245)
The one good thing about the coronavirus epidemic is that it's providing a good preview of what the store shelves will look like EVERY single day after the commievirus hits.
11 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
jeffkinnh 3/7/2020 8:54:32 AM (No. 339313)
"he is a democratic socialist, which he says differentiates his version of socialism from the authoritarian communist and socialist regimes we’ve known"
This is a classic dem strategy. Knowing the abject failure of their type of ideas before, they declare, without proof, that THEIR ideas are different and will be successful. BO was particularly boastful about his arrival on the presidential scene; "the oceans will stop rising". He claimed his mere presence would make things work that never had before. Instead, those things failed, possibly even more spectacularly than they had in the past.
As Conservatives, we need to step beyond dem proposals and go after their justifications. We need to define that capitalism works and WHY it always will. That will show why Socialism/Communism will ALWAYS fail no matter who institutes it. The core issue is, an economic system is dependant on the human nature of the masses, NOT on the leadership. Broadly, people will act like people no matter what their leaders tell them to do. Capitalism works well within human nature. Socialism fights against it. Socialism may crush human behavior but it cannot institute success. Capitalism offers opportunity for individuals to pursue their self interested goals.
Self interest may seem of questionable desirability and value to society but a funny thing happens along the way. Such self interested goals can almost never be reached without the assistance of many other people, in many roles, and also enhances their self interests as well. All the people that build a product and all the customers for that product receive benefits. No one is forcing people to buy computers. Yet, 100s of millions willingly purchase them for the benefits they provide and millions of people have become wealthy or very well off by producing them. For every dollar that a rich entrepreneur makes, many thousands are produced and distributed to others and and intrinsic benefits are delivered to many others.
Without that self interest and associated benefits that people like Sanders rail against, the whole system predictably collapses, no matter what the leaders try to do. Sanders claims the workers should be in charge get the benefits. The funny thing is, under Capitalism, they are. Under Socialism, they are not.
"Chavez’s defenders continue to say ... his intentions were good."
Isn't that the repeating mantra and the judgement the dems always evoke, that their "intentions were good". Is that OK when devastation follows from their intent? It's not just failure to get better. Things get significantly worse. Consider the mess that BOCare is. How long should we indulge the foolish dems to our significant personal and national cost?
Sanders "tells us he wants to make the United States more like Sweden".
Yet Sweden has already gone through a significant rollback of Socialist policies, as described, and are STILL worried that they CANNOT AFFORD the social policies they still try to provide. Rather than collapse back to unsustainable Socialist policies, wouldn't it be wiser to maintain Capitalism and slowly figure out what social problems we can afford to address without bankrupting the Country? Do one thing, make sure it is working, then consider something else. MOST of the people in the Country are doing well. Others are already receiving significant aid in one form or another. No one is starving or is without housing unless there is some other issue like mental illness preventing their support. We can keep working at things needed for the few while NOT upsetting the applecart for everyone else.
10 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
HotRod 3/7/2020 9:10:28 AM (No. 339323)
Two reasons that socialism is considered viable by many young people:
1. The education system.
2. The media.
Both are badly in need of reform. When they can't, or won't, self-police, the citizens must step in.
A big problem with the media is that they have convinced people that they are untouchable and they can publish anything they want, due to the First Amendment. Not so! Any institution that becomes a threat to America is subject to sanctions. Abusing the First Amendment is not a right or privilege of the media, or anyone else.
7 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
marbles 3/7/2020 9:18:22 AM (No. 339330)
You can try and rebrand it it but it's last name is still socialism.
4 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Chuzzles 3/7/2020 9:49:25 AM (No. 339347)
Socialism is socialism no matter how much lipstick you put on it to make it seem harmless. Socialism is destructive, controlling and a hateful way to run/ruin a country. Bernie thinks we have too many choices in the marketplace, and he intends to take them from us if he gets elected.
I wonder how the generation that lives by the cellphone and Kindle will like their socialism when they can't get a new cellphone anymore. Socialism has nothing to do with social media Kiddies, no matter how much the Leftists lie to you that it does.
3 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Mekkkk 3/7/2020 10:36:27 AM (No. 339406)
Truth.
1 person likes this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
fayebeck 3/7/2020 10:45:40 AM (No. 339418)
America will accept socialism a little bit at a time. We've been doing it for a long time. BTW do not think of touching my Social Security or Medicare. I know I know. I PAID INTO IT.....so did the Russians, Cubans, Chinese etc...Many paid by attending slave labor camps...
2 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
joew9 3/7/2020 11:39:10 AM (No. 339475)
You cannot have "Democratic" Socialism. Socialism by it's very concept assumes that the people are incapable of taking care of themselves so the government must do it.
Why would such a government assume that the same people are capable of choosing their next batch of leaders?
2 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
little guy 3/7/2020 1:03:13 PM (No. 339580)
Kinda funny how no one talks about how the Venezuelans were forced to give up all their guns before their government went south into the trash bin.
Now they must throw rocks when the army shows up to arrest their neighbors, friends and relatives because of some perceived slight against the president. Had they held onto their weapons, it would be an entirely different situation there now.
2 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
chzzmonkee 3/7/2020 1:54:57 PM (No. 339635)
Socialists are ready, willing and able to spend the wealth created by others through Capitalism. However, when it comes time for the proverbial rubber to meet the road, Socialists want everyone else to take the risks to create, produce, and invent, WITHOUT REWARD OR RECOMPENSE, for the people who don’t, or won’t, create, produce and invent. Socialism and Socialists ONLY want to reap the rewards and benefits that others have produced.
https://fee.org/articles/democratic-socialists-could-never-produce-dr-wang-s-instant-pot/
1 person likes this.
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