The internal threat of socialism in America must be stopped now. The Democratic party has gone from flirting with this political cancer to inviting it into their ranks. A socialist America would be a lost America. Calling it Democratic Socialism is deceptive. There is no legitimacy in applying any label of socialism to our capitalist economy. Let’s look at how socialism is already threatening your income and quality of life.
Socialism has been categorized into four main levels. The traditional Marxist-Leninist socialism of communist countries, e.g., China and Cuba, is what many of us grew up despising. Non-communist socialist countries such as Greece subscribe to Marxist-Leninist tenets, but without the aggressive dictators. Then there is 21st Century socialism which has recently popped up in countries through radical upheavals of the democratic process. Most of these governments are in Latin America and are crumbling after just a few years. More recently, several governments have begun to call themselves Democratic Socialists. That is, there is a semblance of governing by the people through elected representation and personally owned property. However, Democratic Socialist laws support socialist concepts such as wealth distribution through taxation, universal health care, free college, guaranteed income, prolific labor unions, production controls, etc. I believe the Democratic Socialism moniker is no more than an attempt to soften the depressing nature of the system. It is a way to pass it off as not-your-grandfather’s Marxist-Leninist government. We must understand socialism for what it is regardless of the adjective placed before the name.
Whatever the title, socialism is woefully inferior to capitalism on every level and a dangerous system. Due to the expected brevity of a blog post, I will withhold comment on the immoral, oppressive, and disincentive aspects of socialism and address just the economics of the beast. I believe economics is the practical measure of a government system, since it affects about every other quality of life element. Socialism fails miserably in the economics test.
The long-proven success of capitalism has made America the most prosperous nation on earth. Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, is the accepted measure of a nation’s economy. It is the total dollar value of all goods and services produced within the country in a year. It is also essentially the total income of all Americans during the year. America’s projected GDP for 2018 is just over $20 trillion. The best measure of the quality of life for a country’s citizens is per capita GDP, or each person’s share of the GDP. It also roughly equates to average yearly individual income. America’s current per capita GDP is $56,432. In comparison, the UK GDP per capita is $39,720, and Japan’s is $38,428. Russia (technically not a socialist country anymore) has a per capita GDP of $10,743.
Now, let’s look at the per capita GDP of those “enviable” 26 countries that proclaim themselves socialist. You know, the one’s the Democrats are showcasing. The six Marxist-Leninist countries have an average per capita GDP of $3,638 (China, the highest, is at $10,099). The five non-communist socialist countries average $5,700. The three labeled 21st Century Socialist average $4,834. Twelve Democratic Socialist countries average $4,494. These current numbers are about what Americans were earning in the 1950s.
Socialism has never in history improved the economy or quality of life for its subjects. It kills economies. Not one Democrat in America can justify his or her socialist leaning economically. They are simply interested in growing a big government that takes resources from the people and gives them goods and services based on needs of the government. Voters for Democratic candidates need to either learn some basic economics or be satisfied with a per capita GDP of less than $10,000.
A few years ago, I would have never believed Americans would elect a declared socialist to Congress. Now, we have four, three of which are card-carrying members of the Democrat Socialists of America (DSA). We all know about Senator Bernie Sanders. Then, last November, Americans elected to the House of Representatives Rashida Tlaib , a Muslim and DSA member and, of course, DSA member and smash hit, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The other Muslim and DSA sympathizer elected last November is Ilhan Omar who is also an outspoken anti-Semitic. Furthermore, there are 66 other Democratic members of Congress who openly claim ties to DSA.
Free market capitalism, the economic experiment spanning over two centuries, has produced the greatest economy in the history of the world leading to the greatest quality of life in history for us Americans. We of the present generation are extremely blessed to have inherited this phenomenal advantage from the sacrifices of our predecessors. Any movement that would threaten that way of life must be stopped for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Listen closely to every word that proceeds from the mouths of Democrats. Their socialist agenda is obvious. Remember that at the voting booth.
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