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Socialism 101

“America will never be a socialist country”
- President Trump in his address to the nation
Practical Definition
A Practical Definition

A college student was asked if she knew the definition of socialism. Her reply was that it meant being social, as in social media! Sigh. No, Virginia, that is not the definition of socialism. (We will, however, address the education of our young people later in this article.)

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Socialism can be defined as "a system of social organization in which private property and the distribution of income are subject to social control."

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In other words, it's a state-controlled economy in which the state controls the means of production (factories, offices, resources, and farms). There are also forms of socialism in which the means of production are controlled and owned by workers. 

 

According to Frances Fox Piven, former Democrat Socialist of America (DSA) board member, "What all definitions have in common is either the elimination of the market or its strict containment." 

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Socialism calls for government regulation or public ownership of business, replaces private choice with government choice, hates profits, and tends to become an authoritarian state. Socialism is the step between capitalism and communism. What socialism does NOT do is reward individual hard work and success. It does NOT encourage innovation, new business start ups, or risk of any kind. (Capitalism does that; Socialism does not.) Socialism panders to the lowest common denominator by redistributing wealth and success so that everyone (except the bureaucrats) exists "equally" (i.e equally miserable). This lack of reward for effort and wealth redistribution to the lowest level of misery is why actual socialism never, ever, works anywhere. Ever. 

Is Scandinavia Socialist?
Is Scandinavia Socialist? 

We are constantly told the Scandinavian countries are great examples of the success of socialism. (In reality, Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua are great examples of the "success" of socialism.)  So, are leftists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC from here on out) and Bernie Sanders correct? Is Scandinavia really comprised of socialist countries as they proclaim? 

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The answer is "NO"

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Sweden, Norway, and Denmark are in general economic successes, but it is a false argument to describe them as "socialist".

  • 90% of the Swedish economy is privately owned, 

  • Denmark and Sweden all outrank us in economic freedom,

  • they all outperform us in business freedom.

So, "no", these are not socialists countries, and Democrat socialists mislead Americans when they point to these countries as examples of socialism's success. They are either ignorant on the topic, or they are liars. You can decide which. 

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Remember, socialism is government control or ownership of business.  The Scandinavian  countries are not examples of socialism, they are instead examples of large welfare-state programs that are financed by Capitalism. Capitalism is the engine that makes them successful, and they enjoyed that success long before they moved to implement large scale welfare programs. Through high taxes they are then able to provide generous programs to their citizens.

High Taxation Is The Key.

 

There is a great article in Forbes, written by Jeffrey Dorfman, that explains the governmental structure in Scandinavia. Mr Dorfman explains that these countries would be better identified as examples of "Compassionate Capatalism".  Mr. Dorfman points out that "Scandinavia built their countries and run their countries under the engine of capitalism. High taxation allows them to then provide generous welfare programs."

 

These countries also have

  • no minimum wage laws,

  • while they do have unions the government does nothing to ensure the outcome of union negotiations,

  • Workers are paid based on what they are worth, not an arbitrary government enforced wage, 

  • Sweden offers complete freedom of school choice,

  • Scandinavian countries rank very high on the index of economic freedom.

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None of these things are typical of socialist countries, and indeed they are not socialist.

Why Not Try It Here?
Why Not Give It a Try Here? 

First, let's start with a couple of quotes, both by Winston Churchill: 

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“Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.”

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“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”

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Second, most Americans work hard to make a living, and they are not willing to trade the financial reward of that hard work for even higher taxes, especially when it hits the range of 70%!

 

This country is unique in all the world. It's been called "The Grand Experiment". We believe in the dignity and worth of the individual. We believe in The American Dream - that through hard work, self-reliance, ingenuity, and grit, you can achieve your dreams. We are the innovators. We also believe the rewards that come with success belong to YOU, and that YOU should determine how you spend or share those rewards. We believe equal opportunity is guaranteed, but equal outcome is not. Such are the risks and rewards of Capitalism, and it is the promise of those rewards that have allowed this country to become the economic engine of the world. Capitalism encourages risk and rewards success. Actual philanthropy, where individuals voluntarily share a portion of their wealth with others, is only possible with Capitalism. Government redistribution of wealth is far, far different from private philanthropy, and as Churchill pointed out, socialism is a guarantee of equal misery. 

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The Democrat Socialists of America (DSA) platform will change America, and not for the better. The DSA (and the Democrat party) focus on grievance groups and promise them free stuff of all kinds. Free healthcare, free college, guaranteed income, free housing, free family leave, the list goes on and on. It is, as Churchill stated, the policy of failure, which is rewarded at the expense of success. Collectives will replace private ownership, bureaucratic socialists will manage business (does government manage anything well), and you can bet the only people with wealth in their pockets will be those government "managers" who will indeed be the ruling class while the rest of America suffers under the yoke of "equal income", or rather "equal misery". Gone will be innovation, gone will be new medical breakthroughs, gone will be the rewards that go with hard work and success. Gone will be the spirit that made this country The Grand Experiment. 

Dem's Socialist Game Plan
The Socialist Game Plan

Part 1 - Children are the Future

Normal, hard working Americans assumed our children were receiving the same quality education we received when we were children. An education that included the history of our country and the history of the world. We thought the economics of capitalism were being explained. We believed our children understood it took a self-reliant work ethic to make this country, in all the world, the greatest engine of freedom and prosperity to have ever existed. We assumed our children were being taught the reasons why America is great, and that it is our responsibility as citizens to protect and defend those principles of freedom.

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We assumed wrong. 

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We have lost an entire generation to socialist indoctrination. Our children have been taught America is bad, America is to be blamed, America isn't fair, America is a stain on world history, America as we know it needs to be destroyed. (It was Michelle Obama who announced four days before Barack's inauguration that he was going to "radically transform this country".)  Classes in actual history are electives if they exist at all. In short, we were asleep at the wheel, and the socialists were working hard to infect our children with their destructive message while we slept.

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Part 2 - Free Stuff is Great

At the same time, Democrats have been hard at work handing out the freebies. The end result is the creation of a segment of the population that expects to be cared for. These perpetual "victims" are quite happy to live off the production and hard work of others. Democrats promise utopia, for which "the rich" will be made to pay. Free everything in exchange for your vote. They are attempting to create an environment that will ensure their perpetual rule: lower the voting age to 16, remake the Supreme Court, allow illegals to flood the country and then allow them to vote as well, eliminate the Electoral College ensuring California and New York will determine election outcomes, and all the while they continue to promise free stuff paid for by others. If you are a hard working American, YOU are the "other".

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Part 3 - The Ultimate Goal of Socialism

The election of Obama represented a giant leap in the transformation of the Democrat party. Gone are the days of Tip O'Neill. Enter the reign of fools like AOC and Bernie Sanders, and the rest of the current crop of candidates vying to be the Dem's presidential candidate. Each of them rush to give away more of our country, and more of our freedoms. The new "Democrat Socialist"  party is a Marxist-based movement that poses a threat to our very way of life. 

Children are Misinformed
Free Stuff is Great
The Left's Ultimate Goal

Today, the new Democrat (Socialist) Party doesn't need to leap directly to an authoritarian State controlling private property. Democrats can achieve the Left's dream of socialism by

(1) achieving single party rule, coupled with

(2) government dependence.

They are working tirelessly to make that happen. Their attempts to lower the voting age, pack the Supreme Court, allow illegal alien "victims" to flood our country, and eliminate the Electoral College all have single party rule as the goal. Meanwhile, the 2020 policy agenda is full of the promises of free everything, creating the second part of the requirement: government dependence.

Alexander Markovsky, in the American Thinker, writes: 

 

"As long as the government controls the economy and is able to replace the free-market capitalist economy with a political economy, and be in a position to control profits, the objectives of socialism -- economic equality -- can be achieved. The Democrats’ programs are designed as building blocks of this strategy and need to be taken on as such."

What Can We Do? 

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Alexander Markovsky continues, "Fundamentally, the folly of the Republicans during the last few decades was in thinking that most people like to work. There is a huge segment of the population that has been lured by the Democrats into government dependence and some of them have already skipped the intermediate phase -- socialism, and are living in communism, each receiving according to his needs. Trump, who is guided by efficacy, is frightening them with jobs, while the Democrats are offering them more doles.

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"What course would America choose at this historical juncture?

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"The essence of historical events is not always fully understood in their time. The election of Barack Obama was a catalyzing event in the transformation of the Democratic Party into a Marxist-sponsored socialist party posing the existential threat to the American way of life. A sustained ideological effort by the Republicans and all supporters of capitalism and individual liberty is required before this tumor metastases.   

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"This necessity provides the impetus for anti-socialist ideology.

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"Thanks to the emancipation of the economy from excessive taxation and the burden of regulations, Trump is creating prosperity and economic dynamism. Today there are more people working for a living than voting for a living, making the electorate more receptive to the message of inequality in wealth rather than equality in poverty.

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"In this context, a new anti-socialist ideology must announce itself as the modern version of Andrew Carnegie’s “The Gospel of Wealth” -- an enterprising society seeking glory in economic prosperity and philanthropy.

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"In the absence of the ideological counterweight, the intoxicating songs of the sirens of economic equality and universal happiness will eventually lure this already indoctrinated population into what President Reagan called, 'a thousand years of darkness.' "

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It is up to Americans. We must wake up. We must make our voices heard in our communities and at the ballot box. We must make it clear we will not accept socialism as the new norm, and we will not accept Democrats who champion a future of misery for our children. We will not allow a thousand years of darkness to destroy this nation.

What Can We Do?
Further Reading
Sources & Suggested Further Reading

American Thinker: "The Idiology of Socialist Conquest",  https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/03/the_ideology_of_socialist_conquest.html

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Forbes: "Sorry Bernie Bros but Nordic Countries are not Socialist,"  https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2018/07/08/sorry-bernie-bros-but-nordic-countries-are-not-socialist/#20b7e49174ad

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The Hill, "Americans Won't Vote for Socialism Once They Know What It Is",  https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/404539-americans-wont-vote-for-socialism-once-they-know-what-it-is

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The policy agenda of the 2020 Democrat candidates, as described succinctly by Mark Levin on "Hannity", can be found Here on this website. 

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