Our great Republic of the United States was founded based on the principles of democracy and individual liberty for each American citizen. Over the last few years, we have witnessed a dangerous trend that has some Americans feeling that socialism is the way forward. However, as history tells us, socialism is nothing more than a paved road to disaster and destitution.One of the main causes of the American Revolution and the birth of American independence was excessive taxation of the colonists at the hands of the British government. These colonists moved to a new continent to find better opportunities and kick-started the American economy by establishing industries that still exist in our country. However, these first industrialists were met with taxes on everything from stamps to tea, with the revenue lining the pockets of the British and funding foreign wars. These transgressions and others served as catalysts for the American Revolution. The reason? Excessively high taxes that did not benefit the citizens who were paying them resulted in national unrest. The parallels to modern socialism are undeniable.
For a more contemporary example, we have the failed experiment of the Soviet Union, also known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I am old enough to remember the propaganda spread about the utopic dream of a society with fully funded healthcare and education offered by the Soviet government. The combination of communism and socialism was horrifying. I’m also old enough to remember the wall that was established between East and West Germany, where one side began to climb out of the destruction of World War II while the other sputtered and began to collapse into poverty. After decades of stagnant economic activity, citizens actively attempted to flee from one side of the wall to the other — a tragedy that continued until it became apparent (particularly after a strong, decisive call from President Ronald Reagan) that the wall needed to come down and with it, the socialist system that constrained the lives and freedom of so many.
A real-time example is Venezuela and so many other failed socialism “experiments.” In the early 1900s, there were two emerging world powers. The United States was one, and most people cannot tell you the other, which was Argentina. “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” (from the movie Evita) is a sad song about the failure of socialism and freedom.
Recently, it appears that there are some in this country who have refused to learn the lessons of history and have fully embraced socialism. Social media feeds and news headlines have become riddled with politicians, activists, and other officials openly embracing the philosophy of socialism. Perhaps even more frightening is their growing number of followers. However, as President Reagan once said, “A socialist is someone who has read Lenin and Marx, an anti-socialist is someone who understands Lenin and Marx.” This complicated philosophy always sounds better on paper than it works in practice.
The concept of socialism clearly runs counter to the fundamental values that make us uniquely American. By clinging to socialism and denying capitalism, we would be turning our backs on the very values that make our country great. We would be turning away from entrepreneurship and a free market as well as the belief that all Americans have equal opportunity for success. While free entitlements may sound enticing, we must remember that our founders did not build this country on handouts. They earned it through hard work, determination, and the belief that anything is possible in a free society.