The following was a response to letter to the editor in the local newspaper. The original piece proclaimed that capitalism arrived in 1492 and that socialism makes for a better community of sharing. Since we have roads and schools, we have socialism and democratic socialism is much better than evil capitalism. Sharing to a Leftist means owning my opinion which means he owns me which means he’s a slave owner. But he doesn’t see it that way.
Capitalism is America’s foundation
Regarding the letter writer’s (Capitalists came to America, ‘dismantle social structure’) defense of socialism, 1492 didn’t bring full-fledged capitalism. It brought mercantilism, led by monarch’s who exploited the natives. Granted it took 3100 years to slowly evolve, but in 17th century England a revolution was beginning that would create the middle class.
Capitalism roots go back to Carthage some 3500 years ago and is the only economic system that has generated expansion and wealth for the human race. The process of free and willing exchange for something you want for something you have goes back thousands of years.
With the pilgrims landing in America in 1607 and 1620, collectivism (socialism) was attempted for the first year or two. When the death toll rose to half the population through starvation, Captain John Smith allocated private property with the words, “You farm, you eat. You don’t farm, you don’t eat.” Of course everything turned around and they celebrated the first Thanksgiving.
The term Democratic Socialist is an oxymoron because democracy means the people choose, and with socialism, the government chooses. The Soviet Union was socialism with a gun. Democracy is self-directed while socialism only works with coercion. Those are mutually exclusive. Every successful nation has always worked not from benevolence or exclusion, but from individual self-interest and inclusion. Socialism exchanges freedom for a statist life of mediocrity.
When mentioning the supposed benefits of socialism, we should point out its failures. Socialist countries such as Sweden have the same things we do, but at a stiff price: One-half or more of their income goes to taxes to support the state. Jobs and lives are heavily regulated. Without the opportunity to take risks with capital, or have protected property rights, and of course the freedom to be an individual, there’s no innovation. Without innovation and free markets, individuals can’t freely exchange or have the opportunity for great wealth, and the middle class collapses into poverty.
Free market capitalism is genetically a part of who, what, and how America came to be.
