Margaret Thatcher said it best: “The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
Truth.
Have you seen Venezuela in the news lately? If not, please research it. A country with immense wealth and prosperity reduced to ruins by socialism. Sad.
A friend of mine, one who I thought was pretty bright, told me that social programs were socialism. She thought that the US would do better with more socialism. I had to explain to the poor dear that social programs aren’t socialism. She countered that the government pays her Medicare and Social Security, so it’s socialism. I explained that the government earns money by taxing people who work in capitalism. Government money = Taxes. This is not socialism.
Without taxes on working ventures and people our government runs out of funds. Thanks, Maggie! Sure, in socialism the government takes over industry, but truthfully, when was the last time you’ve dealt with a “well run” government office? There’s a reason for the DMV jokes!
It amazes me this new push for socialism. I understand the impetus: we all want to help our fellow man. We all want to be compassionate.
But, we conservatives want to teach humans to fish, not just give humans fish. There are times people need fish. But, there are many more times people need to be taught how to bait a hook.
Sidenote: Democratic socialism is a hybrid of capitalism and socialism, but it balances a dangerous tightrope of two opposing systems. Wanting something to be so, and having it be so, can be incongruous. I want my dog to lose weight, but I can’t stop feeding her table scraps is akin to the logic behind this philosophy.
Those of us who can, work. We pay taxes so those who can’t will live. It’s a great system that has worked for many decades. Is it wrinkle-free? No. Nothing is. But, is it compassionate? Yes.
We don’t need to become socialists to provide for others. There are many religious and non-profit organizations that fill in those gaps that the government misses. There are neighbors helping neighbors, and companies offering free and reduced services and products. There are many instances of compassion in our capitalistic society.
Capitalism isn’t an ill. Through government taxation, it pays for the social programs that help our fellow humans.