'Democratic' socialism no less evil

Over the next few years you’re going to be tested. Socialism — the politics of envy, parasitism, and entitlement — is growing in popularity again.

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have recently been its elder cheerleaders. Now socialism is being given a fresh makeover. It has a new, young, and apparently articulate voice in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

It’s being re-branded as “democratic socialism” as if adding mob rule (democracy) to socialism makes it less evil.

No matter who’s pushing it this time, expect more attempts to portray socialism as kind, fair, and generous. As “common decency” toward the “less fortunate.”

Don’t be fooled — it’s still the same old evil under shiny new paint.

It’s not kind or generous to give away what isn’t yours to give, whether you got the ill-gotten goods in a mugging or by collecting a tax. Theft is theft even when you call it something else. And spending stolen money on popular things doesn’t make theft right.

Socialism isn’t “sharing” because non-consensual “sharing” doesn’t exist. Socialism tries to build a society on a foundation of theft.

At some point, the people you are robbing are going to give up. Why put in all the work only to have your effort stolen? Right now most of these people say they would never go on the dole and will keep working. But they haven’t had all hope pulled out from under them yet.

When they see themselves working to support more and more who aren’t putting in any effort, at some point they’ll decide it’s not worth it anymore. Then who will keep your system afloat?

Sure, maybe the money can be created out of thin air. But more dollars in circulation, backed by nothing but promises, means each one of those dollars is worth less every day. Eventually, no one will accept those worthless dollars for products or services — even if you can find someone still producing or serving. At that point your choice will be barter or starve.

It doesn’t matter how many times people come up with the bright idea of socialism. It doesn’t matter if you claim “real socialism” has never been given a chance. Neither has real capitalism.

Maybe the democratic socialists are right and all the failures of socialism in the past hundred years or so were “not real socialism,” but the closer you get to real socialism, the deader everyone gets, while the closer you get to real capitalism the wealthier everyone gets. Choose your future, choose your fate.

Farwell’s Kent McManigal champions liberty. Contact him at: [email protected]