Capitalism Improves on Socialism; Not the Reverse
The Socialists are Coming!!
Honestly, folks – this is just a really huge misunderstanding. I’ve known it for years, but so long as you all were just a nattering fringe, why say anything? But now – OMG, it’s like “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” Every time I turn around, another perfectly sane-looking fellow American is reciting socialist dogma to me.
I know…I know. What’s the problem? Live and let live; just a different point of view, right? Well, no. It was the most toxic idea in the 20th century, impoverishing whole nations at its mildest and stacking up millions of corpses at its most virulent. Look, I’m an old white guy (the scourge of the earth), so a pretty good chunk of my life was lived in the ‘Cold War,’ while hot wars – almost all caused by some form of socialism – broke out all around me.
So now, thanks to a socialist infestation of our educational system – together with a stupefying drop-out rate – the actual malignant history of this thing goes untaught. Worse, the crucial lessons of our own national founding are ignored in favor of scab-ripping the old wounds of slavery, labor strife and gender discrimination – no progress, no change. nothing left to be proud of. Just us arrogant, selfish American imperialists running amuck in a bewildered world with only an apologetic Obama to rescue what’s left of our national honor.
Fine. We are now a shame-based, guilt-laden tribal society begging forgiveness for practicing free enterprise and rescuing other nations from their own oppressive governments. Sorry. Looks like pretty fertile ground for a new, better social philosophy (like, maybe Progressivism). Or European-style Socialism. Or, Marxism without Stalin; maybe Maoism without you-know-who. Hell, we can’t even observe the destruction of the Cuban people without blaming ourselves. Time for some serious deprogramming.
To that end, why don’t we start and take a hard look at the notion that we are a materialistic, selfish, bigoted society driven by greed and lack of care for those less fortunate. Whole bookshelves are devoted to this, so – this being a blog and all – let’s do the short, incomplete version.
If the founders, for instance, could have started this country and abolished slavery at the same time, many historians feel they would have. George Washington – a slaveholder – wanted that, but knew it couldn’t be done and still hold together the union. He and the others kicked the can down the road for Abraham Lincoln to deal with a little later on.
Capitalism is exploitative, materialistic and selfish (read Milton Friedman). It is chaotic because it’s not directed by anyone but the individual, or groups of individuals cooperating in a competitive marketplace. The exploitation is mutual and dynamic – something it appears Marx didn’t wish to recognize. (Hard to see in his day, in any event.)
The individual who works for wages or salary is seeking security from the risk-taker who employs him. The wage-earner can perpetuate this paradigm, acquiring new skill and experience for modest pay increases – indefinitely, as long as the business survives – or save his money and decide to be a risk taker himself, ‘exploiting’ others who will then emulate his former choices. Very few people who wish to progress stay in the same situation indefinitely. The risk-taker, if successful, may become gradually wealthy, but may then have a change in the market occur that he can’t deal with, causing him to fall down the income ladder (it happens a lot).
The system is driven by individual choice – that’s the selfish part. The much-derided ‘individualism.’ And the scorned ‘ambition’ (that pays the family bills). But what about these other ‘-isms?’ You know – material and consumer. These, my friend, produce jobs and the risk opportunities for your fellow citizens (opportunities, opportunities, opportunities). Prosperity is a celebration of our liberty to do these things. To make our own decisions and strive to succeed. It’ the American Idea, unique in the world, and the basis for our Republic.
Oh, wait! What about caring for “the general welfare” more than for yourself – as Socialism promises. A moral, decent society that cares. Look around you. Selfish, ambitious, money-hungry, materialistic Americans form more cooperative organizations than any collectivist could ever dream of. Free association, with multiple overlaps. We give more to charity and are more religious than any other large, industrialized society. Our fight against poverty is inseparable from capitalism and democracy and has raised millions of people from poverty all over the world (yes, Virginia – globalization!).
Do you really want to throw all that away so that the government can guide you to “Social Justice?” IMHO, we have the best system of social justice ever devised; we just need the utopian socialists and their dupes to get on board (or find a more worthy cause).
Which brings us to:
FREQUENTLY UNASKED QUESTIONS
- Is poverty mankind’s historical and geographical default condition – or is it caused by greedy capitalists?
- Is it better to have a government that you allow (ours); or one that allows you?
- Would the world be a better place without the “selfish ambition” of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs?
- Is the automobile a polluting disaster, or is it a celebration of American freedom and success?
- Do you know a Socialist who is proud of capitalism and our constitutional republic?
- Is Socialism too focused on the past; especially the ’30′s?
