Andrew Server
aserver@uwyo.edu
Millennials have been cited as the generation who is the least concerned about the spread of socialism. Throngs of self-diagnosed intellectuals ironically attired in Ché Guevara t-shirts have emerged from their safe spaces to fight a “revolution” for “democratic” socialism. As a millennial myself, I can only seek to goad my comrades on campus towards common sense so they may know that “democratic” socialism is not at all as glorious as those economic illiterates purport.
To start, “democratic” socialism is merely socialism with a ballot box. At least initially, all that would be different about “democratic” socialism is that the people would be able to have some sort of vote or say in how their increased tax dollars are spent on bungling programs. Since authority is rooted in any socialist system, this democratic process would be bound to erode. Socialism relies on the state’s ability to control and tax, making it an inherently authoritarian ideology. We live in a land founded on individual liberty and freedom of choice and socialism comes in great conflict with those principles.
Historically, that authoritarian predisposition of socialism has led to conflict and violation of liberties. This is seen in cases as recent as Venezuela, where the country is in economic turmoil due to socialist policies. According to a piece titled “Venezuela is on the brink of a complete economic collapse” by Matt O’Brien from the Washington Post, “Socialist president Nicolás Maduro has changed the law so the opposition-controlled National Assembly can’t remove the central bank governor or appoint a new one.” That kind of authoritarian leadership just would not cooperate with our American style of government. Regarding the immense shortages of basic necessities such as toilet paper, O’Brien points out “the government has even started rationing those, kicking people out of line based on the last digit of their national ID card.” Surely this is not the utopia our socialist-craving fellow Millennials are clamoring for. Then again, Bernie Sanders is on record claiming that food ration lines were not that bad of a thing. This is all without citing the obvious socialist failures of the Soviet Union.
Many proponents of “democratic” socialism cite the fact that the United States already has socialist programs as if it is reason for free market-minded individuals to graciously embrace the idea of state control. Friends, sure our K-12 education system is socialized and public. However, just how well is that education system performing? How much better do private schools perform than the public schools? Sure we have public roads and highways. However, private contractors pave those roads, not the government. The government only sets standards for public roads and makes sure they are adhered to. Seen by DMVs and other government entities, whenever government is involved or whenever something is socialized, that program becomes terribly stunted and inefficient.
A final critique of socialism to be included in this piece: it is outright unrealistic to expect that anyone- even the 1%- could be able to foot the bill of “democratic” socialist America. Bernie Sanders’s plan for a “democratic” socialist America would cost the American taxpayers (1% included) $18 trillion. According to Sanders’s staff, his proposed tax increases would only bring in as much as $6.5 trillion over 10 years. Sanders even admitted himself that the middle class would have to shoulder part of the increased tax burden. With the United States already having a 39.1 percent corporate tax rate (the highest in the free world) and Bernie intending to only further burden companies with more taxes for unrealistic programs, no doubt “democratic” socialism is set to fail in only its planning stage.
Friends, don’t find yourselves susceptible to “democratic” socialism. You may remedy this simply by reading a book on economics. Don’t allow yourselves to be divided by rhetoric of “haves” and “haves nots” and shaming others’ successes. Once you run out of the 1%’s money or they move to countries, where will the money come from to fund those inept programs? Embrace the fact that we have a multitude of deodorant scents due to free market principles. Embrace the fact that you don’t have to rely on food rations from the government or have to rely on solely socialized programs. Reject “democratic” socialism. Reject socialism. Socialism only works until you run out of someone else’s money.
