Young Americans’ ignorance of socialism threatens our freedom and vitality

By Anthony B. Kim | The Daily Signal

Vice President Mike Pence last week powerfully described the stark choice facing America as it recovers from the effects of the coronavirus.

In a speech, Pence said: “Before us are two paths: one based on the dignity of every individual, and the other on the growing control of the state. Our road leads to greater freedom and opportunity. Their road leads to socialism and decline.”

In times of crisis, it is natural that people will look to the government for answers. Yet the damage to our society and our economy from new government controls and regulations will be real.

Wikimedia Commons/Rosa Pineda

Adherents of “socialism” typically claim to want something different, specifically a large, cradle-to-grave welfare state. Often forgotten or ignored is that such a welfare state must be financed, and that resources only will be available if the economic system is functioning efficiently and with a high degree of productivity. Government control is typically the enemy of both.

2020 has become a critical year in the history of the United States, with the nation polarized and divided on a number of issues.  In almost every case, however, the political divide rests squarely on the extent to which we want, or will accept, government direction or control.

According to Merriam-Webster, socialism is “any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”

Yet the adherents of “socialism” typically claim to want something different, specifically a large, cradle-to-grave welfare state. Often forgotten or ignored is that such a welfare state must be financed, and that resources only will be available if the economic system is functioning efficiently and with a high degree of productivity. Government control is typically the enemy of both.

As a matter of fact, history unmistakably shows that “power for the ruling class” in any of its forms never has really worked anywhere. Everywhere it has been tried, socialism has done harm. It’s a cautionary tale that should be taught to every new generation.

Socialism is a failed economic and social arrangement. In many cases, socialists have ended up being forced to adopt capitalist measures for their survival.

Free-market capitalism does not, of course, guarantee happiness and success. However, it does enable the quest for them. It is this freedom to pursue a self-determined, better life that brings real meaning to the lives of individuals and collective benefits to our society.

Arguing forcefully that America must never become a socialist country, Pence said in his July 17 speech:

You know, it’s not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal, more Republican or Democrat, more red or blue. It’s whether America remains America. It’s whether we will leave to our children and our grandchildren a country grounded in our highest ideals of freedom, free markets, and the unalienable right to life and liberty — or whether we will leave to our children and grandchildren a country that is fundamentally transformed into something else.

As Kay C. James, president of The Heritage Foundation, noted last year in a commentary: “We who cherish freedom must take on the false prophets of socialism and spread the truth that limited government, free markets, and a nation based on the rule of law are the surest ways to ensure freedom, prosperity, and opportunity for all.”

Those are words of wisdom for those who will listen.

The deceptively false glamour of socialism is a mirage that each new generation will be tempted to run toward — unless they are told the truth about socialism’s true legacy.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Rosa Pineda

12 thoughts on “Young Americans’ ignorance of socialism threatens our freedom and vitality

  1. I saw this coming a long time ago and so did Rush.
    I saw it before he said anything though- being up here in the belly of the beast it feels like.

    The students today have been taught that “Socialism” is the Party of Social Justice- and they’ve been taught that damn near all that matters anymore is Social Justice.
    I doubt many of them even know what real Socialism is.
    The word has been bastardized just like the words Racist and Rape- and many others, as they also move to destroy our language.
    It’s like an obsession now with these young people.
    I lived a lifetime not hearing these words much and since Barry came to town, it’s like ALL that is on their minds now.
    This is something that needs to be addressed if we are to fix this.
    Social Justice is not the most important thing there is. Our time on this planet is short really, and this is not what it’s all about.
    The youth are a mess in our country now. They really are.
    And now look at the economy.
    I don’t care how you feel about Donald Trump, at least we’ll have work with him.. vote the man in for our kids future so they have jobs.
    We are not going to make it if we don’t have jobs and this is what it all boils down too.

  2. When will parents and taxpayers demand that U.S. History, the true history, be taught once again in our schools?

    It is time for parents and taxpayers to attend school board meetings to demand that
    Common Core curriculum indoctrination of students at taxpayer expense be stopped.
    Our hard-earned money, and plenty of it, is funding failing schools. Our teachers, students and taxpayers deserve an education system that is not based on student
    “proficiency” determined subjectively by a teacher instead of objectively by test grades.

    Let’s fight this battle together on behalf of our students and the future of our nation, a nation where our youth must understand the Founding Principles of this country so that they can respect and appreciate the freedoms, rights and opportunities that the U.S.A,
    offers them. Will you stand up and get involved ?

  3. Wonder how many of these “young americans” are familiar with or have bathered to check out Venezuela, Cuba, China, North Korea for starters? They should check out Hong Kong to get a sense of what happens to the folks now under China’s communist rule. They no longer have a right to petition their leades demanding freedom and when they do, they are put in jail never to be seen again. If these dreamers ever get to run our country, I fear deeply for my grandchildren and great grandson.

    • And what about you? You don’t seem to have learned those lessons, either, being so willing to surrender our God-given rights for the “greater good,” the same excuses Marxists and national socialists have been using for nearly a hundred years.

  4. As an legal immigrant to this country I can attest to the how special this country is. However it is slowly becoming degraded through our left leaning schools and courts which are undermining our great country from within. I cannot believe that this is allowed to happen right before our eyes. The arrogance of these law breakers, even in the courts is simply astounding and I cannot believe they have been allowed to get away with breaking the lass of our country for such a long time. This shift in the country has been in the process for a very long time and we the people, should have stood up to it a long time ago. I fear now it is too late and the amazing country I immigrated to is gone for good.

    • This is what happens when we conflate ‘equal access’ to mean ‘equal outcome’. Our public-school monopoly is the case in point because teachers don’t want to be held accountable for student success.

      Gifted students take a back seat to others in deference to every other student’s ‘self esteem’. When everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless, and no one strives to improve their performance because there’s no benefit to doing so.

      That’s why, here in Vermont, 90% of all high school students graduate. Meanwhile fewer than half meet grade level standards, only 40% go to college. And half those who do go to college have to take remedial instruction before taking their college level courses. Consequently, most drop out of college before they graduate while accumulating debilitating student debt.

      Interestingly, costs are now in parity too. It costs as much to educate a first grader in Vermont as it costs to send a student to one of Vermont’s state colleges – except that college costs include room and board.

      I’m afraid the writing (such as it is) is on the wall. The die is cast. We have an ignorant population base more concerned with what they deserve than they are in achieving what they can earn. And the only remedy is what the remedy for Socialism has always been throughout history… a dose of totalitarianism followed by anarchy.

      As Ben Franklin said: our government “…can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other.”

      We have arrived.

      • Great Post.
        I would give you an Upvote or a LIKE for this post- if they had them here.

        I hope an compliment works just as well.

  5. Young Americans ” ignorance” of socialism threatens our freedom and vitality,
    it’s not the ignorance, it what they have been ” indoctrinated ” with…………

    Our Freedom & Vitality is being threatened, we need to stand and stop all this
    radical ” BS ” …….. Love it or leave.

    There are plenty of socialist countries that are willing to take these suckers, these
    snowflake wouldn’t last a week.

    So if the US and our Constitution is so bad, why are millions trying to come to the
    US every year ??…they see the greatness and want it !!

    So if these liberal hate the way this country is, lets make a trade !!

  6. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet…..

    There is no difference between “economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods”, and “a large, cradle-to-grave welfare state”. No difference at least until the means of production flounders, as history shows it always does under Socialism. Then the collective or governmental ownership and administration becomes totalitarian and, ultimately, oppressive.

    What concerns me is the lack of knowledge exhibited by ‘young Americans’ given the extent of Socialism’s history. But its understandable. We’ve acquiesced to the take-over of the public-school monopoly by those who have always intended to subvert the American Republic and free markets.

    “Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.” Vladimir Lenin

    Unless and until the public-school monopoly is broken, Socialism (under the oxymoronic guise of ‘Democratic Socialism’) will continue to flourish.

  7. The Republicans have a $1 TRILLION virus relief package

    The Democrats, led by Pelosi, have a $3 TRILLION virus relief package, loaded down with bells and whistles.

    That is a perfect demonstration of how Democrats want to use the government to be the dominant/all-knowing/all-doing entity.

    • They want to destroy the country by just utterly bankrupting us. THIS is what is going on.

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