forgottenliberty.com

My wife and I just returned from a fantastic Caribbean Cruise!  If you have ever been on a cruise, you probably noticed that the cruise lines employ people from every corner of the world.  On our cruise, we met employees from the Philippines, Australia, South Africa, Romania, Indonesia, Moldova, Portugal, and the U.K. to name just a few.  There was one employee in particular that I would like to talk about, because it applies to this blog and the direction our country is heading.

This particular employee’s name is Vasily and he is from Russia.  He worked in the cigar lounge and was very friendly.  One evening, while I was enjoying a cigar, he shared some of his political views.  He grew up in the USSR and has seen Communism and Socialism first hand.  I was excited to hear what he had to say.  I could sum up what he said in two phrases.  The first is, “Socialism looks good on paper but it doesn’t work”, and the second is, “Freedom is great but is also frightening.”

He said that the idea behind Socialism and Communism is great.  From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs, seems reasonable and compassionate.  Everyone gives and contributes to the best of their ability, and they only use what they need.  Everyone should be happy and provided for.  The population pools their resources and the government ensures that everyone has what they need.  Of course, we all know this did not happen in the USSR.

He said the reason Socialism doesn’t work is because people stop trying to excel.  The people are not allowed to keep what they earn, so they eventually stop working hard.  He gave me an example,  “If you work hard and build 3 houses for your family, when the government finds out, they will take 2 of your houses and give them to someone else they think needs those houses more.”  With this example, he hit the nail on the head.  If you ever try to succeed or better your situation, the government takes whatever you have that could be considered excessive and not needed to live.  Everything is owned by the state or “the people” so anything can be taken from a citizen if the government thinks someone else needs it more.  Citizens do not have rights to their own property, because private property doesn’t exist.

Historically,

Michael Moore has made a new documentary called, “Capitalism: A Love Story”. In this documentary, he comes to the conclusion that capitalism is evil, and it should be replaced with… I’m not making this up… democracy. “Capitalism: A Love Story” supposedly shows the evils of capitalism and how a new era has been ushered in with the election of President Obama.  Moore has been quoted as saying,

“Capitalism is an evil, and you cannot regulate evil. You have to eliminate it and replace it with something that is good for all people and that something is democracy.”  Reuters

I guess we will have to wait until this film comes out to know exactly what type of “democracy” Moore thinks we should model. Perhaps the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea?  Or how about the Republic of China, which according to it’s Constitution and Mao Zedong, is a People’s Democratic Dictatorship?  Maybe he wants us to model democracy from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam?  All of these “democratic” countries agree with Moore that capitalism is evil.

If we have a system that promotes freedom and liberty, then capitalism is what naturally evolves.  If you want to start a business, you have the freedom to do it. If you want to quit your job and get another one, you can do it.  If you want to go to college or learn a trade, you can do it.  Choice is what we get with freedom and liberty, and choice is what drives capitalism.  For a great book on the subject, I would recommend Free to Choose: A Personal Statement, by the late Nobel Prize winning economist, Milton Friedman. In this book, Friedman illustrates how freedom and capitalism lift everyone up which is the opposite of “Capitalism is an evil” that Moore’s new documentary will put forth.

I wonder if Moore will compare the standard of living differences in capitalist countries and non-capitalist ones? Probably not.  I think he will go with his usual method of showing the few people that have not benefited from the freedom and liberty we have in America.  Then, he will show the few people who have benefited from the anti-capitalist system in socialistic countries while ignoring the multitudes who suffer at the hands of socialist dictators around the world. I’m sure he won’t let things like facts and the historical results of capitalism get in his way of tearing down and insulting America and our liberty.

I found this cartoon on YouTube called Make Mine Freedom.  It was made in 1948, but it definitely applies to today’s political environment.  Someone comes along, like Obama, and promises to be everything to everyone and solve all their problems, aka socialism. He promises them the world, but in the end, everyone loses their freedom.  I wish they still made cartoons like this!

“Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.” Thomas Jefferson.