Socialism & Capitalism

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It is clear that capitalism tends to create a wide division between income levels, whereas socialism tends to even the playing field for everyone.  People born into a capitalist system may start out with a far greater economic advantage than their peers.  And, no doubt, in a capitalist system there exist large corporations that wield much greater power than the average group of like-minded individuals.

However–

Is “evening the playing field for everyone” indeed fair?

If you work harder than your neighbor, should you not receive more of a return than he does?

If you budget your time more adequately, should you not be afforded a longer vacation?

If you choose to squander the resources of your community, should you not be ostracized for such behavior?

Or, less theoretical–

If a father and mother are financially savvy and amass a great amount of wealth, should they not be allowed to provide a comfortable living for their children (and possibly their children’s children)?

If a group of venture capitalists are successful in building a profitable company, should they not be allowed to exert more influence over the direction of their country’s economy?

If a person wastes his money on lavish items and spends himself into the poorhouse, should he not have to face the consequences of his own poor choices?

Those who would favor socialism over capitalism deny one basic fact of life– human nature.  Although working for the “greater good of society” is noble, it is inevitably the individual who wishes to be rewarded for his own hard work.

A socialist system in which the government provides its citizens with guaranteed employment, universal health care, and ample retirement benefits simply stagnates.  (Take France as a case study– its economy has been stagnant for years.)  The people who find themselves in such a situation work only as hard as they need to in order to get by, and no harder than that.  Why?  Because there is no incentive to work harder– there is no tangible reward for doing so.

Capitalism rewards hard work and punishes laziness.  Socialism forces the hard-working to carry the lazy.

Capitalism teaches that developing unique talents can lead to prosperity.  Socialism teaches that everyone is expected to do their assigned job for the betterment of the community.

Capitalism allows us to choose our place in society and to strive to achieve that goal.  Socialism does not recognize such choice, nor does it allow such upward mobility.

Unfortunately, it is easy to point to the “evils of capitalism” when we see poverty in our own backyard.  But remember where to place the blame.

We often forget that those “huge, impersonal corporations” usually provide the most inexpensive goods to their customers.  These large corporations generally pay better wages and offer a wider array of benefits to their workers.

(To those of you who like to pick on Walmart–  Remember that the aim of a company is to turn a profit, not to provide employees with a living wage.)

We often forget that the rich do not hide their money in their mattresses; they invest it.  They pour their earnings back into our economy, providing capital for the companies that serve us and creating jobs for those of us who want to work for those companies.  Yes, they’ll buy extravagant things like huge homes, flashy cars, and yachts, but they do keep the yacht-makers in business, do they not?

Too often we forget that it is our pessimism, our laziness, our poor choices, our refusal to learn from the past, and our general lack of awareness of our own potential that lead us to fail.

We must learn to rise above our own shortcomings if we are to come to grips with the cold reality that there is no happiness save that which we provide for ourselves.

Some of us do not know how to succeed– we must be open to criticism from those who offer to teach us.

Some of us are unwilling to succeed– we must be optimistic enough to see past the hardships that we all face when trying to break out on our own.

And unfortunately, there are those among us who do not possess any adequate means to succeed.  It is our duty as decent human beings to care for our friends and family who cannot care for themselves.

But no man is entitled to a comfortable living.

Despite what you’ve witnessed in other parts of the world, despite what you’ve been told by politicians in our country–  You are not entitled to job security.  You are not entitled to education.  You are not entitled to health care.  You are not entitled to steady retirement income.  As a matter of fact, you are not entitled to anything which you do not earn for yourself.

And, as an aside, everything that you have earned for yourself, you should be allowed to keep and/or distribute in any way you see fit.  The pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness is best served by a government which keeps its hands off of your hard-earned wealth.

Do not take for granted that you live in a country which gives you the chance to pursue the goals you set for yourself and also gives you leeway should you wish to change those goals later on.

Do not forget that socialism in its purest form (i.e. communism) only oppresses its constituents while breeding totalitarian government.  Its greatest experiment, the Soviet Union, was a colossal failure, and rightfully so.

And do not neglect the role of capitalism in the prosperity of America’s citizens and the growth of America as a dominant force in the world’s economy.

One final note–

Success doesn’t come easily.  It requires determination and persistence, and, for some of us, it requires a bit more courage than we’re used to.

But even more fundamental than that– Our success requires faith in a system which rewards the achievement of those who would pour their heart and soul into providing a better living for themselves.

God Bless capitalism, and God Bless the United States of America.

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See also:

“Free Markets / Socialism / Universal Health Care”, entry dated 8/10/07