By – Posted on 21 March 2010
Many people attempt to attribute such complicated characteristics to socialists that, should you subscribe to such a definition, nobody would ever be one.
A good example: “A socialist is a person who believes that the government should own the means of production. Since President Obama has not said that, then he can’t be a socialist.”
Really? Forget, for the moment, that the government, with O at the helm, has taken over General Motors, Chrysler, AIG, Fannie-Mae, and Freddie-Mac, and has revealed no plan for re-privatizing them. And forget health care. Remember, instead, that, while the path of socialismi never begins with public ownership of all business, it always ends with that. To better understand why, you should read the landmark essay by the Nobel laureate in economics, Friedrich von Hayek, called The Road to Serfdom. You will find below a link to the condensed text version as well as a link to the cartoon version originally published by Look Magazine in the 1940s. The links will each open in a new window so that you will not lose your place here.
Here are links to The Road to Serfdom:
What gives lie to such a definition as above is the simple and obvious fact that this country literally abounds with socialists, especially in Congress. So, let’s put this issue to rest once and for all, shall we, with a clear and concise definition of socialist.
Our country was based upon the notion that every person has certain inalienable rights, including (but not limited to) life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and the founders in their writings made it clear that the right to property was also of paramount importance. These rights come not from the Constitution, but from God, or, if you prefer, from Nature. The Constitution guarantees the protection of those rights and many others.
It is the absolute right of every person to the fruits of his own labor as evidenced by his income and property, and it is not only immoral, but absolutely and unquestionably unconstitutional for the government to take money or property by force from one individual in order to give to another, no matter how great their need. As to government’s role in charity, we address that in our article, “What is Government’s Role in Charity?”, which you can read here .
A socialist believes:
- That the government, led by them, knows better how to spend your money than you do
- That people other than you have rights to what you produce and own
A socialist is the exact opposite of a capitalist.
A socialist is, then, one who believes that it is okay for the government to take your money and/or property, to which you have the exclusive natural right, and give it to someone who has no such right!
Simple and accurate. We should now be in complete agreement that the United States Congress does, indeed, abound with socialists.
Jere Moore has been blogging about political matters since 2008. His posts include commentary about current news items, conservative opinion pieces, satirical articles, stories that illustrate conservative principles, and posts about history, rights, and economics.