My high school debate team was led by a
teacher whose guiding principle was that in order to debate effectively against
something, one had first to be able to debate effectively for it. While this was a bit confusing for those of
us who, in our youthful passions, thought the opposing side never has any valid
arguments, it enabled us to better understand the issue, and to promote our
side.
Her principle remains valid today. In order to understand why socialism is so
wrong, we must first understand that in some respects, it is right. Otherwise, there would be no arguments for it
at all. In fact, the arguments for
socialism are very persuasive for large numbers of people, and for those who
are unprepared to debate against socialists, the debate can become very
embarrassing.
What socialists tell us, if we listen, is
that capitalism has resulted in poverty.
And to some extent, it’s true.
Millions of hard working people in America
My own limited experience in starting a
business made me, at first, sympathetic to socialist dogma. I was still in high school. A classmate suggested we team up to start a
very small enterprise, which I found to be an attractive idea. I soon discovered, however, that all was not
to be a cozy friendship. My classmate
soon began taking unfair advantages.
When I confronted him on this, his response was that he held all the power,
and that if I did not like it, I could walk.
Of course I walked.
In later years, it would not be so easy to
walk. I had to support myself and a
family. Millions of us soon discovered
that the business owner really does hold all the cards, and that we either work
for him, or start our own business. Phenomenally untalented at business, I worked. Was that fair?
The reality of free market capitalism is
that it is highly competitive. Only a
very few can produce the best product at the lowest price. The struggle to do so never ends. As soon as the business owner relaxes, a
competitor quickly moves in, and bankruptcy follows. The former business owner must then become an
employee, or else start a new business.
The result, however, is that consumers get
the best products at the lowest price.
There is a sinister exception to this rule
of competition. Those who climb the
ladder of success to the top eventually discover that they no longer need to
compete with those who would produce better products at lower prices. Instead, they can rule. Whether legally through corporate lobbying,
or illegally through bribes, they can harness the power of government, and
regulate the competition out of business.
That power is supposed to reside in the people, but it can be stolen
from them by corrupt politicians.
Laws can be written not to protect the
people, but to suppress them. Elections
are supposed to prevent this, but in practice, as a general rule, he wins elections
who spends the most money. With too few
exceptions, the winner gets his campaign money from rich people.
What socialists miss is that all their
arguments do not justify bigger government, but rather argue against it, and
for smaller government.
At this point, the debate becomes
dishonest. Socialists throw up
smokescreens. Aha, they say, you are for
no government at all. You are for a
system in which the strongest and wealthiest control all the resources.
Of course, the record proves that
socialism is the most brutal and poverty-inducing system in the world
today. But that argument is drowned out
by the cries of “down with the system.”
Free market capitalism cannot exist
without truly free markets, and these require some level of government
oversight. Government, however, quickly
becomes the problem, not the solution, once it exceeds its proper limits.
Today, the condition of America
It is difficult to be optimistic. We are, however, Americans. We prevailed against history’s worst and
strongest tyrannies. With God’s blessings,
we will prevail once more.
.
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