We Know It Doesn't Work: Why don't We Get It?

Socialism is a failure everywhere it has been tried. It may well be the worst form of government if we measure success by how well the people live. This isn't a conclusion that it takes a rocket scientist to discover. All you have to do is look at a little history and read a few statistics. Some years ago I looked at the per-capita income of every nation in the world (the Internet actually makes that rather easy, but it was easy even before the internet with these all-in-one encyclopedias) my conclusion was that the most obvious explanation for relative poverty was the form of government. It stood out like a sore thumb when you plotted the data in two dimensions: form of government vs. per-capita income.

A column in IBD today makes the same point relative to the Soviet Union. It's well worth a read. SEE HERE Here's a brief excerpt from an excellent column:

Socialism has bankrupted and failed every society, while capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system.

There is no perfect society. There are no perfect people. Critics say that greed is the driving force of capitalism. My answer is that envy is the driving force of socialism. Change to socialism is not an improvement on the imperfections of the current system. ...

When I came to America in 1980 and experienced life in this country, I thought it was fortunate that those living in the USSR did not know how unfortunate they were.

Now in 2009, I realize how unfortunate it is that many Americans do not understand how fortunate they are. They vote to give government more and more power without understanding the consequences.

I think this is pretty compelling and that raises the question: What do people think they are doing flirting with socialism? It's a failed system and every move towards it is a move towards the universalization of poverty and destruction of hope and opportunity, just the oppostite of Hope and Change. Can it be anything but Tyranny Rising!?