MaxB
22nd November 2002, 23:36
All around the world, it's becoming a known fact, that the socialist experiment is a failure. People in countries such as North Korea, Cuba, and oh yes right here in Canada, believe the reason that it doesn't work, is because the right people aren't running the government. You will notice here in Canada, that if we change, from Jean Chretien to Paul Martin, things will be less "dictatorial."
Other reasons they give for failure, are not that socialism is deficient, but that the socialist economies are not practicing "pure" socialism. The perfect version of socialism or communism would work; it is just the imperfect socialism that doesn't work. Marxists like to compare a theoretically perfect version of socialism, with practical imperfect capitalism, which allows them to claim that socialism is far superior, to capitalism. You will notice that this propaganda, rears itself sublimely on the CBC.
Socialism is the Big Lie of the twentieth century. While it promised prosperity, equality, and security, it delivered poverty, misery, and tyranny. Equality was achieved only in the sense that everyone was equal in his or her misery. Both socialism and communism, were responsible for the mass murders, of close to a 100 million people, in the last century. That didn't include armed forces personnel and innocent people, who suffered and died in those conflicts, at that time.
Socialism may show early signs of success. But any accomplishments quickly fade as the fundamental deficiencies of central planning emerge. It is the initial illusion of success, that gives government intervention, its pernicious seductive appeal. In the long run, socialism has always proven to be a formula for tyranny and misery. For example in Canada, in the early seventies, there was prosperity as the Trudeau government, financed it's way to economic disparity.
Our economic fundamentals are forever weakening, as we see our currency slowly deteriorate. That's because the global free market forces work against socialism, and eventually expose the flaws. It's common knowledge here in Canada, that the socialist, are constantly blaming the Americans, for those same economic flaws. The same thing happened in Nazi Germany, only Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany's faltering economy.
The reason collectivism a failure in the long run, is because it is a flawed theory. Socialism does not work because it is not consistent with fundamental principles of human behavior. The failure of socialism in countries around the world, can be traced to one critical defect: it is a system that ignores incentives, which is why in reality, communists just aren't community minded.
In a capitalist economy, incentives are of the utmost importance. Market prices, provide an efficient, interrelated system of incentives, to guide and direct economic behavior. Capitalism is based on the theory that incentives matter!
Under socialism, incentives either play a minimal role, or are ignored totally. A centrally planned economy, without market prices or profits, where property is owned by the state, is a system without an effective incentive mechanism, to direct economic activity.
By failing to emphasize incentives, socialism is a theory inconsistent with human nature. and is therefore doomed to fail. Socialism is based on the theory that incentives don't matter, which is why in some countries, you either had to work, or you were shot.
The leaders of early twentieth century communism knew, that if every one didn't pull their weight, the system would collapse. Later on in Russia for example, as the economy there was falling apart, incentives were being worked into the system in order to keep it going. As early as the sixties, forty years after communism was instilled, the Russian people finally realized, that the promises were nothing, but a hollow pig in a poke.
During the troubles in Haiti, refugees were risking their lives, trying to get to Florida in homemade boats. Why was it then, that people were fleeing Haiti, and traveling almost 500 miles by ocean to get to the "evil capitalist empire," when they were only 50 miles from the "workers' paradise" of Cuba? They must have known something, that the Canadian left didn't. .
The temptress of socialism, is constantly luring us with the offer: "give up a little of your freedom, and I will give you a little more security." As the experience of this century has demonstrated, the bargain is tempting, but never pays off. We end up losing both our freedom and our security.
When Trudeau took the helm, Canada's standard of living was second overall in the world. Now we have an economy, where there is high unemployment, rampant poverty, long waiting lines at hospitals, and we have bureaucratic thieves that are choking us with high taxes.
Programs like socialized medicine, welfare, social security, and minimum wage laws will continue to entice us, because on the surface they appear to be expedient and beneficial. Those programs, like all socialist programs, fail in the long run regardless of initial appearances. ("Just throw some in some more money, that'll fix 'em.") These programs are part of the Big Lie of socialism, because they ignore the important role of incentives, which is why they fail.
Around the world, capitalism plays a major role in the global revival of liberty and prosperity, because it nurtures the human spirit, inspires human creativity, and promotes the spirit of free enterprise. By providing a powerful system of incentives, that promote thrift, hard work, and efficiency, capitalism creates wealth.
Thus if Canada keeps on its present course of socialism, along with it's slowly deteriorating economy, it shouldn't be too long, for this country to end up in another deep recession.
According to the Fraser Institute, the World report on economic freedom, has Canada slipping from 8th place in the year 2000, to 13th overall in 2001. The way we are choked with taxes, if interest rates were to rapidly increase, we would have our backs to the wall. Only then, will the Liberals get dumped.
Other reasons they give for failure, are not that socialism is deficient, but that the socialist economies are not practicing "pure" socialism. The perfect version of socialism or communism would work; it is just the imperfect socialism that doesn't work. Marxists like to compare a theoretically perfect version of socialism, with practical imperfect capitalism, which allows them to claim that socialism is far superior, to capitalism. You will notice that this propaganda, rears itself sublimely on the CBC.
Socialism is the Big Lie of the twentieth century. While it promised prosperity, equality, and security, it delivered poverty, misery, and tyranny. Equality was achieved only in the sense that everyone was equal in his or her misery. Both socialism and communism, were responsible for the mass murders, of close to a 100 million people, in the last century. That didn't include armed forces personnel and innocent people, who suffered and died in those conflicts, at that time.
Socialism may show early signs of success. But any accomplishments quickly fade as the fundamental deficiencies of central planning emerge. It is the initial illusion of success, that gives government intervention, its pernicious seductive appeal. In the long run, socialism has always proven to be a formula for tyranny and misery. For example in Canada, in the early seventies, there was prosperity as the Trudeau government, financed it's way to economic disparity.
Our economic fundamentals are forever weakening, as we see our currency slowly deteriorate. That's because the global free market forces work against socialism, and eventually expose the flaws. It's common knowledge here in Canada, that the socialist, are constantly blaming the Americans, for those same economic flaws. The same thing happened in Nazi Germany, only Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany's faltering economy.
The reason collectivism a failure in the long run, is because it is a flawed theory. Socialism does not work because it is not consistent with fundamental principles of human behavior. The failure of socialism in countries around the world, can be traced to one critical defect: it is a system that ignores incentives, which is why in reality, communists just aren't community minded.
In a capitalist economy, incentives are of the utmost importance. Market prices, provide an efficient, interrelated system of incentives, to guide and direct economic behavior. Capitalism is based on the theory that incentives matter!
Under socialism, incentives either play a minimal role, or are ignored totally. A centrally planned economy, without market prices or profits, where property is owned by the state, is a system without an effective incentive mechanism, to direct economic activity.
By failing to emphasize incentives, socialism is a theory inconsistent with human nature. and is therefore doomed to fail. Socialism is based on the theory that incentives don't matter, which is why in some countries, you either had to work, or you were shot.
The leaders of early twentieth century communism knew, that if every one didn't pull their weight, the system would collapse. Later on in Russia for example, as the economy there was falling apart, incentives were being worked into the system in order to keep it going. As early as the sixties, forty years after communism was instilled, the Russian people finally realized, that the promises were nothing, but a hollow pig in a poke.
During the troubles in Haiti, refugees were risking their lives, trying to get to Florida in homemade boats. Why was it then, that people were fleeing Haiti, and traveling almost 500 miles by ocean to get to the "evil capitalist empire," when they were only 50 miles from the "workers' paradise" of Cuba? They must have known something, that the Canadian left didn't. .
The temptress of socialism, is constantly luring us with the offer: "give up a little of your freedom, and I will give you a little more security." As the experience of this century has demonstrated, the bargain is tempting, but never pays off. We end up losing both our freedom and our security.
When Trudeau took the helm, Canada's standard of living was second overall in the world. Now we have an economy, where there is high unemployment, rampant poverty, long waiting lines at hospitals, and we have bureaucratic thieves that are choking us with high taxes.
Programs like socialized medicine, welfare, social security, and minimum wage laws will continue to entice us, because on the surface they appear to be expedient and beneficial. Those programs, like all socialist programs, fail in the long run regardless of initial appearances. ("Just throw some in some more money, that'll fix 'em.") These programs are part of the Big Lie of socialism, because they ignore the important role of incentives, which is why they fail.
Around the world, capitalism plays a major role in the global revival of liberty and prosperity, because it nurtures the human spirit, inspires human creativity, and promotes the spirit of free enterprise. By providing a powerful system of incentives, that promote thrift, hard work, and efficiency, capitalism creates wealth.
Thus if Canada keeps on its present course of socialism, along with it's slowly deteriorating economy, it shouldn't be too long, for this country to end up in another deep recession.
According to the Fraser Institute, the World report on economic freedom, has Canada slipping from 8th place in the year 2000, to 13th overall in 2001. The way we are choked with taxes, if interest rates were to rapidly increase, we would have our backs to the wall. Only then, will the Liberals get dumped.