Kinda sad really: when people like cartoonists show far more enlightenment and wisdom than those we elect to be entrusted with our government.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
One of the best-ever arguments against socialism
Last night while going through some older material on my hard drive, I found this Beetle Bailey cartoon from a few years ago. In it Mort Walker - through his character Plato - articulates one of the finest arguments about why socialism is not only a bad thing, but against human nature. And in light of what has transpired here in the United States during the past several days, I thought it would be quiet appropriate to post here...
3 comments:
It doesn't surprise me that you get your political inspiration from Beetle Bailey.
It's better than getting one's political inspiration from Das Kapital.
By the way, does your wife know who you are sleeping with?
I know who you are.
Socialism is so illogical and impractical and abusive as to be ridiculous. It is so self-evidently wrong for the most compelling and irrefutable reasons, that in theory it doesn't even warrant recognition via argument. However, in spite of theory, in practice there is a real danger of socialism infecting and enslaving more hosts to the point of overwhelming and strangling freedom. Socialism murders choice. Socialism takes choice from the unprivileged and gives it to the ruling organization. Socialism imposes conditions on others, otherwise known as slavery. Socialism is theft from the productive by the powerful, who give a portion of the loot to the lazy. Socialism takes the products of others' work, also known as stealing. My choice is as priceless an asset as your choice. If you disagree, you have no way to prove your choice should take priority over my choice. I can counter your vote with my vote. Socialists outvoting conservatives is still force, as when a mob murders someone. If millions of people commit theft and slavery, they are still committing theft and slavery. Your desire for socialism/communism, and your choice to implement it, is not more valuable than my choice and desire to live free and suffer or enjoy as the case may be the consequences of my actions. Socialism is impractical, akin to a frictionless machine: both socialism and frictionless machines sound wonderful but do not exist. Theory aside, the end result of socialism (what actually happens in real life, not in the textbooks)is the most skilled politicians usurp the position of owners of the means of production, with the added detriment to society of lack of free will and absence of possibility of improving their life. Oh, and quality of life and standard of living decline until all workers have the same level of wealth as the lowest-paid worker in a capitalist system (all workers still toil for bare survival, but none have anything extra to share with others.) Summary: It's good, and effective, and reasonable, and fair to share, help, and respectfully employ those in need, but it's bad, ineffective, illogical, and unfair to take help by force from others. Since I'm being honest and logical, I will share this flaw of capitalism: Once one person gains an economic advantage over others, he can exploit this advantage to deny others their opportunity to succeed. This is just as wrong as communism, for similar reasons.
Post a Comment