Socialism vs. Democracy

            The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday pits socialism against democracy. Every American should understand the difference between the two theories.

            Socialism is both a political idea and an economic theory to socially organize a nation in such a way that the production, distribution, and exchange of goods are regulated by the public rather than by individuals. It put the good of the community above the rights of the individual. It is the intermediate step between capitalism and communism.

            Democracy is a representative government where the eligible members of a state or nation elect representatives. The government is controlled by the majority of its members. It is a government where the power is vested in the people, and the people, either directly or indirectly, control the government.

            The United States of America has a system of government known as a democratic republic. As a republic, it is a sovereign state. As a democracy, the ultimate power is in its citizens who, directly or indirectly, elect representatives to run the government. This democratic republic has existed for more than 200 years and has proven to be the most powerful type of government.

            Proponents of socialism look at it as though it is wonderful. They apparently like the idea of equality for all people, but they do not realize that socialism results in everyone being equally poor and miserable. Venezuela is an example of the results of socialism, but the mainstream news outlets say little about what is happening in that nation.

            David Prentice posted an article at The American Thinker titled “Why Venezuela Matters.” He summarizes well the problems in Venezuela.

In a nutshell: Venezuela was once the most prosperous country in South America. It is now one of the poorer nations in the world. Food is hard to find, toilet paper is scarce, and civilization as the citizenry once knew it is gone. Venezuela’s story has been one of going from first to worst, a fact the left does not want anyone to know. The socialist paradise the left inexplicably wants for the U.S. lies in tatters at the top of South America.

Venezuela matters because socialism is one of the two great political blights foisted on the world in the past century. There are multiple examples of the horrors of this system, be it Soviet socialism, the socialist killing fields of Cambodia, the rotting Euro-states, or the current and unfinished calamity of Venezuela. Socialism is a system that always promises great things for humanity but in the end is dehumanizing, destructive, and false. Dressed as an angel of light, offering equality, fairness, and goodness, socialism always seems to change clothes into the angel of death. Destruction of the human spirit becomes its normative end.

            Prentice continues his article by sharing how he was indoctrinated with the wonders of socialism by his university professors. He then returned home and learned the truths about socialism from his grandfather. He names the various factions that push the socialism idea on the rising generation – public school education, university professors, the leftist media, Hollywood elites, an entire (unnamed) political party, and “Rich fools such as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Google principals, media moguls, and Hollywood elite.”

            Continuing, Prentice claims that “Venezuela is the perfect truth for countering these `angels of light” and unmasking them for what they are: delusional shills for darkness and tyranny. This darkness … actually is a fact and has evidence – evidence ignored and unreported.”

            Prentice claims that Chavez came to power with the same promises made by Barack Obama: redistributing wealth to the poor. He said that “Giving money to the poor is always the bait for socialism; it allows power to be won and kept, as it did for Chavez. It allowed our cultural saviors to say how much Chavez helped the poor. In the end, it destroyed the people who voted for him….”

            Liberals push redistribution in order to come to power, and they keep the poor on the “government plantation” in order to maintain power over them. It does not seem to matter that socialism eventually destroys the wealth that made the nation great. Democracy is good, and our democratic republic is the best. We must safeguard and protect it by teaching the truth of socialism to the rising generation.