Why Should Americans Choose Capitalism Over Socialism and Communism?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is that capitalism supports freedom, while socialism and communism destroy freedom. Yet, many young Americans believe the hype that socialism in America would be a good thing. They are part of the reason that communists are being elected to state and federal office.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is campaigning with House Republicans to help Republicans retain majority in the House. On Monday, he was campaigning with Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA). This was just one of the stops as he toured 34 districts in 18 states in 30 days. He calls the mid-term election the choice between “common sense vs. communism.” Virginia Grace McKinnon at The Daily News reported the following information. 

With the rise of Democratic Socialists of America candidates across the country and the divide in the Democratic Party, Republicans believe that if they can communicate the threat of socialism and communism to Americans, it will be winning messaging for the GOP come November. Johnson laid out the threat and what DSA candidates will do if they assume office.

“They want to abolish the border. They want to abolish all prisons in America. They would have abolished the U.S. Senate. They would have removed the president,” Johnson told reporters. “They want to expand the House and make it a unicameral governing body over the entire country because they believe that over two or three cycles, they’ll be able to bring a wave of the Marxist communists into the Congress and take it over.”

These are all policies of the DSA, according to the group’s Workers Deserve More plan. Johnson continued, explaining that if this happens, they will take away and assume the means of production to the government. “That means no more private property ownership. That means the small business owners across America, who provide jobs and opportunity for people, will be taken over by the government. It’s a dangerous game,” he said.

Over the weekend, Johnson published a new website, Contrast for America, to “educate people, especially young voters,” on the long-term threat of communism.

The website lays out the history of socialism, arguing that every attempt led to communism – from famine beginning in Soviet Russia in 1918 to China’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, which led to famine, the government closing schools, and silencing free speech. It also mentions North Korea and Venezuela, where food shortages continue today.

“The government that promises everything for free will almost certainly take it away in short order. Definitely in the long term,” Johnson said, highlighting the tens of millions of people killed by communism in the 20^th century. He warned this could soon be America if the Democratic Party accommodates DSA members….

 

 

Can Democratic Socialism Be Stopped in America?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is that socialism has not worked at any place in the world where it has been tried and would work havoc in the United States. Yet, more and more of the young adults in America  think that socialism is the answer to affordability.

Both New York City and Seattle elected socialists for their mayors just a week ago. Both cities are Democrat strongholds, but who would suspect Utah of following their example?

Brigham Tomco reported on this strange phenomenon in his article published at the Deseret News this week. He used information from a new Deseret News/Hickley Institute of Politics poll. 

A slight majority, 51% of Utah voters who identify as Democrats said they have a favorable view of socialism, compared to 48% of Democrats nationally. Utah Democrats appeared uniquely open to experimenting with socialism across multiple questions.

Whereas 54% of Democrats nationally said they approve of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s plans for office, 65% of Utah Democrats said they approve of the 34-year-old member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Democratic socialism – the political ideology espoused by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders – was viewed favorably by 61% of Democrats nationally. But it was viewed favorably by 70% of Democrats in Utah.

Socialism refers to an economic system where the state owns major resources and industries instead of private firms, and redistributes wealth equally. Democratic socialism is seen as a way to achieve this incrementally through elected officials.

While small Nordic countries like Sweden and Finland have implemented some democratic socialist principles, places that have tried to make socialism a reality have historically devolved into greater authoritarianism and poverty, like the Soviet Union, Cuba, Venezuela and China….

The appetite among the vast majority of Utah Democrats for increased public ownership and expanded social welfare may find an electoral outlet now that the state’s congressional boundaries have been redrawn to include an almost-guaranteed Democratic seat in the U.S. House.

On Nov. 10, a district judge rejected the Utah Legislature’s map, which created two more competitive districts, in favor of a map making a “Democratic-leaning district anchored in the northern portion of Salt Lake” that leans blue by up to 20 percentage points….

Young people struggling to make ends meet care less about “the democratic socialist label,” King said, and care more about policies that address their “basic needs,” like affording housing, college tuition, gas and groceries….

Aside form self-identified Democrats, Utahns are less interested in socialism than the rest of the country. The state’s youngest voters are also less likely to have favorable views toward Mamdani or unfavorable views toward capitalism, the poll found.

Nationally, 31% of all voters approve of Mamdani compared to 24% in Utah. Among Gen Z voters, 39% approve of the millennial candidate nationwide, compared to 29% in Utah. This pattern was repeated across multiple questions related to different economic systems.

Whereas 44% of Gen Z nationally have a favorable view of democratic socialism, 34% do in Utah. The same goes for socialism, which is viewed favorably by 42% of Gen Z nationwide and 37% of Gen Z in the state.

The least popular economic system among Gen Z Americans is capitalism, viewed favorably by just 29% of Genn Z nationwide. But the system of private property , profits and prices set by supply and demand was viewed favorably by 42% of young Utahns….

Among American voters of all ages, democratic socialism was viewed favorably by 34% of respondents, socialism by 31% and capitalism by 49%, the poll found.

There were wide partisan disparities, with almost no Republicans in favor of socialism and 59% of Republicans holding favorable views toward capitalism, compared to 47% of independents and 39% of Democrats….

The results of the Deseret News-Hinckley Institute poll did not come s a surprise to Christopher Talgo, a socialism research fellow at libertarian-leaning nonprofit The Heartland Institute, and a former high school history teacher.

A recent Heartland Institute poll conducted in November by Rasmussen Reports found that a majority of likely voters would like to see a democratic socialist candidate win the 2028 presidential election.

This points to a glaring failure in American civics education, according to Talgo, who said he saw firsthand how teachers often glossed over the shortfalls of socialism, and even spoke highly of it, when teaching students.

But the results also reflect the reality of serious economic headwinds that are pushing young people toward extremes, Talgo said. The Heartland poll found that three-quarters of voters said the cost of housing has reached a crisis level.

The poll identified majority support for Mamdani’s proposals to create government-owned grocery stores and to freeze apartment rents. But these government interventions will likely make the problem worse, according to Talgo.

Leaders must apply simple, free-market solutions that make people’s lives better – like removing “crony capitalist” zoning restrictions at the local level to increase housing options – or else Talgo believes Americans will elect more Mamdanis….

Capitalism

            The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is America’s economy and why it works so well. When the Constitution of the United States was being written, the Founders were striving to create a political system that would bring true liberty to Americans, and they knew that they would have to find a balance between order and freedom to do so. They knew that people could handle only so much freedom and that they would reach a point of anarchy if granted too much freedom by the government. On the other hand, there would be tyranny if the government exerted too much control over the people. They knew that they had to get the balance exactly right, and they struggled with it. They apparently accomplished their goal because the Constitution has guided the United States for more than 200 years without either anarchy or tyranny taking hold of the government.

            The true liberty granted by the Constitution is only part of the story of the many freedoms that Americans enjoy today. Another part of the story involves the American economic system. This system provides general financial success seldom seen in other countries, and most Americans have enough to satisfy their needs, wants, and sometimes luxuries. Needs are defined as those items – such as food, clothing, and shelter – that are needed to sustain life. Wants are defined as those items that would be nice to have to make life more comfortable – such as beds, tables, cell phones, and other objects that are neither needs nor luxuries. Most Americans have their needs and many of their wants supplied because of the capitalism in the United States.

            There are three economic strategies that are used to ensure that the correct levels of production and distribution are employed in a society. The three types are generally known as the traditional, command, and market strategies. A traditional economy involves family and relationships and sometimes lasts through several generations. The family produces goods and services and then distributes them to those people with whom they have relationships, such as other family members, friends, and neighbors. This type of economy was used in the Native American communities before the arrival of European traders.

            A command economy includes any form of authority being used to determine what is produced and how it is distributed. This kind of economy requisitions the money and labor to build projects bigger than an individual or family could handle, such as roads, bridges, and schools. Sometimes a command economy brings changes, such as Stalin’s industrialization of the Soviet Union and Mao’s Great Leap Forward for China. A command economy takes most of the freedom out of the marketplace, but it deals well with changing social and economic conditions.

            A market economy – sometimes known as capitalism or free enterprise - is one where there is a free exchange of goods and services and where the production and distribution of goods and services is determined by the laws of supply and demand. This type of system gives people freedom in determining what they will produce and consume and how much, but it also rewards or punishes them according to their choices. They are rewarded for the right economic choices and punished for the wrong ones. Thus, it gives an incentive to choose wisely, and it also deals well with changing social and economic conditions. A down side to this system is that it allows people to become greedy or corrupt in their attempt to become successful economically.

            According to Adam Smith in his The Wealth of Nations, “self-interest,” or incentive or the desire to be successful, is the engine that drives the market system. It is self-interest that motivates a man or woman to turn their idea into a successful business with long hours, hard work, and personal sacrifice. He explains that it is not the love for other people that motivates a butcher to sell meat or the baker to sell bread. They work to satisfy their own self-interest, and they satisfy the needs of others while doing so. Everyone benefits as many people make choices about what they produce and what they desire to consume in order to satisfy their own self-interest. This benefit also causes the standard of living to rise for the society as a whole.

            Some people consider “self-interest” to be the same as “selfishness” or “greed,” especially that kind of greed that comes from pride. It is not. People who are greedy are the same ones who campaign to change the laws, changes that would destroy property rights and markets. In today’s world self-interest encourages manufacturers to increase productivity in their attempt to increase profits.      

 

            Smith gives the following three reasons why a market system delivers a systematic answer to the problems of production and distribution: 1) Self-interest is the motivation that powers the engine of production, 2) Changes in the desires of society direct what and how much is produced – generally known as the laws of supply and demand, and 3) competition in the market keeps the price of goods and services at a reasonable level.

            The consumer is the one who controls what is produced. If an item continues to be high on the list for the consumer – such as the iPhone, the producer will continue to make it. Apple continues to make better and more powerful iPhones for the simple reason that the consumer will pay for the next generation of phone – and the next.

            The strengths of the market system are numerous: 1) It operates in an atmosphere of freedom as to production and consumption and thus offers satisfaction. 2) It motivates people to work and to create. 3) It uses the system of exchange to increase the standard of living for everyone. 4) It works with human nature as people are motivated to work in order to fulfill their wants and needs. 5) It works to allocate resources in the best way possible. 6) It controls prices and profits through the laws of supply and demand.

            There are, however, weaknesses in the market system. One of the weaknesses of this system is the main reason why people think that socialism works better than democracy. This weakness is the unequal distribution of wealth. This inequality comes about because the market system allows for greed and dishonesty in a way that threatens economic virtue, price stability, and production instability.

            Greedy people will always do whatever they can to become more successful than anyone else, even if it means breaking the law or going against the norm of society. Only a truly righteous society will be rid of greed. For this reason, capitalism shouts a critical question: What is the correct balance between initiative and incentive and the characteristics of greed? There is a balancing point or line that divides the two areas, and greed should always be guarded against by both individual and corporations. This balance point seems to be difficult to find.

            In spite of the weaknesses of capitalism, it continues to prove that it is the best system to control production and consumer demands and to provide for the needs and wants of all people who are willing to work within it. It is a system where the poorest of citizens can become wealthy by changing an idea into a successful business. Many of the millionaires and billionaires in America today were just ordinary citizens who did so, and Steve Jobs is just one of the many.

Capitalism works well for the United States and provides for many freedoms enjoyed by Americans and others who reside within the nation’s borders.