COLUMN: Socialism won’t work in America
With Sen. Bernie Sanders' commanding victory against Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Presidential Primary in New Hampshire, it appears a future of socialism in the United States might be on the horizon.
Socialism, essentially, is an economic format that assists poorer citizens of a country while heavily taxing the wealthy.
This economic philosophy also can be interpreted as the government tells the citizens what they will be allowed to buy.
A trend toward socialism could potentially spark from a Sanders presidency.
He suggests severely reduced cost and even free higher education, a $15 minimum wage and higher taxes on the rich. It is only the tip of the iceberg for what is involved with true socialism.
Imagine you just won a $250,000 prize once Sanders is president. You will only be $157,500 richer.
Where did nearly $100,000 of your money go?
In a Bernie Sanders-style economy, your winnings qualified you for 37 percent tax.
This is according to Sanders' tax plan, which was published by Forbes magazine.
In a socialist society, the government gets to decide what will be produced, based usually on what is most cost effective.
Capitalism lets consumption dictate production.
Say you decide to buy a new car.
Unfortunately, your dream car wasn’t selling well anymore, so the government decided to have it discontinued.
Socialism isn't all bad. It can work in theory.
As a college student, free education would save my family a great deal of money.
A higher minimum wage would probably lead to a better quality of everyday life.
Perhaps most importantly, a socialist society would take care of me through a universal federal healthcare system.
But no matter how good an ideological theory sounds, there is always another side that needs to be considered.
Socialism takes pride in the fact everyone is economically equal across every spectrum.
To me, there is no point in attending college if you’re going to make the same wage as someone who didn’t.
Expensive welfare programs in modern socialists nations encourage a culture of laziness and entitlement.
Not to mention, with Sanders’ hike in minimum wage, the value of the American dollar would continue to plummet.
The country’s $18 trillion debt will continue to rise and might even speed up.
Although a few of these may not be on Sanders' platform right now, it only takes a small spark to start a "revolution," as he calls it.
We should not elect someone who belittles the economic system that grew us to be one of the greatest nations on earth.
American individualism might have been hushed during the last couple of decades, but socialism will silence it for good.
