Socialism. Why so afraid? (*Psst — it’s ALREADY here. It’s BEEN here.*)
With kooks calling themselves “social democrats” winning elections in well-known kooky places across the country, the alarm is being sounded. The hammer-and-sickle is coming for us all. (*Buckle up.*)
As a college instructor, I’ve learned that most people out there have very little understanding of economics. I remember asking one of my classes: “Can someone define capitalism for me?”
A young man in the front row proudly raised his hand and answered: “Rich getting richer and poor getting poorer.”
For people who think North Korea, Cuba and the Soviet Union were prime examples of socialism, I’ve got news for them. They were (in the case of the first two, are) authoritarian systems marinated in a whole lot of kleptocracy. Those are definitely attributes we don’t want anywhere around these great United States.
Socialism involves government ownership, or control, of key components of the economy. Production is not determined by supply and demand, but rather by the whims of nameless, faceless bureaucrats behind closed doors. Quite often, there are *partnerships* or cooperative efforts between government and businesses or even individuals and their families. *YOUR stuff* can magically become *OUR stuff.*
Things that were once taken care of by individuals, families, communities, or neighbors are now handled by bureaucrats.
Capitalism involves two or more parties seeking to exchange desired or valuable goods or services. Supply and demand are two important factors that determine how much of something is available and how much it will cost.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as president of these United States from 1933 to 1945. He’s known for The New Deal. An awful lot of his agenda — some of which is still with us today – can be defined as socialism. There are many examples to pick from. Social Security was created during this era as a temporary means to help older folks survive The Great Depression. It’s still here and has been greatly expanded beyond that bold, initial mission. There have been an awful lot of people who have been paid more by Social Security than they paid in to the system.
Lyndon Baines Johnson served as president from 1963 until 1969. He gave us The Great Society. A lot of that was sold as short-term solutions to help lift folks out of poverty. A lot of those programs are still here FIFTY YEARS LATER while the poverty rate is getting worse. We have agencies – various Departments of Social Services or Health & Human Services -acting as parents by trying to feed children and run whole households. Medicaid – and the expensive, fraud-ridden nightmare that comes with it — arose from this mess.
Jimmy Carter served as president from 1977 to 1981. He made a royal mess of the country. But one of the biggest messes attributed to him was the 1979 creation of the US Department of Education. The DoE brought central planning – a key component of socialism – to our children’s education. Student loans are also another nightmare foisted on us by the DoE. Folks seeking to go to college can apply for however much money they want or need. And there’s no real pressure or incentive to pay it back. There is an unlimited supply of funds out there – for tuition – so there is little incentive for colleges and universities to control costs. Something called Sallie Mae – a public / private partnership (socialism) – was set up to administer the college loan program.
So, we can see evidence of socialism in this country going back to at least 1933. Let’s look at some of the policy areas where socialism has dug its claws in.
Agriculture. Know any farmers? They will gladly tell you that bureaucrats and government agencies are all up in their business. It’s a regular practice for farmers to be paid to grow, or not grow, THIS or THAT. Supply and demand rarely fit into the equation. Federal bureaucrats manage and subsidize sales deals between US-based ag sources and foreign consumers.
Commerce. Economic development involves luring companies / industries to relocate to or expand in a particular location in exchange for lots of government sub
sidies. That’s instead of cutting taxes and regulations for everyone to create an overall much more pleasant business environment. You often find government *commerce* officials inserting themselves and our $$$ amid deals between US corporations and foreign entities.
In North Carolina, the Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) board is an excellent example of socialism. Government owns and operates what could and should be a private business. It forces out competition and decides what products will be available to consumers and at what price.
Health. Notice all of these community hospitals suddenly throwing “UNC Health” or “ECU Health” in front of their names? That’s your state government taking over the provision of health care in your community. Just like government has done in places like Canada and the UK. Remember seeing all of these people fleeing from the UK or Canada for major health care treatments? Well, now we can relate. Where are we going to run to, though?
Let’s not forget ObamaCare, shall we.
In North Carolina, certificates-of-need grant state government bureaucrats the power to determine whether you can get the care you need at a reasonable price IN your community, or will have to drive to some other city or part of the state to obtain it. (It’s all about protecting the monopolies for BIG, deep-pocketed hospital groups. Fewer options allow for higher, less-competitive pricing.)
I have a friend in medical practice. He tells me he has to employ FOUR PEOPLE just to deal with government red tape and communications. They don’t interact with patients at all. Just with the government — *his business partner.*
Education. Somehow – during the first two hundred years of this nation’s existence – our education system managed to turn out some outstanding individuals who made history and shook the world. Now, we have government agencies sapping power away from parents and communities to bureaucrats in state capitals and DC. We also have the nightmarish student loan programs that enslave students to the government for decades, suck the life out of our economy and – due to an endless supply of tax $$$ – provide little incentive to control the cost of providing a college education.
Taxation. We have what some call a *progressive* tax rate. That means those who work the hardest and see the most success get more money confiscated from them. That’s right out of the socialist playbook. It’s amazing that we have people out there wanting to tighten the screws further. It’s as though some people think rich people keep every cent to themselves. Research finds that the so-called “rich” are the most generous when it comes to charitable giving. (And why not? They have more to give.) That income bracket is also more likely to turn an income boost into an investment that creates growth we all benefit from. *Let them keep their money and do their thing, we say.*
Many of us seem to forget that the US had a Socialist Party that ran presidential candidates in every election from 1928 to 1948. It was founded in 1901, and made more than a little noise in US politics:
[…] The Socialist Party of America reached its peak in 1912 with 113,000 members, at which time it became one of the largest socialist groups worldwide. That same year Socialist leader Eugene Debs ran for president and won more than 900,000 votes, about 6 percent of the popular vote, though he did not receive any votes in the electoral college, and Woodrow Wilson became president. Debs again garnered some 900,000 votes when he ran as the Socialist Party’s presidential candidate in 1920.The party’s strength during this period was also reflected in its hundreds of party-affiliated newspapers and in the election of its members to positions such as city council, mayor, and other political and representational roles in more than 300 cities throughout the U.S. […]
(According to the DSA, they have about 120,000 members nationwide as of July 2026.)
This could be talking about TODAY. But it was the early 20th century. And we all survived.
Norman Thomas tried to follow in Debs’ footsteps in the 20s, 30s and 40s. Here is a report from Time magazine in 1940:
Not until last week were the figures of November’s Presidential election finally, officially all in and counted, to the last lorn vote. Swamped, and thoroughly swamped, were the minor parties. Of the record total of 49,818,095 votes cast, 27,245,422 went to Roosevelt. 22,323,801 to Willkie. Norman Thomas’ Socialist vote (116,796) was the lowest since 1900, when a Socialist candidate (Eugene Debs) first appeared on the ballot. Communist Earl Browder, barred from some State ballots, got only 49,028, ran behind Prohibitionist Roger Babson, who polled 58,674. Total for all minor-party candidates: 239,772, their worst showing since 1876. Scattered votes were cast but not counted for: Thomas E. Dewey, Bruce Barton, James A. Farley, Sally Rand, Mae West, Al Capone, a flock of others.
Communists, socialists and Al Capone. *Oh, my.*
And we’re still here.
We need at least one major party with a message that directly contradicts what these people believe. Right now, I don’t see or hear a serious message from either of our two major parties.
In times of crisis, big talkers like these socialists can often beat out expectations. They’ll do well in bigger cities like NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles or Durham or other college towns. Places like that are Kook Central.
Someone needs to stand up strong for the sane people in this country. Unfortunately, right now, we’re not seeing that.
