“It is upon the law that socialism itself relies. Socialists desire to practice legal plunder, not illegal plunder. Socialists, like all other monopolists, desire to make the law their own weapon. And when once the law is on the side of socialism, how can it be used against socialism? For when plunder is abetted by the law, it does not fear your courts, your gendarmes, and your prisons. Rather, it may call upon them for help.” (Frederica Bastiat, The Law)
So what of socialism? How is it identified? What are its practices? Its philosophy? Its habits? Its damning influence? And who are the people who promote this?
First it is important to know that socialism is not a new idea in todays world and has been around in one form or another since the beginning of man. All these similiar experiments have been tried at other places and other times with the same results and outcome.
“Most of the major ills of the world have been caused by well-meaning people who ignored the principle of individual freedom, except as applied to themselves, and who were obsessed with fanatical zeal to improve the lot of manking-in-the-mass through some pet formula of their own…” (Henry Grady Weaver, The mainspring of Human Progress)
As well meaning as the intentions of some may be the bottom line in this doctrine is to support and enforce the social leveling by compulsion of the law- the planned economy, the welfare-state, and the new deal are all the same.
The common proposed purpose of socialsim is the idea to abolish poverty and establish equality in the possession and use of goods and products. The end aim is complete paternalism in government.
Socialism promises that each and every individual will have equal claims for all temporal support and education so that nobody will lack for general advancement in life.
The main defect in this theory and doctrine is this:
Socialists plot to first parcel out the wealth produced by our present economic system and then intend to scourge and destroy that system; yet they visualie a world following after this parcelling out, that shall still have and enjoy all the wealth created by this system which they intend to destroy, notwithstanding that, so far as human experience goes, it is only such a system that can produce the wealth and ease they crave. Perhaps it is enough to repeat two homely sayings that come to mind: “Do not kill the goos that lays the golden eggs,” and “You cannot eat you cake and have it to.”
It should be apparent that socialism creates nothing of its own but rather relies on the support of a host which it sucks the life out of.
Those who push for socialism show no understanding of the Constitutional from of government and do not understand that true reform carefully weighed and planned might come to us by constitutional methods. They show no disposition to work under the Cosnstitution and typically regard it as a hindurance to their agenda. They think not in terms of due process of law but rather by the force and power of government control. God himself does not coerce the will of man; why should man do to man what God does not do?
“The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capital would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume an authority which could safely be trusted, not only to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it.” (Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations)
Bottom line socialism is from its very nature an economic, uncompensated leveling downward, not upward, of men.
