So you say, "Yes", and you sign the paperwork but the experience is mostly a blur. Your real attention comes as you are seated in your brand new purchase, focused on the luxury, the world waiting as you start your purchase and begin your new life as the proud owner of this new car. In fact, you decide to mark your life as the time before this car and after this purchase.
Fast forward 30 days. It is only now, after the "new" wears off that reality settles in. Reality re-invades your brain. Mild regret starts to setup camp in your heart. You are going to be paying for this car for at least 48 months, maybe longer. You notice the small dent in the trunk, the choppy radio reception, and the seat that won't hold its correct position. You start to imagine how you could have used the money you handed over for the down payment and eventually, like all temporary things in this life, you start to fixate on the negative aspects of your new purchase. The kicker is your ultimate realization that your car's value dropped over 10% in value in these same first 30 days of your ownership.
Socialism sounds great, I mean who wouldn't want an economic system that everyone in society equally owns? An umbrella that catches everyone, no matter there situation. But have you ever stopped to consider the mantra of socialism, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his contribution." Everyone receives a share of the production based on how much each person has contributed. You, of course, will notice that your share of production will include a percentage that has been deducted for the common good. But also at the heart of socialism is this belief, "At the core of man our basic nature is cooperative." Isn't it interesting that trust is at the foundation of the socialist movement? You see, even socialists realize the fallacy of this statement but their response is this, 'we haven't witnessed mankind's true nature because capitalism and/or feudalism has forced people to be competitive.' This contradiction in reality is the truth behind Ronald Reagan's famous quote, "The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
Even if the base nature of man was to be selfless, socialism would still fail in its comparison to capitalism. The greatest difference between capitalism and socialism is the amount of government intervention in the economy. Can anyone point to a government program that is ran with the efficiency of Amazon? Or Apple? Of course not. There is no system designed to reward the dreamer, the hardest worker, the risk taker. Government by its very nature is a flawed institution that only rewards those in power and punishes those who lack that same power. Here is one example: Our Veterans Administration. Here is an agency where you would think Government would surely get it right. Taking care of the men and women who have placed their lives on the lines for our freedom, this is a no-brainer, correct? Anyone who has any personal experience with the VA, as just one example, will vehemently disagree. It doesn't mean that there aren't dedicated men and women doing their very best to take care of our soldiers, but it does mean is that the system that defines the process and quality of care each soldier receives is flawed. There is no government program that doesn't fall victim to self-preservation of those who profit off of its bureaucracy.
The deciding point is this, as Margaret Thatcher so brilliantly put it, "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." Utopia only exists on paper. There is no long-term, successful example of socialism in our world's history. It looks great from a distance, free health care, cradle to birth government subsidies, but this is merely the lipstick on the proverbial pig. Dig below the surface and you discover the truth, socialism takes your money and determines how it should best be spent. Don't let the smoke screens of "free" persuade you to sign-over your hard fought freedoms. America is built on the dream that you control your destiny, not the government. You determine where you want to live, go to school, work and so on. Don't hand over your freedom for pennies on the dollar.
Parting thoughts, greed always triumphs over the Utopian dreams of the socialists. It has always been true and always will be true until God Himself transforms human nature for eternity.
