[immadashell]

Socialism will not work, whether in one country, a multi-state region such as Europe, or the entire world. Ludwig von Mises explained that socialism is not an alternative economic system. It is a program for consumption. It tells us nothing about economic production. Since each man's production must be distributed to all of mankind, there is no economic incentive to produce anything, although there may be the incentive of coercion and threats of violence. Conversely, free market capitalism is an economic system of production, whereby each man owns the product of his own labors and, therefore, has great economic incentives to produce both for himself, his family, and has surplus goods to trade for the surplus product of others. Even under life and death threats neither the socialist worker nor his overseer would know what to produce, how to produce it, or in what quantities and qualities. These economic cues are the product of free market capitalism and money prices.

The end result of Socialism is the creation of totalitarian regimes where the only people with the products they need are those with the most coercive power. In recorded history these are the dictators, the aristocracies and the monarchies where power is concentrated and available only to the few who are able to raise and maintain the biggest armies. There is no room in any socialistic society for the free individual. The Founding Fathers were well aware of this when they designed an instrument which limits the power of government and provided a means (the Second Amendment) to enforce it.

[Bulwyf]

That’s a great post and a good summary of socialism vs capitalism in a nutshell. I’m sure most of us here understand that.

It’s the leftist types that will never get it. The gap between the right and left just keeps getting bigger. Something has to give.