Free Republic

The Most Socialist System in America Is the One Feeding Us—and It’s FailingAmerica loves to debate socialism. We argue about universal healthcare, guaranteed income, student loan forgiveness, and government dependency. We pride ourselves on our rugged independence and belief in free markets. We warn that socialism destroys innovation, freedom, and personal responsibility. But here’s the uncomfortable truth most Americans never stop to consider: the most centrally planned, government-dependent, subsidy-driven system in the United States isn’t medicine, housing, or energy—it’s food.Our food system is not a free market. It is not capitalism in any recognizable form. It is a government-engineered economy...

How much does it cost to run a country? Each year federal, state and local governments confiscate more than $5.7 trillion from the economy, based on 2013 figures. Of that number, $1.1 trillion is eaten by local governments; state governments take in $1.6 trillion, and the federal government consumes more than $3 trillion. And still runs a deficit of hundreds of billions each year. Part of the problem is that We the People have developed quite a voracious appetite for OPM – other people’s money. Federal aid and entitlement programs consume the lion’s share of the budget; this is called...