Capitalism Defeats Socialism...Barely!

"They do not want to own your fortune, they want you to lose it; they do not want to succeed, they want you to fail; they do not want to live, they want you to die …” Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.” Alexis de Tocqueville

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” Winston Churchill


Rasmussen reports that only 53% of Americans say capitalism is better than socialism. Not really a shocker, is it?

1 How many Americans have ever taken a class in macroeconomics?

2 How many of the people polled even know what capitalism is … or, for that matter, socialism?

3 How many of the 47% receive local, state or federal income either as an employee or as a recipient of aid?

Capitalism frees you to utilize your gifts, talents, skills, wisdom and will power in the pursuit of happiness. It also frees everyone else to do the same … and therein is the rub for many, many people. How so? Because I must compete with others in the “arena of achievement,” (Tom Peters) and sometimes others win.

When I fail to achieve what I wanted, I can seek to sharpen my skills or maybe even change the arena within which I wish to compete. I can also say, “It isn’t fair that she bested me, isn’t fair that he was more skilled, leaving me with less-than what I want.” And, in my mind, being it isn’t possible your skills were superior to mine, “You obviously cheated, lied and manipulated your way around me. We must have more government involvement in the market place.”

In his book, The Anti-Capitalist Mentality, Austrian economist Ludwig Von Mises (1881-1973) wrote:

“The suffering from frustrated ambition is peculiar to people living in a society of equality under the law. It is not caused by equality under the law, but by the fact that in a society of equality under the law the inequality of men with regard to intellectual abilities, will power and application becomes visible. The gulf between what a man is and achieves and what he thinks of his own abilities and achievements is pitilessly revealed. Daydreams of a 'fair' world which would treat him according to his ‘real worth’ are the refuge of all those plagued by a lack of self-knowledge.” (p.15)

People raised in a culture of entitlement, seeing wealth as their birthright, aren’t too keen on competition, especially if it is on an even playing field.

Young men and women who attended schools where, for years and years, there was no competition allowed on the field of sports or in the classroom for grades, have little familiarity with dealing with—Cue voice of Jim McKay—“the thrill of victory … and the agony of defeat.” “Isn’t everyone supposed to win?”

And what happens when such people hear about their neighbor’s wealth? Being they refuse to look within and acknowledge their present real value in the market place, they want to do away with equality under the law and require equality of rewards, with the government deciding what is and is not “equality.”

Capitalism asserts and defends individual rights, most especially the right of private property. Socialism asserts and defends the rights of the masses—the collective over against the individual—with the State “administering the means of production and distribution of goods.” (Merriam-Webster)

Capitalism sets people free to “work out your own salvation.” Socialism asserts the State as Savior.

Capitalism leaves my “happiness” up to me. Socialism places my happiness in the hands of the State.

Choosing Capitalism is the choice for freedom. Choosing Socialism is the choice for tyranny.

Sheesh … you’d think the choice is a no-brainer.

Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2009