Socialism isn’t the vision we want for America

I want to add to Maureen Paterson’s recent socialism letter. People who think socialism just means free food, free education, and free medical care have not read the fine print.

Socialism means NO private property. Everything belongs to the government, and it loans it to you, if you follow its dictates properly. 20 million people in Stalinist Russia did not, and they were sentenced to the Gulags, or starved to death when the government took their food and farm implements.

There is no incentive to achieve under socialism. Socialism is when 20 people run a race, and the top three runners do not get the prize. Everyone gets the same prize, even if they did not try.

Socialism is when the government says “who wants ice cream,” and everyone says, “I do!” Then the government says, “Who will pay?” Because nothing is free.

There must always be a controller under socialism — one for whom the rules do not apply — who tasks himself with extracting the money from someone to pay for everyone’s ice cream. Under socialism you might get “free” medical care and food, but the controller decides what medical care you will/must get, and what food you are allowed to eat. Everything you earn goes to the controller, who distributes it as he and his cronies see fit.

Is this the future you want for America?

ANNE WILDER CHAMBERLAIN

Priest River