Recently, on May 4, 2007, I read an article titled Is socialism possible in the United States? By John Beacham on pslweb.com that talked about the possibly of the United States being a socialist country. While our country is moving more in that direction, I still believe we are a capitalist nation. Capitalism is blamed for things such as people not having health insurance, infant mortality, and poverty. It is believed that under a socialistic government society will be one of “true justice and peace, a society that works in the interest of the vast majority.” Private ownership is believed to be the root of all evil it seems.
This article really concerns me. It seems as though the author isn’t thinking rationally at all. He talks about workers having the power to decide their fate. However, from what I understand, socialism puts the power to decide everything in the hands of a few people, not workers. I think health care is the responsibility of those who work or have worked. People with disabilities of course would be taken care of by the government, but all others who work would be responsible for their health care. Free public health care would be a public good and be inefficient. Private ownership of property would increase the incentives of individuals to be productive, not diminish their desires to be productive. Individuals are more likely to work harder if they get to keep what they earned. I believe that workers are better able to decide their fate under capitalism by making choices about education, health care, places of employment, etc. Who wants the government to decide for you what is best for you? I know that I do not and I’m sure many people of the world agree. This isn’t saying that our country isn’t moving towards socialism, but more of that thinking socialism works better than capitalism is just nonsense.
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