Socialism is just soft communism. There is a malignant thinking within some largely fueled by sentimentalism that we have a responsibility to right all the wrongs in the world. While this is true in many cases it is not true in all cases. Know the difference. While it is true we are compelled to “not withhold good from those with whom we have the power to do good” it is possible to habitually do something for someone who is able bodied and thereby create a hopeless dependent, subsequently robbing the individual of their humanity. One of the hideous byproducts of this overt sentiment is the manner in which is masks its true nature.

  One of the best analogies I can use is that of a muscle. Muscles require pressure and resistance for them to perform at their best. If we create ways to substitute and circumvent the pressure upon which a muscle thrives and we do it long enough we deprive the muscle of a fundamental need. It eventually emaciates and grows so week it can no longer perform.

  One of the reasons we love/hate politics so much is that it provides a platform for “some” to manipulate a majority of others many times preying upon the sentiment of the masses. This is never more pronounced than during an election season.  “Any story sounds true until you hear the other side.” Politicians (not statesmen) play to the unfettered appetites of the masses in order to gain votes which in turn can enable their hidden agendas.

  This is how we know the difference. Watch a person long enough and they will reveal their true nature. Statements such as “The redistribution of wealth” and “You didn’t build that” are all examples of slip-ups that reveal a hidden agenda.

  The 70 year socialism experiment in which the Soviet Russian’s engaged communism as a form of governance was a complete and utter failure. It weakened the social muscles of the masses by removing their incentive to produce and succeed which is a fundamental human need. “The State” became the “Father” to the people circumventing the “Father” of the family. It also removed much of the personal responsibility that human beings must take for themselves in order to remain mentally and emotionally strong subsequently deposing “The State” instead. The problem is:

  When personal responsibility is removed people become complacent thereby unwilling to defend a property they do not own. They know they do not own it because they do not control it. This is an immutable law.

  Socialism found its way into Russian culture by preying on the sentiment of the masses. That being, “we will use the power of government to redistribute the wealth in order to create equality for all people”. It sounds great at first, especially to hungry people looking up from the dungeon of poverty for leadership who can save them from despair. It will even work for a period of time. However, once the crisis ends a new season of personal responsibility arrives. The failure is in recognition of this fact and transitioning in concert with it.

 These Marxist ideas are sold to the masses using the accusation that “It is not fair for others to have more than you”. The product sells by promising everyone will be taken care of while ignoring the fundamental laws of human nature described above. Socialist Government (run by a few) becomes the agent to police and enforce the vision. The problem with this is that through this mechanism power becomes concentrated into the hands of a few with the personal greed of the bureaucrats following closely behind. This creates a perpetual bureaucracy whose fiscal appetite is like a beast that cannot be fed. Government grows ever larger, creating more and more bureaucracy in an attempt to maintain a societal equilibrium. It fails because this process turns “we the people” into slaves of the bureaucracy depriving every citizen of their humanity. A government designed to serve the people ends up enslaving them. The irony in all of this is the intent of the socialists well meaning though it may or may not be has exactly the opposite effect and that is precisely where the deception lies.

  This is why personal responsibility through freedom is the solution designed by natural law. It eliminates the bureaucracy of men instead letting the individual create and fashion their own life and successes. A true father will defend his home, family and way of life, it is his true nature. The cost of doing so originates with the family and not with an overreaching government controlled by a bureaucracy. What we have today in America is a government who crossed the threshold of common sense long ago and violated this natural equilibrium.

 It’s easy to get the two of these confused. Freedom contains risk and sometimes failure but we learn as much from our failures as we do our successes. If you remove one of these a culture will grow ever weaker until it fails. History is replete with examples. Sure, all men are created equal and in fact are equal in their humanity and human rights but all men do not finish equal in the game of life. Finishing is the byproduct of choices.