We are only one to two generations from the collapse of the largest Communist country the world has ever seen, the USSR. However, we are again seeing that the Communists/ Socialists are making headway in American politics, like Zohran Mamdani in New York, AOC, Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Cori Bush, who pollute our Congress. Why is that? Because Communism is easy to sell! Wealth is not evenly distributed throughout a nation.
The US has an economic edge over Somalia, but it not only depends on the country’s wealth, but also on the individual’s efforts to enrich themselves. The individual’s education, the type of education, the type of occupation, the opportunities that are open to an individual, an individual’s lifestyle, how many marriages he or she has had, the part of the country an individual chooses to live in, and a multitude of other factors. People often wonder why they have less than their neighbors. Everyone thinks they work just as hard. There is an element of envy. The well-to-do are always blamed for having gotten their wealth through unfair means at the expense of the less well off, and it is easy to sell the idea that the rich should pay “their fair share”.
The natural tendency is to look at the projected tax brackets and say, well, that is not going to affect me. The top half of earners pay 97% of all taxes. The top 10% earners pay 70.5% of taxes. The upper 1% pay 38% of the taxes. So the question is, what is a fair share? There will always be a battle on that issue, which does not have an easy solution. However, the rich do pay a proportionately significantly larger portion of the taxes. The left will always claim it is not enough. The problem, however, is that Socialism/Communism has always had a grander idea of what level the social safety net should be funded, and their calculations always run out of your money sooner than anticipated.
The population of the USA is 342,000,000. Approximately 100,000,000 receive some form of government support for food, housing, medical care, etc. The Socialists/Communists overpromise and underdeliver. Subsidized housing, grocery stores, and free public transportation are just some examples. Additionally, their argument has always been that health care is a right. But in countries where that is the practice, the population is often not happy with the outcome; they don’t like the long waiting times for certain services, such as highly complex surgeries that improve quality of life, such as total joint replacements, or very expensive diagnostic tests, such as brain scans. I have a Canadian acquaintance who related the story to me of a relative who had headaches and wanted a brain scan. He was given a six-month appointment. The patient complained that by that time, it might be too late, and he might be dead. The government official’s answer was, “Well then, you wouldn’t need it.” I have known numerous Canadians who grew tired of waiting for a total joint replacement and came to the USA to pay out of pocket to get it done.
Promises that overpromise are an easy sell to the young and the gullible. But when the time comes when you might need those services, they may not be as easily obtained as through the private supply chain. England has a socialized medical system, but also a robust private medical system. That way, you always have the option to pay for it if you deem it necessary sooner.
The big flaw in Socialism/Communism is that it removes the incentive to try harder. The old saying, ” The early bird catches the worm.” The Human tendency is to let the next person do the work. As a consequence, a segment of society lets the other person carry the load. This is opposed to Capitalism, where there is someone always ready and able to do what you don’t want to do. If you do more, you will get more! Cuba is the current example that Communism does not work. It is true that in Cuba, everyone is equal – equally miserable. The people who espouse Communism have never lived under it. There are no individuals who have ever experienced that form of government who speak for it. “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” is a failed idea that has been demonstrated repeatedly!