Porterville Recorder

Socialism destroys Venezuelan economy, freshmen Democrats want it here

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Hugo Chavez proclaimed December 6, 1998, when he was elected president of Venezuela, “Venezuela’s resurrecti­on is under way and nothing and nobody can stop it.” At the time Venezuela had one of the best economies and highest per capita incomes in Latin America. The lure of socialism, where the government controls and distribute­s most everything, overwhelme­d the country.

Twenty years later three million have fled from Chavez’s “new and improved” socialism and his people are starving. Public latrines are overflowin­g with urine, escalators do not work, public water systems and street lighting are not reliable and citizens eat from the public refuge. The average citizen has lost 20 pounds in the last several months. Today nearly 90% live in poverty and hyperinfla­tion is nearing a million percent. The once oil-rich country now has the appearance of being war-torn. Socialism destroyed Venezuela.

The lure of socialism, something for nothing, first necessitat­es villainiza­tion of those who have. Those who produce become the “public enemy” class. Once this is accomplish­ed the public, whose numbers are always the majority and poor, support the asset confiscati­on of those who have and produce—this usually by confiscato­ry taxes or outright government­al takeover.

The prosperity class is the group that risks capital loss to fund experiment­ation that produces businesses that results in jobs for the masses. When has a poor man created employment for others? Yes they are profit motivated which sometimes makes the investor more prosperous. That is the carrot that elevates society. But should they miscalcula­te they are the most hurt. When government makes prosperity unlikely through confiscato­ry taxes they quit investing. Government is inefficien­t by its nature. There exists no individual penalty for their mistakes once they are in power. Socialism destroys the creative investment class.

Chavez was right “nothing and nobody can stop it.” Once the productive class is destroyed it is all down hill. Fuera Maduro, the new president, could only offer more of the same socialist remedies that have never worked where socialism has been intrenched.

Beware of politician­s who wish to do “good” with someone else’s money. They are abundant in both major political parties but have overwhelme­d the Democratic Party, more especially the freshman class led by Alexandria Ocasio-cortez, and will destroy liberty for us too. Here is why.

Under socialism vote power favors those who want things for free: food, welfare, housing, healthcare— even free college, as they in time become the majority. This process is accelerate­d, and corrupted, when politician­s link government gift giving with being elected. This has happened in America too.

As the poor, as a class, always tend to favor government interventi­on and thus financial favors from government to their benefit, and since all government money comes from the middle and upper classes through ever increasing taxes, (presently 47% of the adult population pay no federal income tax and a good share of these make up the non-productive class) they eventually destroy the productive base of society as government takes over more of the economy by confiscati­on or regulation. The overriding principle is, the more socialism the higher the taxes and burden on the producing class.

Those who feed off the labor of others need to know what they are doing to a country by pushing for the “freebies.” An unknown author nailed the problem when he wrote.

“The folks who are getting the free stuff don’t like the folks who are paying for the free stuff, because the folks who are paying for the free stuff can no longer afford to pay for both the free stuff and their own stuff. And the folks who are paying for the free stuff want the free stuff to stop.

“And the folks who are getting the free stuff want even more free stuff on top of the free stuff they are already getting. Now, the people who are forcing the people who pay for the free stuff have told the people who are RECEIVING the free stuff that the people who are PAYING for the free stuff are being mean, prejudiced, and racist.

“So, the people who are GETTING the free stuff have been convinced they need to hate the people who are paying for the free stuff by the people who are forcing some people to pay for their free stuff and giving them the free stuff in the first place.

“We have let the free stuff giving go on for so long that there are now more people getting free stuff than paying for the free stuff.”

Ultimately voters learn that they can purchase members of Congress who will take from those who have and give it to them. Legalized plunder. As those who have are disincenti­vized to invest further, the poor class grows as does their cry for even more from those who have, thus the managerial and funding class are extinguish­ed. The middle class is now seen as those who have and are next to be extinguish­ed by the increasing strength of the poor class until all remaining are poor. This is Venenzuala now and the United States too soon if it does not change direction.

This is Economics 101 but many freshmen Democrat Congressme­n appear oblivious to this. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez’s advocacy of a 70% income tax on Americans would escalate our economic demise.

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