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[Pages H10022-H10023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SOCIALISM IS A PHILOSOPHY OF FAILURE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Budd) for 5 minutes.
Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, Winston Churchill once said: ``Socialism is
the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of
envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.''
Despite the truth of these words, unfortunately, more and more young
Americans hold positive views of socialism and negative views of
capitalism. A recent Gallup Poll found that 51 percent of young
Americans view socialism favorably, while only 45 percent view
capitalism positively. That marks a 12-point decline in the popularity
of capitalism just this decade.
[[Page H10023]]
So the question is, Why are increasing numbers of our young people
supporting socialism?
The answer is, because they have been told that it is somehow
``moral'' and ``compassionate'' and ``fair'' by leading socialist
voices in media and government, mostly concentrated in and around
Washington, D.C.
On the surface, one might think that taking from the prosperous for
the betterment of the poor is a decent and fair policy. But just under
the surface lies a fundamental ignorance of one of the most
foundational principles of human behavior, and that is, incentives.
Socialism doesn't reward people for hard work, creativity, and
entrepreneurial spirit. In reality, the overwhelming taxation necessary
to support socialist policies penalizes people who work hard by forcing
them to send their earnings, perhaps thousands of miles away, to
Washington, D.C.
The incentive that is created is one of mediocrity; that it would be
just easier to settle for economic scraps instead of shooting for the
Moon and pursuing the American Dream.
And what about the supposed beneficiaries of socialism, the middle
and the lower-class workers? Under that system, not only do massive
amounts of other people's money flow here to Washington, but so does
the decisionmaking capacity, over large swaths of people's lives, from
your healthcare decisions to how you power your home, or your car, or
what school your child can attend.
Liberal Democrats often mock Republican economic policies as trickle-
down economics. But the socialist view essentially constitutes trickle-
down bureaucracy. The theory is that if we give more money and power to
Federal bureaucrats in Washington, that the benefits will somehow
trickle down to those who need it the most.
Furthermore, it is fundamentally immoral for decisions over your life
to be fundamentally outsourced to a far distant Capital hundreds or
thousands of miles away with the dim promise of support after the
Washington swamp has had its say.
The best way to combat the rise of socialism is to educate Americans
on the devastation that it has caused in other countries around the
world.
In Greece, socialist policies have crippled investment, innovation,
entrepreneurship, and led to a shortage of food, money, and medicine.
In Venezuela, the socialist policies of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas
Maduro have led to mass shortages of critical medicine, widespread
starvation, skyrocketing crime, and a terrible refugee crisis.
In contrast, countries that have adopted the capitalist principles of
economic freedom have fared much better. After trying Socialist
policies in the 20th century, Israel, India, and the United Kingdom
realized that their economies were hopelessly stagnated, and as a
result, all three countries stopped allowing the government to dictate
economic decisions and made the switch to free-market policies as a way
to jump-start their economies.
After embracing economic freedom, India now has the largest middle
class in the free world. Israel is rated as the third most innovative
economy in the world, and the United Kingdom's economy grew faster than
nearly every other economy in Europe.
As a strong supporter of economic freedom, I stand firm in my
commitment to combat the rise of socialism. This dangerous ideology has
failed in nearly every country where it has been tried, and we must do
everything in our power to educate the next generation of Americans
about the true nature of socialism.
Socialism is not what made America great. Socialism is not who we
are. America will never become a Socialist Nation.
____________________
