It’s a growing theme. Time and time again we see the world around us complaining about the American economic system. And why shouldnt they? Prices have risen exponentially over the past decade, housing has become nearly unaffordable to middle class families, and the average american adult has a growing personal debt of $105,056.
Here we see from the outside looking in, the rich get richer each year paying more but “not enough” taxes in comparison to the middle and lower class. No one feels like they can get ahead and everyone who is, will gladly sell you a course online to get the inside scoop togaining generational wealth overnight. Unfortunately, people think that the rich are to blame out of greed when the top 20% of earners pay almost 70% of taxes to fund our national budget. (See chart below)
The solution? Some people say we need to abandon fully Capitalism and adopt “the fair and equitable choice” Socialism. Socialism is the system of choice by many because it supposedly guarantees a basic level of income and lifestyle. Who doesn’t want healthcare, education, even income itself as a guarantee from the government? While this is all great to get behind in theory, there are a few issues behind the problem.
Heres the reality…
- The government providing “free” services and resources to you is not free but taxpayer funded. This isn’t a coupon you recieve each time you need something from the government, this is something you pay for each year in taxes. Something we as a nation still can’t afford as we haven’t had a balance budget since 2001. How can we expect the government to cover our expenses when they can’t even afford theirs?
- America has become a welfare state. People have grown too dependant on government assistance to cover the necessary expenditures. This is because when you grant welfare to someone who doesn’t contribute to society, you incentivize others to not contribute themselves. These socialist ideals have crippled the american people not because it’s being misused but it is being abused. Socialism promises the safety and providence of the common citizen, but if you take away any incentive by giving away benefits for free, there will be no one to strive to succeed. Simply put, if you created a law that legally companies can only make $1 million in profit a year, that the rest of the money made must be paid to the government, what would incentivize the corporation to keep working after reaching that amount of profit? This is where socialist ideals fall flat. To receive benefits from the government is a great thing to help those who can’t help themselves, however this simultaneously requires more to be contributed to those not benefiting. This is why Christians clearly shouldn’t support Socialism. In fact the Bible speaks to it. “Those who don’t work don’t eat” –2 Thessalonians 3:10. The Bible believes that charity must be a voluntary contribution. Charity enforced by the government is theft, welfare is just the name they use.
- Socialism as a whole is an ideology that replaces the Church. Socialism’s #1 goal is to have the public be dependent on the government. If this were the case, you have no dependence on the Church or God. For socialism to exist, you MUST have 100% buy in from the public. In a way, for Socialism to work, you need a religious body to follow the governments reign as if it were a god. Christianity and Socialism don’t mix well.
So why does half the nation think that Capitalism is to blame?
Because it’s not perfect… But it doesn’t claim to be.
The beauty of Capitalism is that it isn’t dependant on the government but the individual to strive for success. Yes, that can lead to failure, but it has also led to the most prosperous nation of individuals the world has ever seen! If you want to prosper in this nation, you can’t get it from the government, it isn’t guaranteed, you have to find it yourself.
The real problem why people think capitalism has become an issue and where we can fix it, is that products aren’t developed anymore, people have become the products. With expanding ideas such as predictive markets and content for purchase, people are profited off of. Sure, companies have made countless amounts of money but it does nothing to build up the economy, just to build their bank accounts. This is why the markets feels weak and a “bubble is imminent to burst any day.”
But the solution isn’t Socialism; in fact, it’s the opposite. We need to rein in abusive ideas and instead build products the world can truly benefit from. It is long past time for America to produce products again, not just ideas. Manufacturing is no longer an American priotity. What once made America an economic powerhouse is hardly recognizable anymore, and if we don’t return to a nation that produces and creates rather than outsources, the problem will only get worse. The answer to fixing our problems is found in what made us great, not in a economical system that we already know doesn’t work.
So when you hear someone blame “daddy capitalism” or say “late-stage capitalism at its peak,” in reference to the failing ideas around us, recognize that they are advocating for expanded government dependency and, ultimately, moving people further away from God.
Socialism isn’t the way forward. Socialism isn’t America.
