Socialism

1. Socialism is the Big Lie of the twentieth century. While it promised prosperity, equality, and security, it delivered poverty, misery, and tyranny. Equality was achieved only in the sense that everyone was equal in his or her misery. In the same way that a Ponzi scheme or chain letter initially succeeds but eventually collapses, socialism may show early signs of success. But any accomplishments quickly fade as the fundamental deficiencies of central planning emerge. It is the initial illusion of success that gives government intervention its pernicious, seductive appeal. In the long run, socialism has always proven to be a formula for tyranny and misery. A pyramid scheme is ultimately unsustainable because it is based on faulty principles. Likewise, collectivism is unsustainable in the long run because it is a flawed theory. Socialism does not work because it is not consistent with fundamental principles of human behavior. The failure of socialism in countries around the world can be traced to one critical defect: it is a system that ignores incentives. In a capitalist economy, incentives are of the utmost importance. Market prices, the profit-and-loss system of accounting, and private property rights provide an efficient, interrelated system of incentives to guide and direct economic behavior. Capitalism is based on the theory that incentives matter! Under socialism, incentives either play a minimal role or are ignored totally. A centrally planned economy without market prices or profits, where property is owned by the state, is a system without an effective incentive mechanism to direct economic activity. By failing to emphasize incentives, socialism is a theory inconsistent with human nature and is therefore doomed to fail. Socialism is based on the theory that incentives don"t matter! 2. The strength of capitalism can be attributed to an incentive structure based upon the three Ps: (1) prices determined by market forces, (2) a profit-and-loss system of accounting and (3) private property rights. The failure of socialism can be traced to its neglect of these three incentive-enhancing components. 3. By their failure to foster, promote, and nurture the potential of their people through incentive-enhancing institutions, centrally planned economies deprive the human spirit of full development. Socialism fails because it kills and destroys the human spirit"just ask the people leaving Cuba in homemade rafts and boats [and those waiting in long lines today in Venezuela struggling, and often failing, to buy food]. 4. The temptress of socialism is constantly luring us with the offer: "give up a little of your freedom and I will give you a little more security." As the experience of this century has demonstrated, the bargain is tempting but never pays off. We end up losing both our freedom and our security. Socialism will remain a constant temptation. We must be vigilant in our fight against socialism not only around the globe but also here in the United States. The failure of socialism inspired a worldwide renaissance of freedom and liberty. For the first time in the history of the world, the day is coming very soon when a majority of the people in the world will live in free societies or societies rapidly moving toward freedom. Capitalism will play a major role in the global revival of liberty and prosperity because it nurtures the human spirit, inspires human creativity, and promotes the spirit of enterprise. By providing a powerful system of incentives that promote thrift, hard work, and efficiency, capitalism creates wealth. Moving on to my opponents case. My opponent makes what the Hoover Institute calls the "bad jockey" argument for socialism. the argument essentially goes like this: Socialism isn't a bad idea, it's the people implementing it that were bad. It wasn't REAL socialism. Bad Ideas fail. trying a failed idea that has corrupted and destroyed numerous economies throughout history is ludicrous. It's at this point that I come to the realization that you may be a troll frankfurter. Castro and Stalin were evil dictators that not only impoverished, but caused immense suffering in the people the ruled over. such is the eventual fate of any socialist/communist state. My opponent makes the argument that without capitalism there would be no social classes or currency. 1. social classes have existed since the dawn of civilization and are necessary for the functionality of a state. What's important is that through hard work, you can rise through social classes. Capitalism provides for this. socialism necessitates universal poverty. 2. currency gives the common man democratic power through their spending. Currency allows the general population to utilize their market power to reward or punish organizations or businesses that do things that the populace approves of or disapproves of. the people can also donate to political causes to forward their hand in the political system. The only reason that the soviet union lasted so long in the "war" was because it was a cold war brought on by the nuclearization of both states. The Soviets were able to achieve military might because they were willing to work their people to death for next to no pay. Because communism. Nazi Germany only lasted 5 years by the way. 1941-1945. The American revolution was not nearly over before it began. that's just historically ignorant. I've already answered for how Russia was able to keep going for so long. communism as Karl Marx describes it, necessitates tyranny and dictatorship. I know. I've actually choked down the communist manifesto in preparation for debates like this. He doesn't hide it either. he makes direct references to dictatorship. Okay. Communism it is. The soviet Union may not have felt the effects of the great depression, but it was also during this period that the soviet union was held together through fear and force. Again, communism necessitates tyranny. This makes it evil. having your government (not your people) have money when other governments are lacking of it, does not justify the means. Communist countries in 2008... you mean Cuba? North Korea? The economies of those countries were far worse than the economy of the United States at the lowest point of the recession. Russia kept producing at high velocity because of slave labor.(de facto.) The soviet space program contributed in no small part to bankrupting the Soviet Union (the equivalent of bankruptcy for a communist state) the United States was not bankrupted by the space race, and we were the victors. Russia was tolerated during world war two. Let's not forget that Russia actually DID originally side with the Nazis in the conquest of Poland and only responded with force after hitler attacked them. you again show your historical ignorance. I would not use cuba as a model for a successful economy. it's pretty terrible. also, China was rather poor until they made drastic market reforms which moved their economy towards a rigidly controlled market economy. there's that historical ignorance again.