First off, you say that Democracy is a form of government and Capitalism is an economic system. I agree with that. However, the same cannot be said for Socialism and Communism. Both of those are politico-economic systems. The political structure of socialism is indispensable to implementing socialism's economic policies. That is why you will find that people who have lived in Socialist or Communist countries make no distinction between the economic system and the system of government. The thing that is different about Capitalism, is that you can have a very limited government structure, because the decisions on free trade between individuals and groups of people are left to the people, with minimal government interference, except to enforce property rights and contracts, provide a justice system to redress grievances, and provide for military and law enforcement protections. In socialism and communism, trade is not freely decided on between people. Instead, onerous government controls are put in place to manage the economy centrally and tax extraction methods become very invasive to asset strip those with capital to redistribute to those without capital.
One giant mistake you are making is thinking that Socialism, Communism, and Capitalism are on a linear spectrum. What is true in reality is that Capitalism is on top of the hill and is something to aspire to in its enablement of prosperity and freedom. Capitalism and Democracy have an unmatched record for lifting more people out of poverty and providing more freedom and human rights than any other system. Socialism is further down the hill, with Communism further down, and Dictatorship at the bottom of the hill. You see, this is a slippery slope. Once a group of free people engaged in Capitalism with a Democratic government start to become enthralled with all the free shit they can vote themselves, they start sliding down the hill. Every vote for free shit means enabling the government to grow bigger and more invasive in order to enable the redistribution. This continues until Communism, price setting, and control becomes overwhelming. Ultimately, it always leads to Putin, Maduro, Kim Jong Un, and others.
You say Democrats love Capitalism, but that's utter poppycock. There is no one screaming louder about the benefits of Socialism in almost every conversation than Democrats and liberals right now. Bernie was very, very popular with Millennials. Most surveys of this incredibly large group of people show that they are VERY liberal and the majority believe in Socialism/Communism. In fact, a recent poll showed 58% of Millennials believe in Socialism/Communism/Fascism. That is alarming because Millennials are the future Democratic party faithful. So you are wrong to say your party believes in Capitalism. They do not now and they will not in the future. That's the sad fact.
Poll: Majority of Democrats say socialism has 'positive impact'Senator Sanders declared: “These days, the American dream is more apt to be realized in South America, in places such as Ecuador, Venezuela and Argentina, where incomes are actually more equal today than they are in the land of Horatio Alger.”
The Democrats have become socialists
Hey Bernie, I left Venezuela's socialism behind for a reason: Voices
As an immigrant from Latin America, I have found the current presidential election to be both depressing and terrifying — but not for the obvious reason. The negativity in rhetoric concerns me, of course. Yet it pales in comparison to the growing acceptance of socialism, which I thought I left behind in my formerly rich homeland, Venezuela. |
