LETTER TO THE EDITOR: In response to "the future will be socialist or it will be sorrow" by Bruce Darnell : Socialism is Sorrow

There is no perfect form of government. With every amendment to a current structure, or after every revolution, there will always be a problem with society. There will always be homelessness. There will always be hunger. There will always be a lower working-class struggle. But establishing socialism in America would just replace old problems with new ones. The economic system would slow to almost a halt. 

After  World War II, the U.K. tried socialism for three decades and saw devastating tax rates on income. The unions in the state were powerful and deterred incentive and investment from workers. It wasn’t until Margaret Thatcher stepped in and privatized the current system, which resulted in the economy skyrocketing compared to its previous condition. 

Increased government ownership will choke and decrease growth, as seen in the U.K. in the late 20th century. Poor conditions for workers will always be an issue in the U.S. A complete socialist reform of the entire structure of our government is not the answer. 

Socialism promises the working class great power. With this, the previously corrupt government officials are instead poor workers who know what conditions are truly like for non-government officials in society; the working class can make judgment calls that would be more accurate based on their prior experience. This is the main appeal of socialism. However, in most cases only government workers prosper from this system. This solution would only cause more issues. Corruption is everywhere. Everyone who gains wealth or power eventually grows attached to it. They will spoil themselves and put others down and accomplish whatever is necessary to keep that position. This is just a characteristic of human nature, it cannot be avoided. 

Socialist societies – Venezuela, the USSR, Cuba – became a breeding ground for corruption. If everyone is assimilated into the working class, the notion that citizens would be able to have their dream job would be false. If someone is unhappy with the amount of money or benefits they are receiving, changing that would prove difficult in a socialist society. If everyone is equal, then the chance of everyone getting an equally low payment is high, which is a prevalent flaw of socialism. Rulers would make everyone equal, by making everyone poor, and would exempt themselves from this law. 

There will always be faulty lawmakers and politicians in today’s society. Corruption will persist in the government. Socialism breaches individual liberties and halts revenue boosting innovation. Furthermore, the increase in state power paves way for a rise in corruption. A change to the United States’ ruling system would not accomplish great feats, and instead, keep the same vicious cycle that citizens are stuck in today.