WHAT SEEMS FAIR ISN'T ALWAYS

Few people seem to understand what socialism is and why it has never succeeded at making people free.

For those who haven't been keeping up, let me give you the definition of socialism once again:

Socialism: a political theory advocating state ownership of industry; an economic system based on state ownership of capital; any of various political philosophies that support social and economic equality, collective decision-making, and public control of productive capital and natural resources, as advocated by socialists; the socialist political philosophies as a group, including Marxism, libertarian socialism and others.

Has socialism ever been tried? If so, how well does socialism work?

Here are some countries that have tried socialism. See if you'd like to live in one or more of them:

Just south of Key West, Florida is one of the most socialist of nations, Cuba.

Cuba has a mostly state-run economy, universal health care, government-paid education at all levels, and a number of of social programs. It does not have a stock exchange.

Cuba's citizens earn an average of $3,900.00 per year, and pays close to 33% in taxes.

Cubans can afford to eat Arroz y frijoles (rice and beans), the traditional staple meal. Rice is served at most meals, along with a favourite food such as potatoes, boniatos (sweet potatoes), yuca (cassava), plátanos (plantains), or tomatoes. Eggs are eaten boiled, fried, or as an omelet. Maize is the basis of many foods, the most popular being harina de maíz (cornmeal).

Cubans in coastal areas eat locally caught seafood, most of which they must catch themselves.

Tilapia, a freshwater fish found in Cuba’s numerous reservoirs, is also popular.

Home-grown tropical fruits include mangoes, avocados, guavas, oranges, lemons, pineapples, and papayas. Coffee is generally served after meals.

Cubans have not been allowed to buy freely any car made since 1959. Water is piped indoors to roughly half of all homes and outside to one-fifth; about half have private bath facilities.

Michael Moore would love to live in Cuba, but is a bit addicted to the money he can freely earn in the U.S. But if he does go there to live, maybe you'd like to join him.

Consider North Korea:

North Korea has an almost entirely state-run economy, as well as the same social programs mentioned for Cuba. Like Cuba, North Korea does not have a stock exchange.

The average monthly salary in North Korea is close to $50.00.

The urban diet is partly made up of a ration provided by the government, but this has dropped from 300-250g of cereals per person per day.

The rest of their daily nutritional needs they must grow themselves, if they are lucky enough to live on a collective or raise farm animals.

How would you fare if you moved to North Korea?

Let's all adopt the Syrian lifestyle.

Syria: Although not commonly referred to as Socialist in the West, Syria has a mostly state-run economy and has universal "health care," if you want to call it that.

Despite being one of the world's rich oil producing countries, the average income in Syria is about $1,600.00.

The Syrian diet consists predominantly of cereals, particularly bread. Significant is the consumption of fruit and vegetables, particularly tomatos and citrus. Mutton is the main meat item consumed in urban areas, while chicken dominates in rural areas.

Sweden

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy that operates as a quasi-socialist nation.

You'll find mostly private industry in Sweden, but many well-funded government social programs are offered. Universal health care and government-provided education at all levels is made available.

The median household income in Sweden is the equivalent of close to $30,000.

Swedish productivity has fallen rapidly relative to per capital productivity in the USA.

The Swedish government is being forced to cannibalize its own capital structure over time in order to make the system to continue to work.

The Swedish diet consists of a lot of preserved foods and include dried, smoked, salted, or pickled fish; dried fruits and jams; and fermented milk.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are only available for a few months a year and are dried and stored for the fall and winter months. Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries abound in the summer.

Potatoes are an important staple of the diet and are served in a variety of ways, including as pancakes. Other staples include fish, seafood, mutton, cheese, cabbage, apples, onions, berries, nuts, and bread.

This is not an exhaustive list of socialist countries, but is a representation of the various levels of socialism around the world and the basic life-styles found therein.

Given what you've seen above, do you really want the United States of America to proceed down the path to socialism?

Can't you see that you have been sold a bill of goods about the "advantages" of socialism as played out in real life as opposed to the romanticized way it is presented by academia?

The "fairness" of socialism is only "fair" for the leaders, who fare very well, not the ordinary citizens.

Wake up!