Socialism

“How can young Americans distrust the government to take care of their interests and endorse socialism, which entrusts the government with the power to redistribute wealth, direct all economic activity, and control their access to such necessities as healthcare?

“…millions of well-meaning people think it’s a virtual synonym for compassion. But socialists themselves are constantly retreating from their own handiwork. It’s socialism until it doesn’t work, then it was never socialism in the first place.” - IFWE

“Many young Americans sympathetic to socialism mistakenly believe that capitalism is a relatively modern concept, first seriously examined in Karl Marx’s Das Kapital, published in 1867. However… private property—an essential ingredient of capitalism—has been an integral part of Western civilization since ancient Athens, which had ‘a highly developed system of private property.’” - Law & Liberty

“The pontiff said he hopes a UBI will pave the way for the full transformation of society. He called for a ‘humanist and ecological conversion that puts an end to the idolatry of money and places human life and dignity at the center.’” - Acton

“Sanders’ preference for government programs over private philanthropy echoes that of ancient pagan rulers. Sanders, a democratic socialist, has said that private charity should not exist, because it usurps the authority of the government.” - Acton

“First, when the terms are left undefined, they seem to describe “kind” and “benevolent” economic systems that will help the poor and raise people out of poverty. They seem equivalent to the good “social programs” in our republic. Second, there is a seeming connection with the early church as described in Acts 2:44-45 which legitimizes these systems in the minds of some Christians.” - Matt Postiff

“Christians who oppose government intervention are often accused of harboring indifference, or antipathy, for the poor. But an abundance of evidence from two continents shows that welfare state policies actually reduce the wealth of the poor and raise prices, while benefiting the upper-middle class and well-connected corporations at taxpayers’ expense.” - Acton

“Joshua Muravchik’s Heaven on Earth gives one answer. A former socialist who abandoned the ideology in his 30s, Muravchik argues that we should understand the interest in socialized government, and the decline in nationalist sentiment, as a secular religion.” - Intellectual Takeout

“Sanders’ statement takes on greater significance given the context of his interviewer’s question: Bernie Sanders credited capitalism with lifting 1.2 billion people out of extreme poverty.” - Acton

“Hold ‘property in common’ and divide ‘the profits, not according to each man’s input and labor, but according to each man’s wants.’ Does that sound appealing? Congratulations, you have just applauded a major defender of slavery.” - WORLD