Capitalism Under Attack in America

Socialism was once a dirty word in America.  If a politician was branded a "socialist," the scarlet label spelled disgrace and defeat.  Today in the Democratic Party presidential primary an avowed proponent of socialism has risen in the polls as his views have received increasing popular support.

How far has capitalism fallen out of favor?  In the recent Democratic Party presidential debate, no candidate rushed to defend capitalism, including Hillary Clinton, whose tepid support for free enterprise seemed at odds with the views of most in the audience.

The Gallup polling firm has shed some light on the rise of socialism in a 2010 report.  The results of its opinion research showed that 53 percent of Democrats have a positive image of socialism.  By comparison, only 17 percent of Republicans hold a flattering view of socialism.

Among all Americans, about one-third (36%) have a positive impression of socialism.  What the research makes clear is that socialism has found a home in the Democratic Party.  It helps explain the improbable candidacy of unabashed socialist Bernie Sanders.

A more recent Gallup poll, conducted in June, found that 47 percent of Americans would consider voting for a socialist candidate for president. Democrats (52%) were more favorable toward a socialist campaigner than independents (49%) and Republicans (26%).

This may be shocking news to many Americans who associate socialism with Communist China or the former Soviet Union or Fidel Castro's Cuban regime.  Do Americans really want a society controlled by a totalitarian government that dictates economic winners and losers?

The answer to that question can be found in the Gallup research.  In the firm's poll, 86 percent of Americans favorably rated the term "free enterprise," including a majority of Democrats.  Yet in the minds of many economists, capitalism and free enterprise are synonymous.

A 2014 report by the Pew Research Center on Global Attitudes and Trends found that Americans are more likely than their counterparts in other industrialized countries to believe their own efforts will determine success.  That is another one of the hallmarks of a capitalist society.

This suggests the term "capitalism" has become anathema for many Americans. Democrats, especially the party's liberal wing, have demonized capitalism for years. Their propaganda campaign has been abetted by the media's portrayal of the current system as patently unfair and corrupt.

The steady drumbeat of disinformation has included false narratives about capitalism.  The economic system has exacerbated income inequality, increased poverty, gutted the middle class, fueled job losses and made health care unaffordable.  Capitalism is now a four-letter word: e-v-i-l.

All society's problems cannot be laid at the feet of capitalism. Capitalism does not guarantee equal outcomes in life.  No economic system does, not even the socialism preached by Mr. Sanders.  Yet Democrats keep insisting income equality demands equal prosperity.

Capitalism allows each person the right to their property, to invest as they see fit, to work for the benefit of themselves or their family, to buy and sell goods and services with little or no interference from the government. This economic freedom unleashes the God-given potential of each individual.

Under capitalism, Americans have grown more prosperous. More people own homes. Ingenuity is rewarded. Democracy is strengthened. Billions of dollars are spent each year on safety nets for those less fortunate. America has led the way in innovation and the reduction of poverty.

For all this evidence of success, there is little public recognition of why America enjoys such abundance. The education system no longer celebrates capitalism.  You can find weighty tomes written by college professors bemoaning the human misery caused by capitalism.

Where are capitalism's defenders today?  Business leaders should be at the forefront of extolling the virtues of a system that benefits job creation, investment, entrepreneurship and growth.  But most cower, scared the political correctness crowd will attack anyone who touts capitalism.

Americans are allowing their economic model to be trashed without a peep.  Too many people take free enterprise for granted and assume it will always be the nation's economic engine.  However, a socialist president could change the current model in ways that would bring lasting economic ruin.

Rise up Americans.  Once capitalism disappears, it will be too late for its proponents to recapture the prosperity that our nation has enjoyed. Raise your voices in support of capitalism, the economic system that is responsible for America's greatness.