Has Socialism Ever Worked? A Guide to Debating Internet Commies

Welcome fellow deplorables. It is time, once again to flog the foolish notion of successful socialism.

LEFT-HOLES: Venezuela’s collapse is due to corruption, not socialism. The Scandinavians have successful socialism! See?! See?!

Muhuaha! Muhuhuaha! MUHUHUAHAHA! (Deep breath. Deep breath. Don’t giggle.)

First, socialism produces scarcity. Scarcity encourages people in authority to be corrupt… to overcome scarcity. Socialism & Corruption live together. They’re roomies. Socialism gets an apartment. Corruption starts to hang out there, just on weekends at first. But eventually Corruption is as likely to answer the door as Socialism, and then you realize its *their* apartment.

Second, Scandinavian “socialism” has been covered well by other people. I’ll provide you with some quotes (emphasis added). The links are at the end of the article.

“To the extent that the left wants to point to an example of successful socialism, not just generous welfare states, the Nordic countries are actually a poor case to cite. Regardless of the perception, in reality the Nordic countries practice mostly free market economics paired with high taxes exchanged for generous government entitlement programs… as evidence of the lack of government interference in business affairs, there is the fact that none of these countries have minimum wage laws…Workers are paid what they are worth, not based on government’s perception of what is fair.”

“Danes enjoy a high standard of living, and the Danish economy is characterized by extensive government welfare measures and an equitable distribution of income.”

“Norway has a stable economy with a vibrant private sector, a large state sector, and an extensive social safety net.”

“Sweden’s small, open, and competitive economy has been thriving and Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living with its combination of free-market capitalism and extensive welfare benefits.”

“Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita GDP almost as high as that of Austria and the Netherlands and slightly above that of Germany and Belgium. “

“Iceland’s economy combines a capitalist structure and free-market principles with an extensive welfare system.”

So, the key to successful “socialism” is free market economics, competition, private sector enterprise, lack of governmental interference, and capitalism. That, uh, yeah, that does not sound like socialism:

a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.
(in Marxist theory) a transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of Communism.

Still not convinced? Still think that’s socialism, not capitalism with high taxes for everyone? Okay. Let’s pretend that’s socialism. Does that mean Scandinavian socialism would work in the U.S.? I wonder if there are any important differences…

Wow! The U.S. sure does spend a lot on Defense compared to Scandinav… uhhh, Iceland? Iceland, what the hell are you doing? Would it kill you to make one carrier group? Just one? Well, gosh. Maybe the U.S. should just follow suit. Anybody wonder what would happen to all of these little countries if the U.S. had a defense budget of only $4 Billion? The other little countries would have to make up the nearly $600 Billion difference. I’m not against them paying their own way, but let’s at least be clear about the consequences. China would be calling the shots. Russia could do as it pleased, like in 1939. Finland? Poland? How did that work out?

Leftists, if you’re honestly worried that Trump is Putin’s puppet, do you want the defense budget slashed? Do you *want* Russian world leadership? Because *that’s* how you get Russian world leadership. Then again, maybe the Russians will settle down. It’s not like they have…I dunno… a history of wars and proxy wars. Oh, wait.

China 1929, Japan 1938, Poland 1939, Finland 1939, Estonia 1940, Latvia 1940, Lithuania 1940, Romania 1940, Iran 1942, Ukraine and Belarus 1944, Bulgaria 1944, Hungary 1944, Yugoslavia 1944, Albania 1944, Poland 1944, The Baltic States 1944, Germany 1944, Tuva 1944, Japan 1945, China 1945, Korea 1950, East Germany 1953, Hungary 1956, Vietnam 1960, Czechoslovakia 1968, China 1969, Israel 1969, Ethiopia 1974, Angola 1975, Afghanistan 1979, Georgia 1989, Baltic States 1990, Georgia 1991, Azerbaijan 1991, Moldova 1992, Tajikistan 1992, Northern Caucasus 1992, Georgia 2008, Ukraine 2014, and Syria 2015.

It looks like we might have to keep that defense budget.

Just for giggles, the next time a Left-hole tries to cite Scandinavian “socialism”, ask him if he is white supremacist… then demand that he proves it in light of citing near ethno-states as models for the U.S. “No, thank you, sir! I prefer my racially and ethnically diverse U.S. capitalism to your white supremacist socialism! Love trumps hate! Diverse lives matter! Reeeee!” Then tell him to check his privilege, and walk away.