Posted by
ValiantForTruth on Thursday, October 16, 2008 2:06:02 PM
Socialism or capitalism: which system promotes liberty and prosperity?
The socialist ideal of fraternity is a myth because the state cannot promote both liberty and equality. Equality does not mean equality under law, but equality of outcome.
The French tried liberty and equality and the result was government by means of the guillotine. In order to insure equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity, the state becomes the promoter of tyranny rather than liberty.
Capitalism taps into wealth creation by allowing men to pursue their self interest. Even in the Plymouth colony made up largely of Christians the practice of socialism was a failure. Only when men were allowed to work for themselves and keep the fruits of their own labor did the colony begin to thrive.
When the Pilgrims came to America to establish the Plymouth Colony, they did so under the requirement that "all profits and benefits that are got by trade, working, fishing, or any other means" were to be placed into the "common stock" of the colony and that "all such persons as are of this colony are to have their provisions out of the common stock."
The failure of this high-minded system was evident when the reality of famine overtook them. William Bradford abolished this experiment in socialism and converted to a free market society based on the Biblical model.
He did as the Jews did when they entered the promised land. The land was divided according to family. Men became responsible for their own; they kept what they produced and were free to trade as they saw fit. The famine not only ended, but prosperity overtook them.
These basic principles do not change because men do not change. Obama is dangerous because he does not understand that the state is the enemy of liberty and wealth creation. The power of the state rather than expanded must be limited as in American constitutionalism.