Socialism is Evil, Part II - Walter E. Williams

[TXNavy]

Socialism is Evil: Part II
Walter E. Williams

August 17, 2004

Positive reader response to "Socialism Is Evil" was quite surprising.

That column argued that it was an immoral, not to mention unconstitutional, act for Congress, through the tax code, to confiscate the earnings of one American to give to another American in the forms of prescription drugs, Social Security, food stamps, farm subsidies or airline bailouts. It's immoral because it forcibly uses one person to serve the purposes of another. Indeed, that's one way to define slavery and other forms of servitude.

Several letters of disagreement interpreted my argument as being against taxation. They used the sleight-of-hand approach saying that we need taxation for national defense, the courts and other constitutionally authorized purposes as if that observation meant that taxation for any other purpose was just as legitimate. Let me be explicit. Taxes to finance certain federal activities are indeed legitimate as well as constitutional.

Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution enumerates just what federal functions Congress has taxing and spending authority. Among them are national defense, post offices and post roads, courts and a few other activities. Or, as James Madison, the Father of our Constitution, explained in Federalist Paper No. 45, "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined.

“Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected."

Full Article Here:
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/w...20040817.shtml

[Willie Tubbs]

Does it really matter if the Constitution doesn't explicitly say anything about taxing for social programs? Would our society really be better off without any social safety net? We have the fewest social programs the First World as it is...

[TXNavy]

Originally posted by Willie Tubbs:
Does it really matter if the Constitution doesn't explicitly say anything about taxing for social programs?

Why, yes it does.

Would our society really be better off without any social safety net?

Yep it would.

We have the fewest social programs the First World as it is...

That's a good thing. The United States does not possess the most natural wealth of all developed nations; our free market economy unhindered by socialist boondoggles is the root of our strength.

Government entanglement in things like health care and gonzo redistribution schemes has been a source of problems, not solutions.

[Willie Tubbs]

Government entanglement in things like health care and gonzo redistribution schemes has been a source of problems, not solutions.

Then why do we have so many people without insurance? Why are worse at many health metrics (malnutrition, life expectancy, infant mortality) than some nations with more socialistic tendencies?

[Jeren]

Socialist countries are in a perpetual state of decline. By suffocating thier tax bases (look up the Laffer Curve) their social systems are always having to grow new roots in previously untapped sources, which targets the lower incomes. They cannot afford militaries if they wanted them, since this is targeted as well.

Now we do have a socialist health care system in charity hospital programs. I would also note that personal research has indicated Democrats cutting funding to these many times more than Republicans.

[dirtdart]

Originally posted by Willie Tubbs:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Government entanglement in things like health care and gonzo redistribution schemes has been a source of problems, not solutions.

Then why do we have so many people without insurance? Why are worse at many health metrics (malnutrition, life expectancy, infant mortality) than some nations with more socialistic tendencies? </font>[/quote]We have some many people without health insurance because of the "sue and get rich" mentality that has become so prevalent driving the costs of both healthcare and insurance through the roof.