Discussing Charles Colson: This is the context for what Charles Colson writes next in the chapter titled “The Political Illusion.” [See if anything from this description of the 1970 D.C. bureaucracy sounds familiar to the D.C. bureaucracy today, almost 50 years later. The purpose of this article is not to compare how things have not changed, but it is instructive for historical reference to note the similarities.]
. . . Socialism Is More Than Big Government; It’s All Government
"At its most basic level, socialism is government control of all institutions that provide goods and services to the people. Government fully controls education, manufacturing, production, food distribution, infrastructure, healthcare, etc. etc. You can see, and are probably experiencing, why socialized healthcare in the U.S. was a huge first step toward a vast socialist existence—premium increases, less healthcare, taxed for other people’s healthcare, more bureaucracy. Anything controlled by the government, by default, increases the cost, if for no other reason than to pay for the program administration. But of course, cost is affected in other ways as well.
Socialism is Government-Only Capitalism
"Because socialism is incompatible with capitalism, there is no competition. Why would the government compete against itself? Why should doctors and healthcare providers be a cut above “the rest” if in reality “the rest” do not exist, since all work for the government and will receive the same stipend?
"Why should laws and regulations aim at controlling drug prices if the government owns the drug companies, sets drug pricing, receives reimbursement for drugs; so the more drugs cost, the more the government receives back?
"Why should patients be treated fairly, in a reasonable amount of time, as a human being, if the hospitals and doctors are overworked and underpaid due to the lack of government approved resources? Why do you think people from Canada come to the U.S. for healthcare and dental services?
Why do you think people from Canada come to the U.S. for healthcare and dental services?
"Certainly, the purpose of this article is not to explain the distorted thinking of socialists. That would take a rather large library. But the purpose of this article is to serve as a warning—things are not always as they appear."
The Seduction Of Socialism
"Socialism is attractive to the down-and-out, the poor, the unwise, whether from a lack of education or a lack of life experience. But government is not an economic answer. On the surface, the government taking care of all its “happy and well-adjusted citizens” sounds good. But as Mr. Colson said, money rarely makes it to the needy. Socialism has never been successful in any country where it has been imposed. The only thing it is successful at is destroying a country’s economy and the will of the citizenry, if they happen to still be among the living." . . .
