Terry's 3M's

Experience and time seems to change one's perspective about things in the world. Or does it, really?

There are a couple of things that have headed me down a path of introspection during the past few days.

Last night, I started to watch, for the "I don't how manyeth" time, the movie Reds. It is amazing how much I love that movie (except for the play scenes on Fire Island) when I mostly disagree with the politics of the protagonists.

The main problem with socialism is that it will not work.

If I understand my political terms correctly, the difference between communism and socialism is that communism doesn't allow freedom of individual expression. Both involve the redistribution of wealth. In theory, socialism would mean that everyone gets an equal share of the wealth garnered from the production and distribution of goods and services with the government as the owner and executor of lands, properties, factories, medical and educational facilities, etc.

On a nationwide scale, it is not feasible or practical over the long run. And without an electoral process for it's leaders, it is doomed to failure.

On a smaller scale and with the leaders elected from among it's members, it is possible. Among the successes are communes that have survived for years and the Israeli kibbutz.

However, even these successes are dependent on the capitalism that surrounds them. There is a need to sell the excess production of goods in order to obtain the money for that which they cannot supply for themselves.

It is easy to see, tho', how workers who are living on wages barely able to sustain them, might find the idea of a redistribution of wealth hard to resist. The thought of raising their standard of living from poverty to middle-class or beyond would be most seductive.

Towards the end of the movie, it is Emma Goldman who points out to Jack Reed that the dream was not working. There was also a side effect that no one who had looked upon socialism as an ideal for a country had counted on--that the new government was murdering people left and right as a deterrant to anyone who dared to question it's policies.

There is another thing wrong with socialism that was not addressed in this movie. Ayn Rand addressed this issue in her epic novel, Atlas Shrugged. There is an issue of incentive. In a kibbutz or commune, this is not as big a problem because a person who is capable of working hard but is slacking off can be asked to leave or life can be made intolerable enough so that the person would leave voluntarily. But, if the entire nation is socialistic, what is the incentive to work harder if there is no reward forthcoming? If one's reward for working harder is that the powers that be insist that one continue to work one's hardest without recompense while others are performing in a minimal capacity?

I used to think that Ayn Rand was great as an intellectual and philosopher. But, it didn't last that long (probably from ages 23-25). I never did agree with her religious views--I have never been an atheist. I do believe Capitalism is necessary for a country and a society to grow.

However, I don't believe that the Communist party in America was ever a serious threat in the national politics of the United States. The House Committee of Un-American Activities ended up doing much more harm than good with it's censures based on innuendo and fear.

Another reason why I'd been thinking of how I had changed over the years was because I had recently learned that Ayn Rand was one of those that named names in the House Committee. It lowered my opinion of her intellect.

Yes, I realize that she had seen the effects of communism in an up close and personal way. But, it clouded her judgement and she either did not see or did not WANT to see, that by co-operating with the Committee, she was violating and disregarding the rights that she held to be dear.

All in all, when I don't think I've changed my opinions that much over the last quarter century. I still think socialism is in it's best form when it is in theory and not in practice. And that for all it's faults and flaws, the American form of government is the best that can be aspired to in this world.