The folks who regularly read this column are aware I am not a fan of Socialism. Socialism is an outstanding form of government in the academic world but not in the real world. It was tried thousands of times over the years on a large scale, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), now the Russian Federation, and small scale communes in this area and indeed around the world always failed over time.
Socialism goes against the nature of the human being; equal reward to all regardless of effort is a disincentive for folks to work harder and longer. A government that dictates our every move is repugnant to most who desire even the most basic freedoms.
The absolute best side by side comparison of Socialism and free market democracy can be found in the two Koreas. More than 50% of the Korean people, North and South, come from three basic families. The total population of the Koreas descend from just 300 families. The DNA of Koreans north and south is very similar, they speak and write the same language have the same ancient history and are all related. Diet, religion, social norms and customs were all the same for thousands of years.
In 1945 Korea was divided in two by the end of World War II. Both North and South Korea were destroyed in the Korean War, and both started from scratch in 1955. Both were dirt poor, raped by the Japanese occupation and further destroyed by more explosives than dropped on western Europe in World War II during the Korean War. Both nations started equally to rebuild.
The North remained a Socialist dictatorship and the South a free enterprise democracy. The North has more natural resources and it borders China, a strong ally and trading partner. The South was not blessed with many natural resources and the United States, its strongest ally, is half a world away.
So why are the South Koreans doing so much better than the North Koreans? Why are the folks in the South on average two inches taller and live much longer? Why is the South closing in on Japan as the most prosperous and modern nation in Asia? Why is the infant mortality rate in the South a fraction of that we find in the North? Why do we find North Koreans defecting to the South? The answer is simple and should be studied by those who advocate for Socialism: a market economy is the best engine for prosperity; it works, Socialism fails.
The North built a golf course; Kim Il Sung, the God leader at the time, played the first round and scored an 18, 18 back-to-back holes in one. Now a reasonable person would not believe this story, but the Koreans in the North, not having an independent news media, a God leader and government that controls of every aspect of life, do believe it. Satellites from space looking down on the two Koreas see a North
with few lights at night because of a lack of electricity and a brightly lit South.
The South has a vibrant educational system with ground-breaking research being done in medicine, science and engineering. A vibrant manufacturing base and a net export surplus. The North has a large problem feeding its own people; malnutrition is not uncommon and people routine die from common childhood diseases. The North primarily builds missiles and nuclear hardware for export. The South exports a wide variety manufactured goods.
The petri dish that is Korea should be studied and referenced in our colleges and universities as an example of the two economic systems in an equal side by side comparison, but it is not. It is not referenced because the truth would be inconvenient: in the real world, Socialism fails and the free market works.
“Feel the burn,” means burning down economies and destroying nations. Socialism works only until they run out of other people’s money. Never forget Fascism was and is Democratic Socialism.
Outstanding analysis and comment!
Mr. Free Market Man,
Sir,
Thank you kindly for the comment.
Kim Jong Un is a brutal dictator. The people of North Korea suffer horribly under his rule. South Korea is thriving. Conflating governance as found in the two Koreas (dictatorship/democracy) with economic policy is erroneous. Our neighbors to the north provide health care to all Canadians. Should we fear them for their socialism? Social Security, Medicare, public education, and countless other (socialistic?) aspects of American governance seem to be performing satisfactorily. Most of us would not want pure, unfettered capitalism, nor would we want a pure unfettered socialism. The complex task it to operate with a Goldilocks mix of not-too-much, not-too-little, but just right. But I may think we’re close to the mark, and you may think we’re off the rails. Or vice versa. But this is not easy stuff.
Mr. Basura,
Sir, thank you for the comment.
The point is the two nations are a side by side comparison, Canada is not a socialist nation they may have single payer but their corporate tax is less than ours.
I have been to both Koreas and the north is a vastly more socialistic nation than the other “socialist” nations I have seen, they are along the lines of the former USSR or Red China before they changed their economic system.
You are correct that a mixture of government types may be best. I do feel our new radical form of government (new and radical in 1776) is the best ever conceived.
Thanks again.
The present state of the Korean peninsula is a direct result of President Truman firing General MacArthur during the Korean War. We should have taken the north and let the Korean people, not the communist puppets, decide what they wanted for government. The general tried, but like usual, the politicians become generals and know what is best even when they aren’t on the battlefield. War is hell, and being perpetually in or ready for war is what we’ve had since the end of WWII.
However, we will never know what could have been. But it is telling when you look at the north and south and the disparity between the two. I think it is time the fat goof-ball dictator take a bullet in the head – the problem occurs when his successor is chosen or forced dictatorship by a strong-arm general or family member. If only Truman would have correctly read the tea leaves at the time. Now we are at it again.