Thus says Walter Williams in a recent article. I see capitalism at work on a daily basis, and would be first to say it is an ugly monster at times. But I have to agree with Mr. Williams. He goes further:

“The very attempt to achieve the utopian goals of communism requires the ruthless suppression of the individual and an attack on any institution that might compromise the loyalty of the individual to the state. That’s why one of the first orders of business for communism, and those who support its ideas, is the attack on religion and the family.” If you do not believe religion (and specifically, Christianity) and the traditional family are under constant attack by the Left, spend a night reading the blogs on Huffington Post.

“Rank nations according to whether they are closer to the capitalism end or the communism end of the economic spectrum. Then rank nations according to human rights protections. Finally, rank nations according to per capita income. Without question, citizens of those nations closer to capitalism enjoy a higher standard of living and a far greater measure of liberty than those in nations closer to communism.” concludes Williams.

One of the curses of communistic governments is that, if they go on for more than a generation or two, the people forget what it is like to be free. Their whole mindset is one of the government providing handouts to them, rather than one of taking individual responsibility for themselves. Sadly, close friends who have spent time in the former Soviet Republics (the ‘Stans) report that this is the case. The ignorance of what it means to truly live free will likely hobble them for untold decades, if not centuries.

Trying to build from a non-existent foundation that prized freedom is difficult, if not impossible Prize your freedom, and stay wary of all forms of communistic pipe-dreams. With Putin reviving autocratic, communist-style rule in Russia, these warnings are an appropriate reminder. Communism always has been a Piped Piper to the killing fields. Let our children learn their history well.