"Socialism is not in the least what it pretends to be. It is not the pioneer of a better and finer world, but the spoiler of what thousands of years of civilization have created. It does not build, it destroys. For destruction is the essence of it. It produces nothing, it only consumes what the social order based on private ownership in the means of production has created."
by:
Ludwig von Mises
(1881-1973) Economist and social philosopher
Source:
"Socialism", 1922
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 -- Bill Bochynski, Carroll, NH      
 -- luis, perez      
 -- jim k, Austin, Tx      
The thing that socialist Idealists either fail to recognize or just plain ignore is the FACT that if people are given the opportunity to live at someone else's expense...they will. And only the moral, ethical and proud will be left to produce...and when they realize that their efforts will bear them nothing... the system will collapse...as it always has. Independence, responibility for one's own existence and the freedom to pursue individual rights and goals is the ONLY natural order that works.
 -- J Carlton, Calgary     
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    Replace "Socialism" with "Any form of government" and the statement is still true.
     -- Matthew, People's Republic of California     
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    And heres another example of how socialism works: Illegal Aliens using an ITIN no. are filing taxes and getting refunds in the tens of thousands of dollars. How? They simply claim a tax credit for children...living in Mexico. LOTS of them. They take money from hard working honest people and "redistribute it"... And there you go...Socialism. Wonderul system hey?
     -- J Carlton, Calgary     
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    The story itself: http://videos2view.net/tax-fraud.htm
     -- J Carlton, Calgary     
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    Mathew you are right to an extent. However, our government as founded protected all of those things created as much as possible. Civilization can not exist in the real world with out government. Socialism can not exist in a free society. It can only destroy it.
     -- warren, olathe     
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    Socialism is a forced ordering of society. A republican form of government does not aim for some Utopian ideal -- it is formed to protect the people from theft and assault. It does not make any promises of a share of the Treasury or rigging the game to favor a class. Social engineers can build pyramids indeed, but they steal the natural order of free people. There are infinite possibilities in life -- except the slave leaves those choices up to his master. Socialism is a consumerist society that eventually eats out its substance. A society of free individuals will produce and trade in balance with each other. One of the biggest threats to free trade is monopoly -- and socialism reveres bigness and thus easily in awe of monopoly -- they are not against monopoly, they want a share in it.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Communism is the left end of the socialism stick while fascism is the right. The only difference is administration. Communism owns everything in its own name while fascism utilizes corporations. That form of socialism that is now claiming a kinder / gentler form of slavery with a rationalization of democracy "is not in the least what it pretends to be." Socialism enforced by a moral reasoning is a theocracy of the pridefully ignorant. The occupying statist theocracy infesting this land with its religionist patrons enslaves the ahh, mmm, well - you just can't fix stupid.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Matthew, you are correct.
     -- jim k, Austin     
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    Coming from Mises this quote is understandable for Mises was uneducated in the world of reality and love. His theories are gradually crumbling and it's only the die-hard capitalist and libertarian that support his works.. Their saving grace would be to refocus their philosophical rhetoric to encompass a more compassionate and empathetic society. I'm sorry, but Mises and Rothbard are now not in focus with today's world. Mike, I couldn't agree with you more - you just can't fix stupid. The main socialist programs in American are for the military, and the corporate conglomerates who pay hardly any taxes. capitalism in America is gradually strangling it's own survival - it's a train heading for the end of the line at full speed. The ONLY true existence for any government that wishes to remain in power is to incorporate a more compassionate philosophy. It's not enough for individuals to say "Ah, but I give a lot" then why is America the worse country in the West for poverty 47% and healthcare. Why in America is the gap in salaries between corporate executives and the people the biggest (by far) than any western nation. We have the most expensive military in the world without any enemies on our borders. We talk of trillions and yesterday it was billions. We have the worst incarceration record for a so-called civilized nation. Our infrastructure is crumbling - our very social fabrication is on the verge of disintegration. If we continue with mediocrity and our present foreign policies then we are heading for Armageddon. We must STOP what we are doing, as what we are currently doing, is not working! The Mises philosophy is antiquated and a new era of society is called for - now all you great brains out there - do something about - don't stay on you computers writing gloss pros; get out there and roll up your sleeves - we need action now, not words!
     -- Robert, Somewhere in Europe     
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    Editor, I had commented after Robert immediately above. I checked about an hour after I originally wrote it and it was still there. It is now not here. Can you please check your end. Thanks Mike
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Mike, the last post received from you was the 'rolling on the floor laughing' reply to Robert on the Frederic Bastiat quote page: http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Frederic.Bastiat.Quote.95A6
     -- Editor, Liberty Quotes     
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     -- Ronw13, Oregon      
    Editor, thanks for checking - that is really weird. And by the way, I know you meant to address your last response to me, not Robert ;-) Thanks for all you do and have done over the years. I guess I just have to say hmmmm
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Editor, P.S. That has been happening to me a lot. When I've been writing on other blogs or facebook, my posts either won't go through, vanish immediately or within an hour are gone without a trace. I'm sure I'm on somebody's list. (-; whata ya gunna do? ;-)
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Robert, Somewhere in Europe - I know that it is to your utter dismay .. but, the U.S. has a constitution based thoroughly on a Limited Government Republic and foremost on the Unalienable Rights of the Individual not to have the fruits of their labor plundered by Socialist ideologues such as yourself.
     -- Mary - MI     
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    Robert, Somewhere in Europe - Stay there because we don't want your Marxist views supplanted or substituted for this sovereign nation's U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights.
    If you are an expatriated American now residing in Europe you will do every Constitutional Patriotic American a great big favor by forever remaining outside of the U.S. borders and not spewing your deleterious Marxist/Communist ideologies within the U.S.
     -- Mary - MI     
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    Hey, Mike, give it another shot.  I'd like to hear your response to Robert.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Sorry, Robert but your entire argument is based on a false premise.  It is not compassionate to subjugate an entire nation for 'compassion' i.e. the greater good.  Compassion is best expressed individually not through a soulless state.  Better to have a million independent and self-determining people decide individually what best helps his brother than a central authority that has stolen the power of all the people to then selectively distribute it back to privileged classes.  Every government that has fallen to this ideology has merely put in place an autocracy, and the common people have been leveled into poverty while an aristocratic few rise to the top.

    Seriously, Robert, have you no shame?  To take from Peter to pay Paul will always have the support of Paul.  Yes, real civilization requires a compassionate and honorable people, and the American republican form is suited for none other.  But compassion cannot be legislated by threat of the state.

    You have said that true socialism has never really been implemented. Hah!  It sure as hell has!  The truth is the promises of socialism have never been realized because they cannot ever be  it is a con.  So-called American 'capitalism' today is not capitalism at all  the money system is completely a copy of communism, and we can trace all our ills to this system foisted upon us in 1913.  Since then, ever the noose has tightened as FDR embraced fascism, and put all into perpetual debt to the banking cartel, our new masters. 

    Socialism cannot even begin to be implemented without a central bank that can create money out of nothing and spend it on the social programs that never really do anything but enrich the corporations that manage them.  Our medicines are poisonous, our educators corrupt the truth, our 'representatives' give themselves the power to 'rule' us, and our bankers seize our property and rent it back to us  and don't get me started on the lawyers that hold this statist system together! 

    We have become enslaved by this socialist promise, and it will not end any better than it did for the USSR.  Hence the eternal requirement for every sovereign being is to learn the truth, be guided by the Law: as you sow, so shall you reap.  The Golden Rule is still golden, we need no other.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Robert, it is obvious here your version of an educated reality and love differs greatly in a broader scope: your religious dogma & information vs. truth; AND, your emotionally sensorial perceptions vs. nature’s actual love. Can you be a bit more specific as to your’s and Marx’s definition of a die-hard capitalist. Marx’s coins “capitalism” varies greatly from an original “capital” and any extension thereof. Capitalism in fact, an action associated with “real” / non-socialist capital (a tangible medium of exchange - barter, gold & silver coin, etc.), I’m pretty sure your understanding of the subject matter would be far different from a libertarian’s (those who promote liberty) or other realist’s. The terms you use (saving grace, compassionate and empathetic; even philosophical rhetoric in context) are all religious feel good religious word salad in support of a statist theocracy, not a lawful state of affairs. How are the main socialist programs in America for the military; and, how is capitalism in America gradually strangling it’s own survival? Your communist religion’s misdirection concerning corporate conglomerates is another misnomer. Since centrally socialist theocracy(s) has/have eliminated all competition to its/their corporations - i.e., legal off-spring - corporations (corporatism / fascism/ administered socialism), there are no State permitted Corporation Soles, Irrevocable Trusts that can publicly sell UBIs, etc. The theocracy’s larger legal persons (corporations) are somewhat protected in the communist / fascist blend from the second plank of the communist manifesto (taxes).

    Robert, the primary reason for a poverty increase, health care decline and wage disparity in America is due to atheistic Socialists’ success in a temporary transference from the Eternal King’s love and truth to atheistic lies (religious expansion, dogma and control, such being antithetical to nature’s law). Excessively increased incarcerations can only be explained by a direct corollary - the more control the socialist theocracy enacts, the greater the number of criminals (lawfully defined, a crime is not the breaking of a law but rather, an infraction of public rules). Robert, I do agree with you, the greater the acceptance of socialist theocracy dogma by canon, the greater social fabrication’s disintegration. Though Mises’ philosophy is antiquated in face of the currently occupying statist theocracy infesting this land, it remains no less the truth.

    A slightly different understanding of capitalism from Marx’s coined term would be: an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and development occurs though an excess accumulation for reinvestment in a laissez-faire atmosphere. Marxism has somewhat the same meaning except there is NO private, tangible medium of exchange, perfected allodium or excess.


     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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