Letter to the editor: Road to socialism should be blocked

Civilization.

We all have to agree that it was a wonderful event in world history. It has advanced in different parts of the world in varying degrees, but in the last one-and-a-half centuries, it really took off in America.

Back when it started, life was much harder; it was shorter, the cemeteries were full of babies and most people had few luxuries.

Innovation caused all of this to change. There was a place called America where you were compensated according to the amount and quality of work you did. You could increase through innovation and you were rewarded even more. Unprecedented advances were made: electricity, the automobile, air travel, medicine, communication and more productive agriculture.

To others in the world with less or no civilization, America was a place people wanted to go to.

At the same time, in other places, a different system was tried: socialism.

In those places, it really didn't pay to invest in something - the government got the rewards. The hard working got no more than the lazy, so there was no reason to go the extra mile. But everybody was equal, poor. For the millions in those countries who didn't like the idea, they were simply put in death camps, yes, again that number, millions.

I think the great waves of immigrants from those places to America is proof enough that capitalism is preferred over socialism. If we do away with capitalism as many say we have to and replace it with social justice, the engine of prosperity will grind to a crawl.

I'm puzzled. Why do those who want social justice have to throw out military absentee ballots, invent false voters and stuff the courts with political activists who promote their political agenda? Could it be that, like waves of immigrants who came through Ellis Island, most people want civilization, prosperity and the fruits they bring, and intend to vote for them?

The social justice people say that they only want to help all people, especially those who fall through the cracks. It's the very fruit of capitalism that they will use to do this. When the fruit runs out like in Cuba everybody will be extremely poor and they will have to ration what little is produced.

During the rise of American prosperity, the family, churches, charities and community helped the truly needy get back on their feet. Since then, the proponents of social justice have expounded government programs. It has created trillion dollar deficits and there are still the same number of poor.

So our brightest and best in Washington and St. Paul feel our hard workers and innovators should give more to a failed system of wealth. It just so happens that their political constituencies feel the same way.

My question to you is this: Under social justice, will the guy who farms late into the night still feel like raising the maximum yield so we can eat? Will the employee on a construction site take pride in his finished product? Will a biologist work harder to find a wonder drug? Probably not, why bother. You might have social justice for a while, fueled by the fruits of an abolished capitalism, but when the fruit runs out and nobody works to get ahead, you have poverty.

I can easily conclude I prefer civilization fueled by capitalism.