Why Socialistic Governments Will Always Fail

Government imposed socialism and socialistic policies have many supporters in the Unites States. Popular politicians from both parties have taken positions that interfere in the private sector and are moving the country in the wrong direction. In this article I assert that such government practices shall ultimately fail because they are incompatible with human free will. I define failure as a range of unintended outcomes from not achieving stated goals to total self destruction.

Healthy human beings exist with both a free will and a value for their own life. Many may choose to adhere to socialistic principals such as committing resources to a religious community, donating to charity, or volunteering time for the betterment of society. In this context, socialistic principles are a virtue - a means by which a person may achieve their own values.

Government imposed socialism is not a moral equivalent. By definition, any government that imposes a system of values on a population is oppressive to those who reject those values. Socialism is the moral equivalent to a theocracy. The only true distinction is whose values are being forced upon you. To advocate the principles of Marxism and at the same time reject a Catholic government taking orders from Rome is a contradiction. Inevitably such governments must enforce their values on dissenters, typically at the cost of human lives - as history has shown.

The source of this value-oriented conflict is human free will. While any governmental implementation of authoritarianism can force a population into compliance, it cannot change the fact that every individual independently chooses what he or she values. Further, only a government that values freedom and life can sustain success. Laissez-faire capitalism is the only form of government ever to exist that is compatible with both human free will and an individual’s value of his or her own life.