Why
Politicians Win (And Workers Lose) Under Socialism, Posted
by Tyler Durden, 4/20/17, Authored by Hans-Hermann Hoppe via The Mises
Institute,
Socialism leads to the
politicization of society. Hardly anything can be worse for the production of
wealth. Socialism, at least its Marxist
version, says its goal is complete
equality. The Marxists observe that once you allow private property
in the means of production, you allow differences. If I own resource A, then
you do not own it and our relationship toward resource A becomes different and
unequal. By abolishing private property in the means of production with one
stroke, say the Marxists, everyone becomes co-owner of everything. This
reflects everyone's equal standing as a human being.
The
reality is much different. Declaring
everyone a co-owner of everything only nominally solves differences in
ownership. It does not solve the real underlying problem: there remain
differences in the power to control what is done with resources.
In
capitalism, the person who owns a resource can also control what is done with
it. In a socialized economy, this
isn't true because there is no longer any owner. Nonetheless the problem of
control remains. Who is going to decide what is to be done with what? Under
socialism, there is only one way: people settle their disagreements over the
control of property by superimposing one will upon another. As long as there
are differences, people will settle them through political means.
If
people want to improve their income under socialism they have to move toward a
more highly valued position in the hierarchy of caretakers. That takes
political talent.
Under such a system, people will
have to spend less time and effort developing their productive skills and more
time and effort improving their political talents.
As
people shift out of their roles as producers and users of resources, we find
that their personalities change. They
no longer cultivate the ability to anticipate situations of scarcity to take up
productive opportunities, to be aware of technological possibilities, to
anticipate changes in consumer demand, and to develop strategies of marketing.
They no longer have to be able to initiate, to work, and to respond to the
needs of others.
Instead, people develop the ability
to assemble public support for their own position and opinion through means of
persuasion, demagoguery, and intrigue, through promises, bribes, and threats.
Different people rise to the top under socialism than under capitalism. The
higher on the socialist hierarchy you look, the more you will find people who
are too incompetent to do the job they are supposed to do. It is no hindrance in a caretaker
politician's career to be dumb, indolent, inefficient, and uncaring. He only
needs superior political skills. This too contributes to the impoverishment of
society.
The
United States is not fully socialized, but already we see the disastrous
effects of a politicized society as our own politicians continue to encroach on
the rights of private property owners. All
the impoverishing effects of socialism are with us in the U.S.: reduced levels
of investment and saving, the misallocation of resources, the over-utilization
and vandalization of factors of production, and the inferior quality of
products and services. And these
are only tastes of life under total socialism.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-20/why-politicians-win-and-workers-lose-under-socialism
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