Preserve Freedom by Retaining Capitalism

Freedom. It is one of the treasures held by Americans. It is also in jeopardy today. Not due to any one particular action, but by various small decisions made by Americans and the politicians who represent them. These decisions slowly strip away the freedoms held by the individual and hand them over to the government. One arena in which significant damage to American freedom is presently occurring is with regard to capitalism. It is vital that Americans work to fight against current attacks on capitalism. However, various obstacles stand in the way of many Americans seeing the importance of this fight to preserve capitalism, and in turn, American freedom. Among these obstacles are government dependency, a positive attitude towards redistribution of wealth, and a negative view of capitalism.

One of the major obstacles in the way of ridding the free market of the meddling hand of the government is the fact that government dependency is ubiquitously present within the lives of most Americans. As long as an individual is receiving “free” money from the government, he will have little incentive to work proactively to elect candidates who intend to reduce the power of government and the number of government programs in effect. Instead, this individual will vote for elected officials who will support an increasingly socialistic government.

Sure, those who have absolutely no other recourse or means to care for themselves should be provided with needed assistance. However, many of those receiving government money are far from a state of destitution. From educational grants and subsidized loans to providing wealthy farmers with government subsidies, the government provides “assistance” to people across all walks of life. The fact that government money is available in so many areas of life most likely contributes to an increasing expectation that the government is there to provide for the people whenever they are unable to afford a particular item or service.

Where does the government get the money for these government programs? From taxes that are drawn from the pockets of Americans, especially wealthy Americans. Some would say, “But the rich have so much money! They should be forced to share their wealth with others.” This desire for redistribution of wealth sounds familiarly like a fight among young children over toys where one child whines to his mother hoping that she will take a toy from his brother and give it to him.

The American public also seems largely ignorant as to why adoption of full-fledged socialism would have deleterious effects on our society. In theory it seems like a good idea for everyone to receive an equal share of available resources such as wealth and property. However, who is going to be the one to be in charge of distributing the available resources? A group of politicians who believe they know what is best for people that they have never met? It seems strange that those who complain about the inequality of results which occurs within capitalism do not seem bothered by the inability to control and better their situation that would beset people within a system of socialism.

The acquisition of wealth and resources is one of the major motivators that drives individuals towards working hard in their particular vocation. An individual may attend several years of graduate and post-graduate study in order to obtain a career that he both enjoys and in which he will profit significantly. In doing so, he invests an enormous amount of time, money, and energy in pursuit of this goal. If distribution of wealth becomes the norm so that these careers requiring significant education and training garner a salary similar to that of an individual with some or no college, what will be the incentive to invest one’s money and several years of hard work and preparation towards such a career? Additionally, supposing that an American comes out of poverty to become a successful and wealthy businessman, it seems unlikely that he would be thrilled to contribute his hard earned money to the government. He may choose to contribute money to those organizations he finds worthy of his financial support, but should be allowed the freedom to contribute to the extent that he wishes.

Those who thrive within the system of capitalism do so because of their hard work and creativity. The production of items that are high quality and cost effective brings about competition between businesses who compete with one another in order to gain consumers who will choose their product over that of another business. Such competition drives prices down and also benefits the consumer who is able to purchase lower priced goods. If businessmen grow rich as a result of their hard work and ingenuity, they will be able to expand their businesses by hiring more employees. This benefits those of a lower socioeconomic status by providing them with jobs, which has the possibility of bringing those individuals to a position of greater opportunities.

It is terrifying to think that Americans would unknowingly forfeit their freedom. However, the growing number of government programs aimed at redistribution of wealth, misconceptions of government’s role in society, and ignorance of the deleterious effects of socialism on a society contribute to the possibility that America may follow in the footsteps of many other nations and take further power from the individual and hand it over to the federal government. It is vital, that Americans take the initiative to work towards the election of candidates who treasure freedom, especially that provided by capitalism, and will in turn vote to preserve this freedom for the generations of Americans to come.