Well, Sanders likes to point to Denmark as a wonderful example of Democratic Socialism. I checked. Yes, lots of free stuff in Denmark, free welfare, free schooling through college, free healthcare, free childcare, social security, the list goes on. There is still a divide between rich and poor, though and it is growing.
According to CNN Money, “The Top 10% of Danes saw their incomes grow by 29% over the decade ending in 2013, while middle-income folks experienced only a 12.3% bump, according to the Economic Council of the Labour Movement, a left-leaning think tank, citing national statistics. The poorest Danes suffered a nearly 1% loss in income, a rare occurrence in a country where everyone's income usually rises.” They also stated that the top 10% of Danes controlled 80% of the wealth. By comparison, the top 10% of Americans control a mere 78% of the US wealth.
So, who pays for this “free” stuff? From 2006 through 2009, the personal income tax rate in Denmark held firm at 62.3%. In 2010, it dropped and went to at 55.6% in 2014. Imagine that. More than half of what you earn is taken from you to pay for “free” stuff. But that’s not all. The corporate tax rate is 23.5% and you still need to kick in 8% of your income for social security. And it doesn’t stop there. Everything you buy has a 25% sales tax stuck on top of it.
It is not hard to understand why the young people are attracted to Bernie’s message. Our Universities and colleges are saddling the young with an onerous debt right out of the starting gate. Bernie’s message of free college has a certain appeal to these young voters. But why doesn’t it resonate with the older crowd? Could it be because the parents of these potential college students understand who will get the bill for this “free” education?
There was a time when parents saved for their kids’ education. Incidentally, in those days, college costs were far more manageable. One figure I found says that college tuition costs have risen an average of 945% since 1980!
Okay, here is the big question: Would you rather try to save for your kids’ college – put a percentage of your income in interest-bearing savings – or give over half of your income to the government so they can provide free college to everyone’s kids? Remember, these are the same government bureaucrats that have done such a stellar job administrating Social Security and Obama Care.
Here is another question to ponder: Why does every kid need to go to a University? And how many actually complete their education and earn a degree? Whether they finish or not, they still have to pay the tuition. The fact is, not every kid is qualified or inclined toward an academic education. Some, maybe many, are more suited to a technical education. In fact, many college dropouts go on to attend and pay for a private technical or trade school training. Now they are saddled twice for an education.
Sanders says he will pay for all his free stuff by taxing the top 1.5% of wealth. Crunch the numbers. If 78% of the US wealth is in the pockets of 10% of the people and you take all of the money from 1.5% of the people, will this even come close to paying for free college, free health care, free…? Experts say it won’t. Who else will get the burden? Does a Denmark tax rate appeal to you?
So, again, what is the difference between a socialist and a communist? The Socialist utopia outlined by Karl Marx has never been realized. Every time it has been tried, it failed because the numbers simply won’t work. Socialism and communism are merely semantics for central government controlling all or in the best case, some of the productivity and wealth of the society.
Ask yourself why people in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were contained within that territory on penalty of death? Why did so many risk their lives and the lives of their families to flee socialism? Why, even in Bernie Sander’s exemplar of Denmark, is socialism on the wane while the rich are becoming richer, poor becoming poorer, and the middle class shrinking? Then ask yourself if this is the vision you want for your children?
