Socialism’s Empty Seduction

[rangerrebew]

Socialism’s Empty Seduction

The overarching message of “The Opportunity Cost of Socialism [1]”—a study recently released by the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)—is that the advocacy of socialism cannot reasonably be based on policy preferences; its attraction has always been grounded in a combination of wishful thinking and ignorance. For example, the new CEA study shows that the socialist approach to “single payer” health care advocated by many on the left would cost much more and deliver much less, resulting in the significant worsening of mortality and morbidity, not just higher taxes and reduced economic growth.

One prominent opinion page editor described the CEA study’s conclusions to me as too obvious to warrant mention. That reaction reflects the problem the study seeks to remedy. Obvious facts about socialism are not discussed enough. Few people are willing to read 50-page studies like the CEA’s, and there has been very little media coverage of it—journalists or politicians who could summarize the CEA findings haven’t seen sufficient reason to do so (or may themselves be among the uninformed advocates of socialism). That is too bad because the ignorant advocacy of socialism is currently a significant threat to our democracy.

Source URL: https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/charles-calomiris/socialisms-empty-seduction

[Fishrrman]

"Socialism’s Empty Seduction..."

The "seduction", the promises of socialism have never been "empty".

Quite the contrary, they promise a utopian cornucopia of largesse to eager masses willing to be enticed.

It's always the results of such phony promises that end up bein' empty...