Karl Marx is often referred to as the founder of communism and still to this day the hammer and sickle will be found touted in media, on clothing, and even adopted into identity. The understanding of Marx exists almost as a dichotomy. It extends to the picture of him on the young revolutionary’s shirt and hardline stops there or is included as a piece of study and understanding of history, economics, philosophy, and more. There really doesn’t seem to be much in between though. Give the man his credit where due; he was intelligent, he was “a thinker”, and he certainly has been a strong contributing factor to how we function as a society even over 125 years after his death.
When studying economics, it’s not uncommon to run across ideas that are seemingly timeless. Marx ideas live true to this as he ultimately prophesied the destructive forces of his ideas as we see them actively in existence to this day. Marx discusses in detail Feudal Socialism. Feudal socialism is, simply put, the rich socialist or socialism with a socio-economic hierarchy. The supporter of the working class who lives in the mansion on the hill. They wave the flag of anti-capitalism pointing at exploitation, working conditions, and all the classic anti-capitalism bullet points while living off the fruits of everyone else's labor. They are the only and true beneficiaries of socialist states, and true hypocrites of the systems and policies they pretend they are against. This is something we have seen time and time again in our modern political system. This is also one of the very few times I agree with Marx and hope he is right. Marx cautioned his movement of this, yet those who “support” him and the politicians who tout his ideas are blind to it.
While current supporters of socialism and Marx are eroding away their own platform just as Marx described, it does not mean that we can rely on the powers of self-destruction to dismantle said existence for us. For what is called out by Marx and modern supporters is dangerous enough so that it cannot be allowed to make its way further into our systems and ways of life. Directly from Marx, the following is the overpowering and implantation of communist state. As mentioned, these ideas were notated by Marx over 125 years ago.
Power will be shifted through state politics and governing power
Abolishment of private property with application of all uses and purposes of land to be public.
Heavy progressive or graduated tax system
Abolishment of inheritance rights
Confiscation of all emigrant and rebel property
1800s emigrant and rebel would apply to anyone showing their dissatisfaction of the state by leaving to live elsewhere or someone against the state as a “rebel” as we would think of today.
Centralization of credit with a solitary state bank
All factories/instruments of production are owned by the state with all productive capacity focused on success of a “common plan”
Equal liability of all labor with “industrial armies” focused on producing necessities for life such as agriculture.
Abolishment of the distinction between country and city with equal distribution of the population across the country.
Free education via public schools with a focus on incorporating industry and production with schooling.
Much of this should sound very familiar. Over a centuries old instruction of how to create a communist country. Shift in political power, heave and progressive taxation, the government taking care of you via sponsored programs, and free education are just direct examples. Policy does not necessarily need to be a one to one read. Abolishment of inheritance has been an arguing point in modern politics with extremely heavy taxes being pressed when that argument fails. Centralized credit systems are being discussed in the United States while they are more of a reality in openly communist states like China. Our most recent banking and housing policies truly are the socialization of these systems. When banks act irresponsibly and fail, but the government steps in and saves the day with money printing and then puts that bill on the taxpayer in the form of taxes or inflation, that is socializing the private system. When policy makers force taxes, penalties, and fees on those who prepared and responsible homeowners for the purpose of giving the money to those irresponsible and incapable, that is the socialization of the housing system. A founding principal of our nation and built into the (proper) functioning of our nation is one of the most necessary, the capability to check overreaching government power. That is slowly being taken away, one argument at a time.
The United States is a nation like no other on earth. The freedoms and rights established by our constitution are being chipped away, in the name of pseudo-rights that are behind the scenes implementations of Marx and socialist ideas and beliefs. Beyond that, I don’t believe it is being done by modern students of Marx actually reading his work and believing it is the best socio-political method to adopt. The mass of support for policy that lines up with Marx ideas comes from the “repeat after me" and “if you don’t agree you are wrong” teaching methods. (Once again, a method described by Marx). I can verify that because I lived that. As an undergraduate in college, yes it was part of the college campus culture. It made its way into some classes. What was truly disturbing was graduate studies. In some classes the course textbook was authored in part by, or at times solely by the teacher teaching the course. Said teachers had very clear agendas and would grade off agreement rather than content and capability.
We will never be able to vote in politicians that do not have these socialist minded policies on their agenda. Over time we have adapted to the idea that the government is here to save us, to help us, to provide. Politicians know this and they want re-election. They do not care if it hurts our country in the long run, their binoculars look as far as the next election and stop there. They play kick the economic can down the road, “we’ll get to it after we get through this problem”. But, the problems never end, the giving never ends. At this point in time it will take a cultural change. We need an educated society that can honestly and intelligently look at our politicians and say no thank you. We do not want your hand out, we do not want your BS. A society that values critical thinking, self responsibility, and hard and honest work. A society that knows the social dangers and the unethical principles that accompany socialism and have been historically exposed with every attempt to operate with it. We need our upcoming generations to stop coming out of school and hearing politicians preach what their teachers have pumped into their heads for the last 4 years and has now been financially pinned down with a bill from the government they'll never be able to pay, without the government's help of course.
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