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A new poll in the United States revealed that most likely voters prefer the free market to socialism.
“What’s better, a free market economic system or socialism:” was the question answered by more than 1,000 likely voters on December 6th and 7th.
The study conducted by The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports revealed that 75% of those polled prefer the free market, while only 11% decline in favor of socialism.
Another revelation is related to the image of the socialist representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. When asked, “Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable impression of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?” only 18% said “very favorable,” while 19% said “somewhat favorable.”
On the other hand, 38% of likely voters said they have a “very unfavorable” impression of AOC, and 20% said they have a “somewhat unfavorable” impression of her.
A curious fact that the survey showed is that approximately one in five respondents between 18 and 39 years old chose socialism. However, according to the researchers, support for a “free market” increased.
“In 2019, support among young voters was 59%. This year, it’s 68%,” he says.
The pollsters’ analysis concludes that taken together these results show that a large majority of likely voters believe the United States should reject socialism and adopt free market economic principles.
“Only a small fraction of likely voters think the United States should abandon the free-market capitalist policies that are responsible for making the United States the richest nation in world history,” the nonprofit organization conducting the study said.
“Despite countless calls for more socialism among elites in the media and Hollywood, Americans are not interested in adopting the same socialist policies that have led to mass poverty wherever they have been tried,” the researchers conclude.
Socialism on Biden’s Agenda
A report by the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) revealed that Biden’s transition agenda is full of plans to increase state control.
The Biden-Harris duo has already published their proposals, and among them the most worrying things is that they would use the Defense Production Act to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The Defense Production Act allows the Federal Government to take control of private industries and order manufacturing.
According to FEE, Biden would use this law to take over more private manufacturers and force them to increase the supply of temporary protection equipment.
Another regulation of concern is that as part of the emergency economic recovery, Biden would implement a minimum daily wage of $15 an hour, a provision that could establish national price controls and undermine the free market.
An article published by journalist Brad Polumbo for FEE mentions a study by four economists from Stanford University, which analyzed Biden’s proposals. It concludes that government interventions would distort labor incentives, lower productivity and eliminate jobs. This would be similar to what Chavism did in Venezuela.
According to The Wall Street Journal‘s editorial board, “the risk of Joe Biden’s policies is not that they will cause the economy to falter immediately,” but that they will have a long-term impact.
“They will have a corrosive long-term impact by raising the cost of capital, reducing the incentive to work and invest, and reducing productivity throughout the economy. Americans will pay the price with a lower standard of living than they would otherwise, and which they deserve,” the U.S. newspaper’s editorial says.
In an interview for El American, renowned political analyst, writer and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza pointed out which policies from the federal government could open the doors of the United States to socialism.
“We should observe very carefully and analyze what policies they adopt that will move the United States to a socialist direction like Venezuela,” said D’Souza, adding that a Biden government could initiate measures and penalties against companies, thus reducing investments in the country.
“The first thing I would be looking for is the continued demonization of the rich. We saw that in the campaign, but it is possible to see that this rhetoric continues to be supported by policies; even with high tax rates or confiscatory measures that would result in the expulsion of companies and rich people from the United States,” he stated.
The analyst also noted that Biden-Harris will seek to control major sectors of the economy, such as energy. “The Obama administration has already expanded its reach over the automotive industry and over banks in the investment sector,” he said.
“I think that a likely target in particular for Democrats is the energy sector, as when Hugo Chávez fired the competent technical staff of PDVSA and replaced them with bureaucrats who swept away the oil company,” he said.
D’Souza also explained that “A third sign of socialism [from the Biden-Harris government] would be a continued intensification of racial divisions, as seen in Venezuela where Hugo Chávez opened a gap between white people and black, brown and indigenous people. Similarly here, we would see that racial politics would be used to intensify divisions in society.”
The analyst also emphasized that “the continuous rewriting of history, the overthrow of monuments, the control of churches, the restrictions on freedom of expression and finally the support of hostile movements such as Antifa or Black Lives Matter would be worrying signs that the United States is heading not down the road of Scandinavia, where many leftists intend to go, but directly to what is now Caracas.”
Sabrina Martín Rondon is a Venezuelan journalist. Her source is politics and economics. She is a specialist in corporate communications and is committed to the task of dismantling the supposed benefits of socialism // Sabrina Martín Rondon es periodista venezolana. Su fuente es la política y economía. Es especialista en comunicaciones corporativas y se ha comprometido con la tarea de desmontar las supuestas bondades del socialismo
The free market IS a socialist system. What definition are you using? Socialism doesn’t mean government controlled businesses. Why is everyone using communism to mean socialism? Everywhere I look I see this. Is everyone just this stupid or are we really just completely changing the meaning of socialism?
:A theory or system of social organization that advocates the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, capital, land, etc., by the COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, usually through a centralized government. <<<Key word USUALLY. It doesn't even have to be publicly owned through a centralized government. History shows us there were socialist groups that had something similar to the stock market today but was ran by communities instead. Marxist aren't socialist. It is just another form of communism. Capitalism is not the opposite of socialism for f*** sakes.