Morality of Socialism

Slavery is morally wrong. This is is an absolute truth that both conservatives and liberals can agree on. Even those who don't believe in absolute truth would say that there is never any circumstance where slavery would be ethical.

What is slavery? Well, slavery is what happens when a person (the slave) is forced to work for another individual (the master) and the benefits of that work are given to the master. Generally, the master is part of a social group that makes up the majority of the population while the slaves are comprised of a group of people that make up the minority of the population. Traditionally, those groups have been delimited over either racial (ethnic slavery) or gender lines (all the woman are slaves).

I contend that socialism is a form of slavery. The mantra, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" merely changes the lines that distinguish the master from the slave. In this case it is "economic slavery." The majority (those with needs, the poor) use the political force of a democracy to compel the minority (the "rich", those with abilities) to give the majority the benefits of the labor of those with abilities.

In this kind of socialistic framework, the poor (the masters, the majority) vote in leaders who pass laws that allow for the government to legally deprive the rich (the slaves, the minority) of their income (the benefit of their labors). That income is then given to the poor either directly in cash payments (welfare, tax credits, etc...) or indirectly by providing services to the poor (Section 8 housing, Medicare, "Universal" health care, etc...).

Sure, the majority (those with needs) do not see themselves as slave owners. They would be appalled to think they are on the same moral plateau as 19th century plantation owner. Therefore, they build reasonable sounding arguments to defend their "rights." What's funny is that so did the 19th century plantation owners. They had lots of good sounding arguments that made them feel like they what they were doing was just, moral, and even benefited the slave.

Now, one of the defining traits of a great society is its view of the downtrodden. You can judge a civilization's morality based on how it cares for those who are in need. So, I do believe that those who are able to help others have a moral obligation to give to those who are in need. I just think that it has to be voluntary. A society that enslaves one group of people to take care of the those in need is just as immoral as a society who ignores the needs. You can't use an immoral tactic (slavery) to address an immorality (not taking care of those who need help) and still be moral.

So, the current course of our nation is one that legally allows the majority of the people to benefit from the work of a few. One hundred and fifty years ago our nation defined itself as a society that would not tolerate slavery. Today, we need to remember that.