Would the United States still be the America we all know if there were no president, no Supreme Court, no Senate, and all the power was in the hands of an expanded House of Representatives? That is precisely what the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have in store, should they ever acquire enough power to radically change the very character and political system of this country. On July 14, the DSA launched the website program.dsausa.org, which lays out a full-blown socialist vision of America’s future.
A read of the site shows why those unfamiliar with history, the entitled (or those who imagine they are), and the weak would think it a beautiful vision. Imagine having no mortgage or rent, not having to worry about working, and paying very little or nothing for healthcare, transportation, food, education, and energy – because all those things, as “common goods and utilities,” will be provided free of charge or heavily subsidized by the government.
For anyone who sees no value in things like freedom of choice, self-reliance, prosperity, self-respect, and individual liberty, this would be the way to go. To the people who do value those things, what the Democratic Socialists of America are proposing is a Hell on Earth, in which the government controls every aspect of their lives and widespread poverty and deprivation are, at most, a few years away.
Unsustainable Economic Vision
The problem with all these free or subsidized goods and services is that they can’t last. There’s a reason why every socialist country, without exception, eventually descends into poverty and tyranny. If the federal government taxed every millionaire and billionaire – plus Elon Musk – at even a 90% rate, that revenue wouldn’t pay for all the things the DSA is promising its gullible followers, and cover the government’s budget, for more than a few years.
It is a revenue stream that would quickly dry up because the ultra-wealthy would flee the country or soon no longer be wealthy enough to keep funding all these socialist programs. What happens then? The survivors of the Soviet Union and its vassal states in what was once known as the Eastern Bloc of Europe can explain, because they remember lining up for hours outside an almost empty grocery store to collect their government-allotted bread and cheese.
Apart from being a bleak, pointless, and dystopian future in which no one has any real freedom, the DSA program would require, literally, a never-ending influx of trillions of dollars yearly. Where is that money coming from when there are no more millionaires and billionaires to pay their “fair share”?
That’s not even the entire financial burden, though. The Democratic Socialists of America promise “[g]uaranteed universal healthcare at no cost to individuals” and “free, quality public education from pre-K to college.”
Additionally, they plan to pay reparations for slavery and welcome unlimited numbers of migrants. “Legalize migration, grant amnesty for all immigrants regardless of status, provide a path to citizenship for all permanent residents, and end visa caps and quotas,” as the DSA puts it.
These socialists – or communists, because the two labels are entirely interchangeable and the DSA program doesn’t differ in any way from communist manifestos – also plan to “[e]stablish public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries.” But they also want to “[e]nact aggressive wealth taxes on the richest individuals and corporations.” So it seems they would aggressively tax the corporations they took over. That would be a fascinating economic experiment. They will also “phase out the use of fossil fuels.”
Imagine the unfathomable amount of money it would cost to pay for all this for even five or six years, then try to figure out how it will be funded. As the late Margaret Thatcher, former UK prime minister, once said, "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." And history has time and time again proven that observation accurate.
When goods and services become scarce or unsustainable, the people get restless and scared. They begin to dissent. That’s why every socialist regime inevitably becomes tyrannical. It must silence the critics and hide from the people how bad things have become.
Democratic Socialists of America Will End the Republic
What of the American constitutional republican system of government that exists today? The Democratic Socialists of America plan to dismantle it. From their program: “Abolish the Electoral College. Replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.”
Curiously, the program also calls for making Washington, DC, a state. That would seem rather pointless since, under this system, the states would have no powers of self-government. Essentially, states would exist in name only, with governors and legislators unable to enact any laws or regulations specific to their respective states. After all, if Congress exercises supreme control over education, healthcare, housing, energy, transportation, manufacturing, food production and supply, and labor laws, what is left of the republic? It will be abolished, along with “capitalism,” according to the DSA.
And the Constitution? Forget it. The socialists plan to write a new one. It’s right there on their site.
This Democratic Socialists of America program is, at this point, little more than a dream – but it is also a goal. This is the ultimate agenda. Given that DSA candidates are surging, it is foolish for freedom-loving Americans to think that, because membership of the DSA stands currently at only around 120,000, they are no threat.
The DSA has now made public its intention to erase the USA and replace it with something entirely different. Because of the growing influence of DSA members within the Democratic Party – which it seems they will inevitably devour – they represent an existential threat to freedom and self-determination far beyond their numbers.
They have told us who they are and what they plan on doing. We should take them seriously.
