Burlington High School
Burlington, Kansas
Teacher: Devra Parker
Capitalism or Socialism
Which One Are We More Like
By Jared Dale
12th grade
There are many forms of government throughout the world. Socialist (Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy) and Capitalist (An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market) ideologies are becoming vastly broadened across the globe. When creating a form of government, one will face questions of ethics, moral obligation, and internal desire. The United States of America too, faced theses questions of being and overcame them in a bizarre and unusual way. The founding fathers of the constitution imagined a country of ruling majority, freedom of speech and religion, and the land of the free. Not a place where everything is owned by the government and there is no opportunities to make it big. The United States of America is a more Capitalistic government then Socialistic government.
First off, in a socialistic government, the government takes out a percentage of your taxes, and gives you the rest of your money. When you go to pay for something, there are no taxes; the government takes out an abundance off your taxes but thing are paid for. Also, when you have to go to the doctor, dentist, chiropractor, or what have you, it is free. The government pays for all of these things for you. On the same token, the government owns everything. I don’t know about you, but it freaks me out thinking that the government owns everything. In a capitalistic country, more like ours, the government still takes out taxes, but, not nearly as much is being taken out. On the contrary, when you go somewhere for medical needs or whatever you have to pay for it; you or your insurance company, or both, depending on the plan you have.
Another main difference is government owned things and things that are privately owned, mostly things like businesses. In the US, anyone can go big or go home broke. Anyone of any race, creed, and or religion, can turn a little family owned business into a multi-trillion corporation if they want to. It’s called a free market enterprise system. In the US, the free people want competition so that prices stay at a constant or constant enough that people are willing to buy the product. We don’t want monopolies, monopolies run and control everything; like in a socialist, country. That’s all a socialist country is, a big monopoly controlled by the government.
In our country, we have the freedom to choose things about all aspects of our life. Education, love life, secret lives, double lives, jobs, extra curricular activities, what we say and do, and anything else you can think of. Living in a socialist country, is almost like being a robot; you can’t be a real human; you are a puppet to the government who in all reality has no right to tell people how to live there lives. The most upper ranked government officials are the exact same as you, me, and everyone else.
Education is probably one of the most supported ideas to ever be brought up to man. In our country, education in mostly decided by the states. The federal government gets to make up the curriculum, and such for each up coming school year, and after that, the states get to decide the remainder of the ideas and things; and even some decisions are made by each school its self; that’s in a capitalist ran country. If we were in a socialist type of country, everything would be decided by the main government. Even the things learned would be chosen by the government.
So as you can see there is a huge difference between capitalism and socialism. Even though there are many differences, they still both seem to work; at least a little bit. The United States of America is a very, very unique and wonderful, country to live in. If I really had to pick a category to place the United States under it wouldn’t be capitalistic or socialistic kind. It would be more of a mixture, but better then both. If you are really interested in knowing more you can do some more research if you would like.
Answers To Questions Prompted By The Required Reading
Seven Principles of
Sound Public Policy
Q1- What does Mr.
Reed mean when he says "Equal people are not free."?
Answer: I believe he’s saying that there is no such thing as equal people. Not constitutionally equal, but equal by the amount of wealth and materials we own. Simply for the fact that people out work each other and do whatever it takes to be on top.
Q2- What is the deadly trade-off to reliance upon government, according to Reed?
Answer: If everyone relied on the government for everything, the government would gain too much power and we would live under a monarchy.
The Calf of Democracy
Q3- Why did the
Founding Fathers assure that the United States became a republic rather than a
pure democracy?
Answer: It simply means that the government makes some of the countries decisions on its own. They don’t ask the people about everything.
Q4- What is the saving grace of democracy according to Lawrence Reed?
Answer: The Bill of Rights. The first 10 amendments.
Freedom Is Not a
Doctrine
Q5- Richard Haas
gives two unusual reasons for advocating democracy. What are they?
Answer: They aren’t
always peaceful; some of the immature democracy have the elections but lack the
checks and balances. They also are very difficult to spread. Many of the other
cultures in the world look down on the west because of our freedom and
democracy.
Q6- Give two reasons you personally would promote democracy.
Answer: The first and most important reason is because it gives everyone a chance to live the life that they want and choose for themselves. Secondly, because it gives everyone a chance to be themselves; I am sure that half of the creative things, inventions, and anything you can think, of came from ideas of free people and their ability to peruse them.
Q7- Comment (any length) on President Bush's current foreign policy.
Answer: President Bush’s
foreign policy seems simple at first glance. Locate a troubled area, and see
what we can do with it. Usually, this evolves installing a democratic
government with new body leaders. We do not imperialize an area based on its
economic value towards us nor do we reinstate pro-western leaders. It is merely
us doing our moral best to improve life and equality around the globe.
Q8- How did you interpret each of the four different hats ("officials with fine
hats")?
Answer: I saw them as leaders of people, either ruling through force, business,
religion, or politics. These four characteristics lead the people underneath
them by different means represented by their own hats.
Q9- How did you interpret the megaphone, baby, knife/gun ("No matter how officials are selected")?
Answer: The symbols here
shown to me, an example of an official whom is ruthless and controlling, the
megaphone showed their coming to power, the baby was a symbol of growth as a
leader and the knife/gun was the continued forces implied on his people to stay
in power by whatever means necessary.
Q10- Browse the "Favorite Links" of the Economic Freedom Network
http://www.freetheworld.com/other.html and share one of your favorite
discoveries with us. Make sure you copy the url. Tell us why you chose it.
Answer: I found it
interesting that Pakistan has very little economic freedom due to over taxation,
over regulation, and the government dictating the growth a private business can
obtain.
Q11- Once again go to
www.freetheworld.com and this time note the question asked near the top of
the page: "How much economic freedom exists in your country?" and randomly
choose five countries. List the name of each and their highest and lowest year
for economic freedom.
Answer: Australia in 1975
had its lowest at 5.9 and highest in 2003 with 7.7. The Bahamas in 1990 had its
lowest at 6.2 and in 2003 had its highest at 7.7. In 1995 Albania had its
lowest year at 4.6 and in 2000 had its highest at 5.6. Niger in 1995 had its
lowest at 4.9 and highest at 5.8. Italy had itt lowest year in 1975 at 5.3 and
its highest year in 2000 at 7.1.
Q12- Which of your five countries had the greatest degree of economic freedom
according to this exercise?
Answer: Australia in 2003.