Letter to the editor: How I taught my children about socialism

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If you’ve ever raised kids you know that each kid thinks the other kid is getting better treatment and complains, “it’s not fair.” 

One day when my kids were about 8 and 9 years old, I asked if they wanted to engage in an experiment. I told them I would make everything equal between them for the next 24 hours. What one got the other one would get. They were very excited and then asked what would happen if I didn’t make things equal. I said, “If I don’t make everything equal then I’ll clean the toilet with a toothbrush.” They laughed and agreed.

The first thing I did was to take them for a Dairy Queen ice cream. I asked them to go get their 6-year-old friend next door to go with us. As we rode in the car the kids were in the back seat discussing the ice cream they wanted. Jessica wanted a chocolate cone and Karen wanted vanilla in a cup. When we got there, I ordered them all a medium size vanilla. I have never seen kids so miserable eating ice cream. Jessica didn’t get chocolate ice cream, Karen didn’t get a cup and the medium was too much for the 6-year-old, so half the ice cream was thrown away.

On the way home, Karen said she needed a toothbrush so I stopped at the store. Karen said she wanted a purple brush. I picked up four green toothbrushes, since that was the only color with four brushes, and started to the counter to pay for them. Jessica said she and her friend didn’t need a toothbrush and I said, “Yup, I know, but it’s fair and equal.”



Now at home, it was allowance day. I gave each of them the same allowance, which for Karen, was the same as Jessica and less than her usual allowance. Karen complained that she did more chores and should be given more and I said, “I know, but it’s fair and equal.”

This went on for about eight hours. After dinner I asked them if they wanted to continue for the full 24 hours. They looked at me with big eyes and said in unison, “We talked it over and we don’t want to ever be equal again for as long as we live.” Young people are idealistic and many think fairness is being equal, it’s not.

Socialism is seductive, suggesting that all your needs will be met by taking from the rich and spreading the wealth, so that everything will be fair and equal. It won’t. If you confiscated all the wealth of the top 10 percent it would be about $25 to $30 trillion, which would barely cover our national debt, much less pay for all the socialist agenda. What do you do when you run out of other people’s money? Capitalism isn’t perfect but it’s so much better than a socialist economic and political system and agenda.