Dear editor,
David Stevenson (Fletcher’s ‘poor bashing’ is tiresome, Letters, Sept. 20) opines at great length about the evils of opinions he disagrees with and capitalism. He also draws some ill founded conclusions about the many benefits of socialism. For example; he seems to be unaware that the 2008 financial downturn was global and Canada was praised by the global community for our handling of the situation. David seems to be suggesting that it is an ongoing disaster caused by capitalism.
There are some very good historical examples of socialism that should be studied before we go too much further down that road. Try doing some research on Nazism, fascism and communism. How did that work out?
Or how about the situation in Venezuela today? A country with rich arable land and an abundance of oil but they are starving in poverty under socialism.
How is that working out?
Winston Churchill said it best: “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”
A small dose of socialism can only survive off the inherent vice of capitalism. Once the dissenting voices of a free society have been silenced under total socialism, we will follow Venezuela into the equal distribution of misery.
Give it some study and thought before you insist that government-imposed equality will provide everyone with a free lunch every day. A study of history suggests that it has encountered some problems. But it will be different this time, right?
Lorne Smith,
Comox
