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Show Socialist Ideals Undermine Freedom The great questions which confronted the American people when 1954 began had not been answered when 1954 ended. Had they been, it would have amounted to a miracle mir-acle of unprecedented proportions. For they involve, in the international sphere, bitter and emotionally-charged conflicts con-flicts which have been growing and deepening for more than a generation. And here at home, on the domestic front, the American people certainly have not made clear their answer to the greatest question of all what kind of government they want. There were achievements during the year notable achievements. When the shooting war ended in Korea, and it became possible to sharply decrease war spending, there were those who feared that a depression or at least a severe recession was inevitable. They believed that our economy was so inextricably tied to war that the transition to even an uneasy peace would be long and painful. This was not the case. It has been pointed out that never in history did a great nation proceed with such a transition in so orderly order-ly a fashion. Industry demonstrated its faith in this nation's strength and potential by continuing and ever increasing expansion programs of almost unbelievable scope and cost. The declining purchasing power of the dollar was checked the direct result of curbs on federal spending. As the year ended, production and consumption were running run-ning at enormous levels, and the employment figures reflected re-flected that fact. What then barring another world war have we got to worry about? The answer is simple. For some 20 years, millions of Americans become conditioned to having the government provide more and more of the services that people must provide for themselves if a free system is to be preserved. They became conditioned to the idea of a welfare state. And, apparently, they regarded a "little socialism" as a good thing. Obvious consequence of this are found in our national nation-al debt and our tax structure nothing is more expensive than socialism and a welfare state. More subtle and more Important consequences are found in a sapping of individual individ-ual moral fiber, and the undermining of old, eternal ideals of human dignity and freedom and responsibility. Americans hate Communism. Yet Communism is nothing but socialism and state capitalism "do-every-thing" government carried to the inevitable end. One of the most distinguished men living recently described the process well. Herbert Hoover said: "In the Iron Curtain states it was the Socialist intellectuals who weakened the freedom of men by destroying free enterprise. Thus they furnished the boarding ladders by which the Communists captured the Ship of State." Today, as for years past, the attempt to destroy free enterprise in the United States continues. Men in high, responsible re-sponsible positions, including members of both political parties, advocate policies and philosophies which would undermine free enterprise in one sphere or another, and which would make the central government ever bigger, ever more powerful, ever more expensive, ever more monopolistic, mo-nopolistic, ever more appressive. A short time ago Dorothy Thompson wrote: "Private enterprise, we note, is always called an 'interest while State capitalist ventures are presented as disinterested instruments in-struments of the 'people.' This is balderdash. Government grows on what it feeds on; every Government agency and Its functionaries are hungry for more appropriations and more power; they, too, are 'interests.' " Moreover, the sins of private enterprise can be and are corrected by law. The sins of super-government, once a certain point is reached, are beyond any law. The people, more and more, take what is offered and do what they are told. That is the way free men become slaves. Modern history his-tory groans with examples of it. It was said long ago that any people get the kind of government they deserve. They also get the amount of freedom they deserve. We Americans are not immune to these truths. |
