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Socialism is bound to fail every time.

As a child, I discovered that if I was given a chore to do, I could usually get out of it by not doing it. Putting it off for a long enough amount of time usually meant that someone else would eventually become frustrated enough with the clothes on the floor or the dishes in the sink, and they would do it for me. The problem with socialism is that everyone knows about this. The fundamental problem with giving everyone the same thing is that not everyone is going to the same amount of work. Most people, in fact, when living in an environment in which a socialist system is present, will often decide that doing as little work as possible is the best course of action. And why not, if everyone is rewarded the same amount of money for their designated positions? A window-maker who makes ninety windows receives the same amount of money as a window-maker who makes only thirty windows.

Unfortunately, Carl Marx was a little bit off the target when he wrote in the Manifesto that everyone has the inherent desire to work hard. If it were true, socialism would be an effective, agreeable system, in which everyone could live happily ever after. Unfortunately, this just isn't the case. When the system of government in place is socialism - or a system similar to it - people are allowed to skirt the system. A group of workers, such as the window makers, will spend more effort on finding a way around doing the work than they will on actually doing that work. If they are given a quota, such as thirty windows, they will use thin glass to expedite the process, resulting in windows that are far too frail to be of any worth.

Creativity and inventiveness are also affected when it comes to socialism. Ingenuity becomes stagnant, and people become complacent with what is currently available to them. Why invent a new product if there is nothing to be gained from it? Technological advancements would slow considerably, given the lack of motivation. The only reason it wouldn't stop completely is because there would be individuals who would create new machinery to make the work easier - Which is the original problem.

The complication with socialism is that, as mentioned before, everyone is waiting for someone else to do the work. In a small community filled with people who are willing to work hard, it's a feasible concept. Even in a community with a few individuals are willing to pull a little extra weight, results could eventually surface. But overall, as a system of government, as great as it sounds, will always be doomed to fail.

Learn more about this author, Joel Meeks.
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