Socialism not only causes problems on the university level, but it also causes disasters like the one in France during the last few weeks. Since World War II, the French people have expected their government to provide everything for them: wage stability, jobs, and the like. As a result, France has battled systemic unemployment and slow growth, especially among its poorest citizens. In the socialist environment of France, the (economically) poor individuals have no one to blame but the government. But even as the government strives to provide more for its citizens (instead of allowing them to freely work) it pleases no one.
Here is a great example: I was reading a news article the other day that quoted a French boy who blamed the French government for poor conditions. “The government,” he said, “is not serious. They are not doing enough for us… We don’t even have a proper cinema, nothing. Nothing is going to change.”
As you can see, he was complaining that the government was not providing, of all things, a cinema. These are the “poor conditions” in which he is living and, theoretically, caused his rioting. Does this mean he is spoiled? No. He has grown up in a country where the government is expected to provide everything – even entertainment. Socialism as France has practiced it for over fifty years only breeds discontent. And in the final analysis, the French government has only itself to blame.
Government built cinemas may sound funny to us now, but in reality we are not that far away from them. Before FDR, freedom in America meant freedom of opportunity. After FDR it meant freedom from tragedy-a safety net was built. Then came the Great Society, which said that not only will there be a safety net, but the government will take care of the poor and old. Now, we have taken things one step further…I was watching a commercial that is aimed at the elderly and informs them that they can benefit from the new prescription drug benefit. The lady on the commercial says, “I am not poor, but I’m not rich either, and with the new prescription drug benefit, I can save money.” So, no longer does the government step in to help those that can’t help themselves, but to give people things they can already afford. Now the government is going to protect us from stress and hard work. Pretty soon we will depend on them for our entertainment as well…which we sort of already do.
Yeah, I wouldn’t look towards France and just shrug it off as the French just being French. The U.S. is ever increasingly becoming completely government centric as well. Can anyone point to any facet of our lives which is not controlled or regulated by government, or any situation/problem which the initial knee-jerk reaction is to look to government dollars as the panacea.