A new generation of political romantics may rediscover the old idea that the promises of socialism can somehow be combined with the freedoms of democracy. They call it “democratic socialism.” It’s a word meant to soften the edges of collectivism and reassure us that state control will come, this time with a smile. But history and human nature tell us otherwise.
utopia marketing
“Democratic socialism” is a marketing slogan, not an economic philosophy. It suggests that equality without coercion, prosperity without profit, and government control without government power are possible. This is the ideological equivalent of a perpetual motion machine. Beautiful in theory, but impossible in practice.
Socialism, whether democratic or authoritarian, always requires the transfer of decision-making from the individual to the state. Power over what we produce, what we earn, and often what we think becomes centralized. When government becomes the arbiter of fairness, freedom becomes negotiable. A forfeiture result cannot be overridden by a vote.
Democracy is a process, not a principle
Democracy is the process of how we make decisions. Socialism is a result, a product of that decision. They are not natural partners. One explains how we choose. The other determines what we have to choose.
The founders understood this tension. That’s why they created a constitutional republic rather than a pure democracy. They feared that a majority could vote unchecked to strip individuals of their rights. As Benjamin Franklin famously quipped, “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what’s for dinner.” Under socialism, even in a democracy, the wolves always win until the lambs run out and the wolves turn against each other.
Freedom requires unequal outcomes
The promise of socialism is equality of outcome. The promise of democracy is equality of opportunity. The former requires force. The second demands freedom. You can have one or the other, but not both.
In a free market, some people succeed and others struggle. But the ladder of opportunity still stands and anyone can climb it. In a socialist system, ladders are replaced by ration cards. Everyone is equal, equally dependent, equally bound, and equally poor.
scandinavian mythology
Proponents often point to Scandinavia as evidence that “democratic socialism” is working. However, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway are not socialist, but rather capitalist economies with generous welfare states. Their wealth was created by free markets long before redistribution became fashionable. Former Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen frankly stated, “Denmark is far from a socialist planned economy.Denmark is a market economy.”
You cannot redistribute what is not produced. Production comes from freedom, not bureaucracy.
human nature is not socialized
Socialism assumes that people work as hard for others as they do for themselves. But human nature resists that illusion. When reward is separated from effort, effort decreases. When success is punished and dependence is rewarded, dependence grows.
“Democratic socialism,” even in its mildest form, erodes the moral link between work and reward. It tells entrepreneurs that their interests are in doubt, and it tells bureaucrats that their power is just. It replaces gratitude with dissatisfaction and turns the people into supplicants.
Freedom is the only sustainable compassion
Compassion is not measured by how much government spends. It is measured by how much dignity an individual retains. True compassion gives people the strength to rise rather than stay.
Free societies enable private philanthropy, voluntary cooperation, and innovation, lifting millions of people out of poverty. Every major advance in technology, medicine, and society, from the printing press to the smartphone, was born out of freedom, not control. The Central Committee never invented prosperity.
final settlement
Strip away the slogan, and “democratic socialism” is just a socialism that hasn’t yet spent other people’s money.
Democracy may choose socialism, but socialism cannot coexist with democracy. One must eventually destroy the other. The moment the state owns your work, income, and voice, your freedom is already gone.
So let me be clear: there is no such thing as a democratic socialist. Only socialists want your vote before taking away your freedom.
