Do socialists know why socialism fails?
This past April, I sent a letter to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) about a problem that has been troubling me for some time. Here’s the text:
TL;DR
- The author sent a letter to Sen. Bernie Sanders asking why socialist countries like Cuba and Venezuela have failed.
- Sanders did not reply to the letter.
- One explanation for socialist leaders' failures is that they appeal to a superficial public with nice-sounding policy aims to gain power.
- A more generous explanation is that socialist leaders, like the masses they appeal to, believe attractive goals like wealth redistribution are simple to implement.
- The author suggests that socialist leaders fail to understand the complexity of using government to address economic problems, leading to wrecked economies.
- The article questions whether there are any other kinds of socialists besides those who impulsively implement policies without considering long-run effects.