Op-Ed by Michael Snyder
A shocking new survey has found that support for capitalism is dying in America. In fact, more than half of all adults in the United States under the age of 30 say that they do not support capitalism at this point. You might be tempted to dismiss them as “foolish young people”, but the truth is that they are the future of America. As older generations die off, they will eventually become the leaders of this country. And of course our nation has not resembled anything close to a capitalist society for quite some time now. In a recent article, I listed 97 different taxes that Americans pay each year, and some Americans actually end up returning more than half of what they earn to the government by the time it is all said and done. So at best it could be said that we are running some sort of hybrid system that isn’t as far down the road toward full-blown socialism as most European nations are. But without a doubt we are moving in that direction, and our young people are going to be cheering every step of the way.
When I first heard of this new survey from Harvard University, I was absolutely stunned. The following is from what the Washington Post had to say about it…
The Harvard University survey, which polled young adults between ages 18 and 29, found that 51 percent of respondents do not support capitalism. Just 42 percent said they support it.
It isn’t clear that the young people in the poll would prefer some alternative system, though. Just 33 percent said they supported socialism. The survey had a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points.
Could it be possible that young adults were confused by the wording of the survey?
Well, other polls have come up with similar results…
The university’s results echo recent findings from Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who surveyed 1,000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 26 and found that 58% of respondents believed socialism to be the “more compassionate” political system when compared to capitalism. And when participants were asked to sum up the root of America’s problem in one word, 29% said “greed.”
This trend among our young people is very real, and you can see it in their support of Bernie Sanders. For millions upon millions of young adults in America today, Hillary Clinton is not nearly liberal enough for them. So they have flocked to Sanders, and if they had been the only ones voting in this election season, he would have won the Democratic nomination by a landslide.
Sadly, most of our young people don’t seem to understand how socialism slowly but surely destroys a nation. If you want to see the end result of socialism, just look at the economic collapse that is going on in Venezuela right now. The following comes from a Bloomberg article entitled “Venezuela Doesn’t Have Enough Money to Pay for Its Money”…
Venezuela’s epic shortages are nothing new at this point. No diapers or car parts or aspirin — it’s all been well documented. But now the country is at risk of running out of money itself.
In a tale that highlights the chaos of unbridled inflation, Venezuela is scrambling to print new bills fast enough to keep up with the torrid pace of price increases. Most of the cash, like nearly everything else in the oil-exporting country, is imported. And with hard currency reserves sinking to critically low levels, the central bank is doling out payments so slowly to foreign providers that they are foregoing further business.
Venezuela, in other words, is now so broke that it may not have enough money to pay for its money.
We are losing an entire generation of young people. These days, there is quite a lot of talk about how we need to get America back to the principles that it was founded upon; but the cold, hard reality of the matter is that most of our young people are running in the opposite direction as fast as they can.
And Americans under the age of 30 are not just becoming more liberal when it comes to economics. Surveys have found that they are more than twice as likely to support gay rights and less than half as likely to regularly attend church as the oldest Americans are.
So why is this happening?
Well, the truth is that our colleges and universities have become indoctrination centers for the progressive movement. I know, because I spent eight years at public universities in this country. The quality of the education that our young people are receiving is abysmal, but the values that are being imparted to them will last a lifetime.
And of course the same things could be said about our system of education all the way down to the kindergarten level. There are still some good people in the system, but overall it is overwhelmingly dominated by the progressives.
Meanwhile, the major entertainment providers in the United States are also promoting the same values. In a recent article entitled “Depressing Survey Results Show How Extremely Stupid America Has Become”, I discussed a Nielsen report which detailed how much time the average American spends consuming media on various electronic devices each day…
- Watching live television: 4 hours, 32 minutes
- Watching time-shifted television: 30 minutes
- Listening to the radio: 2 hours, 44 minutes
- Using a smartphone: 1 hour, 33 minutes
- Using Internet on a computer: 1 hour, 6 minutes
Overall, the average American spends about 10 hours a day consuming one form of entertainment or another.
When you allow that much “programming” into your mind, it is inevitable that it is going to shape your values, and our young people are more “plugged in” than any of the rest of us.
So, yes, I believe that it is exceedingly clear why we should be deeply concerned about the future of America. The values that are being relentlessly pounded into the heads of our young people are directly opposed to the values that this nation was founded upon, and it is these young people that will determine the path that this country ultimately takes.
*About the author: Michael Snyder is the founder and publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog. Michael’s controversial new book about Bible prophecy entitled “The Rapture Verdict” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.*
Looks like the lessons of the 20th century will be wasted, and history will have to repeat itself, once again. Stupid twits.
When people are ignorant of their history they are prone to repeating their mistakes.
“The Sun vanquishes all who oppose his course.”
This is sad. Capitalism already died long time ago. We have just a few capitalist but a lot of cronies capitalism who support by gov. It’s sad to see how gov uses uneducated people to attack a few left capitalists and turn this country to socialism/communism. History always shows that when people rises up against capitalism, then the country always ends up with socialism/communism and dictator will be born. Socialism/communism were born when people were angry about capitalism in history. History also shows socialism always fail.
The author picks the weakest socialist country to show “hoe socialism does not work”. What total bullshit. Tell Austria that socialism does not work or Denmark or Sweden or Norway. Venezuela just happens to be on the CIA’s hit list and possibly this author works for them. What a crock.
The European countries you named are speeding down a highway to the NWO techno totalitarian system of control, slightly ahead of the US. The generous benefits were the honey pot – trade civil liberties and privacy for redistribution. Crony capitalism vs. technocrat totalitarian socialism, either one is controlled by the same cabal that molded the current system. Hegelian false choices.
I agree with most of what you say but until there is a viable 3rd way, what kind of cage do you want to live in? One where your basic needs, housing healthcare food clothing education, are met or one where doctors will send you into the street to die; the gov will slowly starve you death while funding illegal wars for corp profit and then put you into a private for profit prison system for trying to feed yourself and your family by whatever means are available to you?
Until the pie-in-the-sky utopia of a true democracy that shares the wealth and cares about all of the people and gives us what we all want and deserve comes into being, I chose the former.
What kind of cage do I want to live in? As physically “comfortable” as I am living in the heart of the NWO Empire, I have no desire to live in any kind of cage and it isn’t necessary for us to be brainwashed from cradle to grave in order to live in a prosperous free and civil society. Therein lies the true consciousness shift to liberate our minds – the Matrix enslavement model or destitution are not the only two choices. We were all indoctrinated from a young age to believe there were only three distinct major models of government available to the world – Democratic Republic, Socialism/Communism and it’s enantiomer Fascism – all of which are prone to devolve to Elite Rule via the historical reality of the Iron Law of Politics. Collectively, we have never been allowed to perceive the great power of enlightenment and decentralized networks. We are only limited by our imaginations – most giving in to the apex predator psychopaths’ fear based control tactics. What are they going to do, destroy the world to spite their faces with a pandemic or nuclear war which they can’t control? They are control freaks and they are highly rational, their minions not always but kept on very short leashes. I choose no cage, the golden rule, compassion, and rejection of their materialist and reductionist mindset. We have the technology, the resources, and the brain power to create a far better world without the Globalists or any type of elite rule. Once the final control grid is in place, you will be told what to think, eat, and do every minute of the day unable to protest or oppose the poisoning of the skies, food, water, perversion of medicine, draconian censorship and tracking. It’s already here in the west wearing the velvet glove – for now. We need to shine those lights as bright as a thousand suns and help others connect the dots.
BTW, regarding real tangible solutions and models rather than pie-in-the-sky scenarios, a decentralized model of community oversight of government programs and funding driven by open source communication was exactly what Catherine Austin Fitts was actively creating very successfully when she was shut down hard by corrupt authorities. Tax monies were being used appropriately, workers were becoming empowered, and people were connecting to create a safe community. Since then, the software technology has evolved substantially and if this pilot program had been allowed to grow and prosper we would already be on paths light years ahead of where we are now. Note this model is bottom up, not Elite top down control, as found in Venezuela community organization groups or Agenda 21 where locals get to vote on whether to spend money on a few new approved library books or a new swing set for the park – and that’s about all.
That may be a very valid point that deserves real consideration, but most socialistic countries do not really practice it.
Their leaders anyway, never share the wealth as the people are demanded to.
True but still a better quality of life than here, at least in the advanced countries.
The people, rightfuly, reject this system of a parasitic ruling class in collusion with corrupt politicians, a bunch of hired thiefs, who boss the people around and steal their money.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzmOzQRq0ak
I believe the parasitic mafia that we have morphed into, ( due to unchecked corruption) and true capitalism are two different things.
I could be wrong but is not capitalism an economic system and not a political one that states people and organizations are allowed to bring services and products to an open market under fair rules and lets the buyer determine their success by their actual need or acceptance.
Yes, that’s free market capitalism – great point making a distinction between economic systems and political ones. The important differences in political systems are in the degree of government control (statism) that runs along a continuum. The US was structured as a democratic Republic but the legal framework was captured by hard core statists and they use that power to capture and pervert free market activity. Communism, socialism, and fascism all involve immediate capture and merging of the political and economic systems for maximum control over the population. True free markets are regulated as little as possible to protect against fraud and the rise of cartels / monopolies.
What Rosen Larke in the video is describing as voluntary cooperation and business is exactly what this government was SUPPOSED to be.
That is why it is capitalized WE THE PEOPLE. A specific government created for, of, and by the people. The problem is we have allowed corrupt individuals to take over and multiply their ranks to the point we have come full circle in it’s tyrannical current form.
Correction…Larken Rose
Yeah, those “foolish” young people. Capitalism has worked SO WELL at giving everyone in America opportunity. Especially if everyone has a rich daddy who can pay for the finest schools, make small, million dollar loans to their kids to start a business and become a “self-made” billionaire, and allow enough of a slush fund to pay off politicians to start wars, make lucrative contract awards or keep regulation and private lawsuits at bay so you can burn and pillage at will.
Quite simply, that is not capitalism.
This is the very crux of the argument or debate.
What is the most accurate definition of Capitalism?
” If you want to see the end result of socialism, just look at the economic collapse that is going on in Venezuela right now. ”
Venezuela is under attack by economic warfare, just like Cuba. Covert economic sabotage by the CIA and right wing oligarchs, amplified by the Saudi oil price war, have undermined the economy. It is not socialism which has failed (it reduced poverty, increased health and nutrition, and expanded education) but socialism which is under attack so that it cannot succeed.
If you want to see prosperous and peaceful socialist nations look at the social democracies of Northern Europe. Cherry picking a nation under attack is dishonest. It’s like kicking a man to the gutter and then denouncing him for being in the gutter.
Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world and therefore is a wealthy nation, and when the oil price war ends, it will again resume a vibrant economic progress. 50 years of economic warfare impoverished Cuba but it did not crush it. Venezuela will emerge as a weatlthy nation if it can survive the sabotage of its economy and its Revoluiton.
Capitalism requires competition, efficiencies, discipline. It requires cooperation and communication. Some of us like the excitement of capitalism. Capitalism means going after something, and winning it. Survival requires the same qualities. It isn’t for everyone.
Where I believe we failed is capitalism requires laws.
Fraud, deceit, coercion cannot be allowed a part of the business strategy.
Did you know big pharma knows they are going to kill people with their products and it is factored in as part of their business strategy?
This is where we really ran amok.
I am quite sure that their trials are not discontinued just because of a couple of negative reports. I have worked for a hospital and have seen “collateral liability”.
Shemitah Boy Snyder’s agitprop is the capitalist version of UC Berkeley professors who insist that the only problem with communism is that “real communism hasn’t been tried yet.” Like arsenic, if a little bit of “free market” capitalism doesn’t wipe us out, we need more “free market” arsenic.
There is a third way, distributism, where private property is widely distributed, even among the goyim, not concentrated in the hands of 0.1%. Oy veh!
I guess that’s easy to understand, since JFK was greased we’ve pretty much bee a crony capitalist country (facsist). Look at O’Bozo and Solyndra, or the Putz with Halliburton.
I believe that’s when the coup really took hold.
We’ve had it before and after jfk but he was the last one to try and stop it. Executive order 11110 was part of what he was doing to try and take back power from the western central banks. The us has been fascistic even before ww2 but it’s gotten much worse over the years.
We are the Home of Natural Plants like Cannabis Oil , Medical Marijuana Strains , Edibles , Seeds , wax and hash . They are all top quality Grade A with High THC and also we have them in stock . Place your order directly from our website and have it ship the same day . Visit http://www.saintmaryhouse . com or contact us at 512 640 9206
We are the Home of Natural Plants like Cannabis Oil , Medical Marijuana Strains , Edibles , Seeds , wax and hash . They are all top quality Grade A with High THC and also we have them in stock . Place your order directly from our website and have it ship the same day . Visit http://www.saintmaryhouse . com or contact us at 512 640 9206+
Can you blame them – all the capitalists have gone for the cheap child slave labor across the big pond.
All schools are teaching socialism and then you have the dumbing down of individual spirit and intellect.
Capitalism has been hijacked by the gold collar scum crowd muscling out most of the small farmers and the mom and pop shops.
Fascism is alive and well. Folks should stop buying.
The entire planet has been usurped.
TAXATION is THEFT.
USURY is THEFT.
You nailed the solution.
We should stop buying. Maybe not stop but use our purchases as the power it truly is, after all this is what they are all after….OUR MONEY It’s what is is all about and we hold that power and don’t know it.
If we boycotted corrupt businesses and corporations we could clean up, but it takes unification and commitment by THE PEOPLE. Something we so far have not demonstrated we have the discipline of.
You go too far. You didn’t live among those men and are not really qualified to judge them as if you did.
Put yourself in their shoes. How will you like it when others judge you 100 years from now never really knowing you, or what you valued, or how you thought.
Yes, they were fallible men like all, yourself included, but if were not for them, you wouldn’t have the ability to voice your opinion now. Show the respect they deserve as you yourself expect.
Remove them, (for they were a stepping stone leading to you) and your existence would be nullified. I’m not saying they were perfect as no men are, you and I included, but we need to give respect to receive it.
Yes, that is what we were always told.
But I gave you the link to read some more on this.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
I’m a big picture person and this is what i think it is all about….MONEY.
We have a whole network of parasites working together to fleece america.
Make people ignorant and emotional and they are easily manipulated
This is my goto quote on a topic like this, “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” James Madison
Great quote! I’m going to pass it on. Thanks.
The majority of these communistic suckers will be either working 2 jobs
earning minimum wage or living on the streets or in jail. They are
irrelevant. And BTW, America is not a capitalistic society. They have taxation and tax = theft and is communism’s favourite tool of wealth confiscation. America is some kind of mafia-pirate economy.
I wonder if these same people would say the us is a capitalist system. It hasn’t been for along time in most aspects, it went into fascism before most of the people that live here were born. The latest “too big to fail” business is just one symptom of what has been happening incrementally over the years. In reality the western central banks and their owners effectively rule this country. Corporate interests are a higher priority to what poses as the central government than what benefits the people and nobody with connections to government or certain corporations are ever held accountable for their actions including terrorism and fraud
Capital is a fact of life. Who controls it should be the issue. Should individuals control their own capital or should a few elitists control it for them?
Venezuela isn’t Socialist and the actual state of that country isn’t fault of their system, but of a series of coups and attempts of coups to align them with liberalism, including the actual US’s South America politics and sanctions. This is happening also in Argentina and Brasil right now.
Also, Bernie Sanders is a Social-Democrat, like Brasil and Argentina where supposed to be. I think those polls actually points those people can’t support capitalism like it is nowadays, and they want to support social democracy, but misleading names with socialism, a very common mistake. Like people here in Brasil says we are under a Socialist government, which are very very distant to the truth, just because the government have this vision, “same” of Sanders.
President Trump: Transgender People Should Be Allowed to Use Bathroom of Their Choice