Why are Conservatives afraid of Socialism?

Question

I think this question is pretty straight up, it's kind of a branch off from my other question.

Answer 1

We don't want it.  It's pretty simple.  You may want it.  We want the USA we grew up with, not a Socialist country.  I can't figure out why that confuses people.  Or are you wanting to know the definition of Socialism?

Answer 2

ummm...because it's responsible for at least 100 million deaths just in the 20th century alone.  

Answer 3

America was founded on the principles of freedom. Generally socialism is government controlled.. and most do not want government making their decisions for them...their lives, and their families.

Answer 4

Because it is contrary to every principle on which this great nation was founded.  The principals of individual liberty, freedoms, and limited government.  

Answer 5

Because it's un-American.

Answer 6

Because Socialism desecrates everything that this country was founded on.  

Answer 7

Because Socialism is the very opposite of every ideal spelled out in our constitution. Socialism means more government, more taxes and less freedom.

Freedom is incapatible with socialism. Socialist feel the free market is inperfect that people will get exploited. They believe people aren't smart enough to run their own lives or make their decisions. Socialists feel they are the ones who are best equipped to run society and its economy. This is false, when people are given freedom, that is when we have the most propserity. Socialism has always been shown to erode properity and freedom. And people do no get exploited in the free market, it based on mutual decisions and freedom and when two parties engage in exchange, both benefits. THere is myth out there that says if one man gets wealthy, another is worst off, this is false, in the free market, both parties work hard so that they both benefit.

Answer 8

because time and time again, it has proven not to work.  See why Sweden is privatizing many industries.

Answer 9

cause just bout every country that supported socialism has collapsed or become a third world country??

Edit: "have you ever heard of a country named france" oh you mean that bankrupted little hellhole that hates everyone, and everyone hates?? that france?

Answer 10

I don't know.  They have no problem with corporate welfare and corporate bailouts.  That's socialism -- steal from the poor to give to the rich.  Privatize the profits, socialize the losses.

It's a shame they can't be honest about it.  Their votes consistently prove that they prefer this type of socialism.  

It's simple -- neocons  prefer socialism that favors the wealthiest and democrats prefer socialism that benefits the working-middle class.  The middle class always makes a stronger democracy and well, we all know as history proves that extreme wealth disparity in the hands of a few always leads to dictatorships.  Draw your own conclusions.

Answer 11

In a little over 230 years, America has arguably become the greatest society the world has ever known - and it didn't accomplish this with a socialistic agenda, it was pure, evil capitalism.

Answer 12

Because we are smart enough to look at history and see IT HAS NEVER WORKED......It is based on the error that everyone WILL do their fair share and not slack off......IT doesn't  WORK

Answer 13

did you know that Hitler was a socialist? Stalin, Mao? Pretty scarry people..i personally am against socialism, not afraid of it...i think socialist are wimps..

Answer 14

Bottom line, we just don't agree with the principles of socialism. I really don't like the term "afraid" because we're mainly talking about philosophical disagreements, however, I guess I would agree that I am afraid of what it would do to our country. (Actually, of what it is doing to our country.)

The free market, motivation for profit, and capitalism are the most efficient methods, and they reward those who work hardest, contribute most, invent, innovate, etc.

To the post that mentioned "corporate welfare" and "corporate bailouts", those are not CONSERVATIVE ideals.  Those are political ideals. True, they may be sponsored by Republicans, but they are sponsored by Democrats as well.  I will not defend corporate welfare. You can no longer assume conservatives and Republicans are one and the same.  The Republican party has largely drifted away from true conservative principles. (But, that's another post.)

Answer 15

Because they don't know what socialism is.

We have a fundamental belief in capitalism, which precludes any divergent thought.  But they forget that our educational system is socialist, our military is socialist...basically anything that our tax dollars go toward are, at least in part, socialist institutions...

We have a fundamental belief in equality, but any ideas espousing a belief in equality are systematically dismissed and labeled "socialist" by conservatives.  The rich ones are trying to save their money, and the not-so-rich-to-poor ones, are repeating soundbites that they can't explain and can only "think" they believe in.  Have you heard anyone explain what socialism is?  No, they just say it's bad and it's "unamerican"  We're willing to be ambivalent about racial equality, we're willing to be ambivalent about women's rights, about g*y rights, about the rights of illegal immigrants, we're even willing to be ambivalent about socioeconomic status...but not about our money.  What's mine is mine, what's yours is yours...like Obama said in his speech...you figure it out, because we already have.

It's sick...it's misguided...it's inefficient...it's counterproductive...it's fundamentally against the American idealism our "forefathers" engendered and we claim to maintain...it's indefensible and yet somehow inarguable.  We are a nation of ideological convenience pulling from our ideals to make everyone cry, and then sticking a shank in them once we've all been duped.

I might be a cynic.  I might be pessimistic.  I might be hyperbolic.  But can you tell me that the opposite has been working?  In the last 8 years?  Republicans have lied to our faces without blinking, and this great big weapon they have against Obama now is "socialism"?  A black, twisted "racism" that doesn't exist?  A few soundbites from an impassioned man in an emotional time?

Give me a break.  They're scared, and they have just cause.  You think we Democrats aren't scared that the country might lose a chance to right a wrongheaded ship?  I'll be the first to admit...I'm frightened, but only because our nation tends to go with what it knows...not because the Republicans themselves have given me just cause to quiver.

Answer 16

For the same reason sensible people are afraid of things that cause harm.

Socialism always results in a loss of liberty.  You cannot have socialism without increasing the power of the state, and you cannot increase the power of the state without DECREASING the power of individuals.

There is no way to increase the power of the state and maintain liberty.