Saturday, October 28, 2017

Socialism is Surging on College Campuses


I warned that this would occur with Trump's victory.

Two days after the election I wrote:
 The socialists are going to experience a boom in followers under Trump.
And so it has. Vice reports:
 Seizing the means of production is so hot right now.

Long relegated to the fringes of American politics, socialism is surging on college campuses in the aftermath of the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders — a self-described democratic socialist — and Donald Trump’s victory. The Young Democratic Socialists of America went from 12 chapters at the end of 2016 to 47 in June, and at least 100 are expected by the end of this semester (329 colleges registered for materials in August).
And the right is infatuated with the anti-trade, big government, crony Trump.


As I wrote immediately following the 2016 election:
Crony capitalism is bad but trade wars, tarriffs and other protectionist policies are worse. This, though, is the direction Trump appears to want to move in on trade. Yet, in the comments, I see support for Trump's barbaric trade thinking. No doubt there will be more such support for Trump in the comments to this post, though, Trump is nowhere near a small government advocate. He may move in a small government direction on an issue here or there but he will be mostly about expanding the state. As I say, few from the right are going to be concerned about this, their man is in power.
Bottom line: Advancing the libertarian cause just got much more difficult with the Trump victory.
Hillary as president would have provided a ready-made audience of libertarian prospects that are now co-opted by the statist Trump. And the young Left are going even more socilaist.


  -RW

7 comments:

  1. Hard to predict if it would not accelerate even faster with Hillary manipulating the system even more though.

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  2. You are correct that Trump is no friend of Libertarians but he is INFINITELY better than Hillary! I still support Dr. Walter Block's position of selecting the lesser master! Saying that Hillary would be better for Libertarianism is like saying that Stalin, Mao or Hitler would create a better environment for the freedom movement. Trump, as a non insider, is helping to create in the public's mind an atmosphere of exposing the CORRUPTION and FRAUD of the "Deep State" and their henchman in government. I'm hoping the chaos Trump's victory is creating for the power elite further exposes their crimes and abuses and they turn to Libertarianism. Unfortunately the public school system is controlled by Socialist and they seem to be winning support by indoctrinating their students with these wrong headed thoughts. It is incumbent upon us to educate our family and friends about the folly of Socialism and the merits of Libertarian and Austrian Economics.

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  3. Which is why we ought to support secessions of various stripes. The more we can separate, the better. As a Texan, I'd wholeheartedly cheer the secession of California and any other left coast / east coast socialist enclaves. I hope Texas would take the step as well some day.

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  4. Yes, it would be much easier to resist tyranny if Hillary had been elected and banned or seized firearms.

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    Replies
    1. If a president were somehow stupid enough to attempt such a moronic overreach, it would be a godsend for the liberty movement.

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    2. Now that is a bottom line few ever want to mention let alone proclaim. There is no denying it Evan.

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  5. What a debate! Resolved: The bad is good for the good.

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