Scan barcode
A review by jamie_o
Socialism Sucks: Two Economists Drink Their Way Through the Unfree World by Benjamin Powell, Robert Lawson
4.0
As I don't drink alcohol, a book with some beers on the cover is not generally going to appeal to me, but it seemed like an entertaining look at a subject I am interested in. The authors were crude at times and there was some random cursing throughout but there was humor too, and it was overall a fascinating quick read.
The authors first traveled to Sweden, which is not a socialist country (it protects personal property rights, allows free trade, and lightly regulates businesses), but a big welfare state that taxes the dickens out of everything. Then they traveled to Venezuela which used to be touted by socialists as a pristine example of socialism, which they now say is "not really socialism" because it's a complete and utter failure.
Next was Cuba, which some socialists like to say has a better healthcare system/life expectancy than the U.S. But its hospitals are so poorly equipped that many people bring sheets from home. And they have far fewer automobile fatalities because most Cubans don't even own cars. Cuba's low rate of infant mortality is a result of data manipulation. Cuba has one of the highest rates of abortion in the world: 72 out of 100 babies are aborted, and doctors force women to abort high risk pregnancies.
The authors were not able to safely get into North Korea but they saw it from China. China is an interesting country as it has adopted free market reforms that have transformed much of the country and brought millions out of poverty. For example, the government realized that farmers free to make a profit were productive, self-employment and private business ownership is legal, and there are free trade zones and special economic zones. The authors refer to China as a crony capitalist police state, as politically it is still very communist.
The authors also traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and the country of Georgia. They cite Georgia as a good example of a country that has successfully reformed from its Soviet socialist days into a pro-capitalist country by reducing the size of the government, privatizing state-owned corporations, and repealing unnecessary bureaucracy rules/regulations.
They finished at a socialist conference in Chicago where the majority of attendants were millennials who didn't have a firm grasp on socialism. They were passionate about BLM, social justice, abortion, illegal immigration - generally liberal ideas.
I couldn't get on board with the authors libertarian ideas though. In particular I disagree with their "no borders" stance. It's just a terrible idea. legal immigration=good, illegal immigration=bad.
"Abortion and environmental activism seem to be common gateway drugs to socialism."
The authors first traveled to Sweden, which is not a socialist country (it protects personal property rights, allows free trade, and lightly regulates businesses), but a big welfare state that taxes the dickens out of everything. Then they traveled to Venezuela which used to be touted by socialists as a pristine example of socialism, which they now say is "not really socialism" because it's a complete and utter failure.
Next was Cuba, which some socialists like to say has a better healthcare system/life expectancy than the U.S. But its hospitals are so poorly equipped that many people bring sheets from home. And they have far fewer automobile fatalities because most Cubans don't even own cars. Cuba's low rate of infant mortality is a result of data manipulation. Cuba has one of the highest rates of abortion in the world: 72 out of 100 babies are aborted, and doctors force women to abort high risk pregnancies.
The authors were not able to safely get into North Korea but they saw it from China. China is an interesting country as it has adopted free market reforms that have transformed much of the country and brought millions out of poverty. For example, the government realized that farmers free to make a profit were productive, self-employment and private business ownership is legal, and there are free trade zones and special economic zones. The authors refer to China as a crony capitalist police state, as politically it is still very communist.
The authors also traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and the country of Georgia. They cite Georgia as a good example of a country that has successfully reformed from its Soviet socialist days into a pro-capitalist country by reducing the size of the government, privatizing state-owned corporations, and repealing unnecessary bureaucracy rules/regulations.
They finished at a socialist conference in Chicago where the majority of attendants were millennials who didn't have a firm grasp on socialism. They were passionate about BLM, social justice, abortion, illegal immigration - generally liberal ideas.
I couldn't get on board with the authors libertarian ideas though. In particular I disagree with their "no borders" stance. It's just a terrible idea. legal immigration=good, illegal immigration=bad.
"Abortion and environmental activism seem to be common gateway drugs to socialism."