To the Editor:
Re “Yes, Venezuela Is a Socialist Catastrophe” (column, Jan. 26):
Bret Stephens implicitly and unfairly trashes all democratic socialist countries when he asserts, using Venezuela as the model, that “socialism ultimately requires coercion to achieve its political aims.”
Mr. Stephens concludes that the democratic socialist experience in Venezuela is a lesson to be learned from. Unfortunately, he ignores Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden and Norway — all democratic socialist countries without coercion, with different models, not an “orthodox socialist script,” and with regular elections.
Stephen Gold
Philadelphia
To the Editor:
When leftist governments fail, the political right is quick to call it a failure of socialism, as Bret Stephens did. Many states have failed because of mismanagement, corruption and external interference, with many more capitalist states failing in Latin America over the past century than socialist ones, leaving huge portions of these populations in poverty.
It’s not the system (see Denmark, Sweden, etc.) but the governance, and it’s a shame when the same worn-out arguments are trotted out that avoid discussing the important factors that actually cause states to fail.
Dennis Marks
Anchorage
To the Editor:
More than half of the 1 billion of the world’s population that has left extreme poverty behind lives in China. Which ideology — capitalism, socialism or Communism — do we chalk that win up to? The world is complicated.
Rene Roy
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
To the Editor:
Bret Stephens cites approvingly Margaret Thatcher’s remark that socialism doesn’t work because “eventually you run out of other people’s money.” One could just as simplistically dismiss capitalism because eventually you run out of other people’s willingness to be exploited.
Fred Kameny
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Source: Read Full Article
Home » Analysis & Comment » Opinion | Is Venezuela Failing Because of Socialism?
Opinion | Is Venezuela Failing Because of Socialism?
To the Editor:
Re “Yes, Venezuela Is a Socialist Catastrophe” (column, Jan. 26):
Bret Stephens implicitly and unfairly trashes all democratic socialist countries when he asserts, using Venezuela as the model, that “socialism ultimately requires coercion to achieve its political aims.”
Mr. Stephens concludes that the democratic socialist experience in Venezuela is a lesson to be learned from. Unfortunately, he ignores Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden and Norway — all democratic socialist countries without coercion, with different models, not an “orthodox socialist script,” and with regular elections.
Stephen Gold
Philadelphia
To the Editor:
When leftist governments fail, the political right is quick to call it a failure of socialism, as Bret Stephens did. Many states have failed because of mismanagement, corruption and external interference, with many more capitalist states failing in Latin America over the past century than socialist ones, leaving huge portions of these populations in poverty.
It’s not the system (see Denmark, Sweden, etc.) but the governance, and it’s a shame when the same worn-out arguments are trotted out that avoid discussing the important factors that actually cause states to fail.
Dennis Marks
Anchorage
To the Editor:
More than half of the 1 billion of the world’s population that has left extreme poverty behind lives in China. Which ideology — capitalism, socialism or Communism — do we chalk that win up to? The world is complicated.
Rene Roy
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
To the Editor:
Bret Stephens cites approvingly Margaret Thatcher’s remark that socialism doesn’t work because “eventually you run out of other people’s money.” One could just as simplistically dismiss capitalism because eventually you run out of other people’s willingness to be exploited.
Fred Kameny
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Source: Read Full Article