A long time ago, merchants heralding the virtues of cure-all elixirs traveled by carriage across America.

Subsequently, an idea arose: Beware the snake oil salesman.

Yet here we are over a century later, and a new tonic’s in town: socialism.

We’re informed by elements of the political Left that the Nazis’ favorite ideology can fix all that ails us.

Now comes news that it’s true in a most medicinal way.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, flyers recently dressed the campus with promise of killing the coronavirus.

The signs advertised an upcoming event.

As tweeted by Libs of Tik Tok, they read as follows:

Only socialism can defeat COVID. Month after month, the pandemic seems to go from bad to worse. Through it all, the only answer we keep hearing from the capitalists is to get back to work. Time after time, events prove to us that capitalism offers no solutions and only aggregates the problem. Join the [International Marxist Tendency] to talk about what it means to protect public health from a working-class perspective.

Very normal stuff happening on college campuses pic.twitter.com/C428X7FG44

— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) February 21, 2022

It’s an interesting idea.

A few comments, if I may:

• It isn’t true that each month has brought worse pandemic news. In fact, information has progressively improved. What once was framed as a death sentence is now being treated as a sort of flu — America is unmasking as we accept COVID as one of Earth’s illnesses.
• We haven’t kept hearing from “the capitalists” to get back to work; rather, workers have demanded they return to being able to provide for their families.
• If anything failed us across the pandemic, it was government.

How has capitalism “aggregated” our problem? Do those in support of socialism know what it means?

There’s a very basic difference between the two: Socialism is the forced removal of one’s ability to own a business.

In socialism, the government owns all products and means of production. In capitalism, ownership is distributed among individual business owners.

Socialism is an ideology based on the ultimate big business — that of the government. Capitalism is a system of many businesses.

In capitalism, a free market economy works to balance prices and wages. In socialism, a monopolistic system allows the government to charge and pay whatever it wants.

Given the distinctions, concerning SARS-CoV-2, in what ways has capitalism failed to do what socialism would’ve?

Perhaps that’s what we could’ve learned at the International Marxist Tendency’s event.

Campus Reform contacted the IMT in search of what the virtual shindig shelled out.

Representative Alex Gillis wrote in response:

“We discussed how, under capitalism, the COVID-19 pandemic has been mismanaged. And constantly narrow interest for profit has been prioritized over human lives.”

“We do believe there is the science, production capability, and wealth to stop the pandemic,” he said. “However, under capitalism, these resources are put for the narrow interest of the wealthiest.”

The proposed solution, Gillis explained, was to be nothing short of the “international socialization of healthcare.”

How would that stimulate the incentive and enterprise necessary for medical advancement? It remains unclear.

But one thing is crystal: Socialism is gaining ground nationwide.

See:

CNN.com: Great News! Millennials Like Socialism!

New Poll Reveals a Stunning Number of Dems Favor Socialism

AOC Says Capitalism ‘Not a Redeemable System’

DNC Panelist Lays Out the Party’s Plan: ‘We All Want’ the ‘Destruction’ of Capitalism

Chicago Politician Says Socialism Should Have ‘Control of Every Single Facet of Our Life’

It certainly makes sense for politicians to promote it — if socialism is instituted, they’ll be unprecedentedly in charge.

Why would lowly citizens work toward such a thing? That’s a question, so far as I know, with no sufficient answer.

Perhaps you have one to provide.

Back to COVID, can it actually be “defeated?” We’ve been bested by bronchitis; we’ve been outsmarted by strep — both of those maladies still exist.

Hopefully, we’ll learn to live with COVID as we have with many other threats. The alternative is no way of living at all. And as we go, perhaps capitalism will give birth to superior care.

In the meantime, some will continue to believe the myth that under socialism, employees magically own the company:

Socialism- the workers (or laborers) of a company OWN the company as a group. And control the business democratically.

That’s all. That’s the tweet.

((That’s why it scares CEOS aka the “new slave drivers”. ))) pic.twitter.com/46BQbGGeca

— Dr. Gadget 👩🏽‍🔬 (@bgirlgadget) February 28, 2020

People really think that capitalism means "making profit"? No wonder people hate socialism, they don't even know what it means. In socialism, the business model is EXACTLY the same, just that the workers own the business instead of some rich dude. FFS…

— Shawn The Atheist (@ShawnTheAtheist) February 15, 2020

Socialism means workers own the business, as in, they work, and they own a share of the business so they have control over their own lives and democracy at work.

hate to say this, but you are a clueless turkey

— Sean 💔 was w/ Bernie🌹 jokerfied (@seanlawrence_) March 2, 2020

Long live the turkeys.

Otherwise, our goose is cooked — in snake oil.

-ALEX

See more content from me:

Student Paper Will Promote Diversity by Preventing It as Free Speech Is Swapped for ‘Safety’

Professor Preaches Parenting to Parents: School Your White Preschoolers on Structural Racism

Professor Excludes White Students From Class Discussion, Reaps Reams of ‘Inclusive’ Support

Find all my RedState work here.

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