Bernie Sanders and I are
exactly the same age. Moreover, we grew
up in Brooklyn at the same time. He,
however, went to Madison High School, whereas I went to Lincoln.
Nonetheless, had I lived two
blocks east of where I did, I too would have gone to Madison. (As did Chuck Schumer.) Indeed, when I was in Junior High, I was on
the track team; hence had we gone to the same high school, I might literally
have been his “running mate.”
As a consequence, I
understand the world in which Sanders grew up.
Our neighborhood was mostly Jewish, but with a strong contingent of
Italians. Furthermore, I am sure that
the honors classes we both attended were almost entirely Jewish—including the
teachers.
And so we were both exposed
to the same political philosophy, which was unabashedly socialist. The Russian Jews had long had socialist
inclinations. They regarded this
commitment as a vehicle for promoting justice and universal brotherhood.
The reason was simple. In the pale of settlement, that is, the only
part of Russia where Jews were allowed to reside, they were pariahs. They could not participate in the political
process, move about freely, or enter a variety of restricted occupations.
Socialism promised to change
this. It would remove the shackles that
perpetuated their poverty and enable them to interact on a par with everyone
else. Once the government owned the
means of production, discrimination would end and everyone would work together
for the common benefit.
This was the dream; hence
the refugees who sought freedom on our shores brought it with them in their
baggage. This philosophy was not
perceived of as anti-American. If
anything, it was regarded as a means of fulfilling the American dream of
democracy and prosperity for all.
This sort of socialism was
preeminently idealistic. The objective
was to make the world a better place for everyone. It was what my teachers taught. It was what I came to believe. It was surely the perspective that animated
Sander’s political aspirations.
But you see I grew up. When I was in college I became friends with
classmates who subsequently majored in economics. As a result, they became conservatives who challenged
my socialism. In due course, both of
them became college professors. One even
studied under Milton Friedman.
This, plus twenty years
working in government jobs, ultimately persuaded me that socialism is impractical.
I came to realize that market-based
capitalism is a better guardian of our liberty and well-being.
Sanders evidently never came
to this realization. People perceive him
as authentic, because I am quite certain that he is. Whenever I listen to his speeches, I hear
echoes of the sort of childhood we shared.
This convinces me that he is still trying to be a good boy who intends
to implement the lessons of his mentors.
The trouble is that virtuous
intentions are not enough. Integrity and
sincerity in service of a flawed agenda can cause more harm than good. Sanders genuinely does want to help the
poor—and the middle class. Unfortunately
his prescriptions will do the reverse.
Taking money from the rich
to give to the poor will undoubtedly slow down the economy such that there is
less available for everyone. By the same
token, making more people dependent upon the government will rob them of their
initiative and therefore of their sense of accomplishment.
America is a land of
opportunity—but only for those who take advantage of it. The government cannot save us; we can only
save ourselves. Although Sanders
promises free health care and free college tuition, these are useless to those
who do not know how to exploit them.
My ancestors, and Bernie’s,
benefitted from the freedoms that America made available. It would be a shame to lose these in the
process of trying to improve upon them.
It would be doubly sad if this occurred thanks to the socialist policies
of an honest man.
Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University
No comments:
Post a Comment