Socialism is having a renaissance in America.
Young people are increasingly suspicious of capitalism. They lived through COVID-19 and a recession. We have a struggling economy and rising income inequality. In their pursuit of a college degree, many universities will not offer an honest conversation about how we get our economy back on track and provide wage growth to all Americans. Ironically, the same college who sold them an expensive, impractical degree will teach them that the real problem is “the system”.
In fact, polls show that a record 40% of millennials and Gen Z’ers trust Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto "better guarantees freedom and equality for all" than the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Here’s the reality: Socialism is low-hanging fruit, it’s the path of least resistance in the vision for America’s future. Politicians have rebranded it as: “Democratic Socialism”. The selling point being that under Democratic Socialism, one votes for the privilege of having their personal property expropriated by the state, rather than having it taken by force.
Socialism is resentment against success, masquerading as compassion for the poor. It is a system of oppression presented as the road to equality. It is responsible for the death of over 100 million people globally, either by starvation or authoritarian brutality.
Just 20 years ago, Venezuela was the “crown jewel” of South America. Today, it has one of the world’s highest inflation rates, and the average citizen has lost 15 pounds from starvation. Cubans strap themselves to homemade rafts, choosing to float across 90 miles of shark-infested waters to escape the Diaz-Canel regime. How many people must die before we accept that Socialism is dangerous?
The House has taken a definitive step in declaring its opposition to this evil ideology. On Feb. 1st, my resolution to denounce the horrors of Socialism was debated on the floor of the world’s most consequential legislative body. It passed with 328 votes, 109 of which came from Democrats. This is Congress at its finest. I will strive to continue to find common ground in my first year as Chair of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
For 247 years, American freedom has been purchased by blood and sacrifice. I represent hundreds of thousands of political refugees in Miami…and I’ll be damned if the widespread complacency of a full belly and an empty head forces us to endure oppression once again.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar represents Florida’s 27th Congressional District in Miami and serves on the House Foreign Affairs and Small Business committees.