As Americans see chaos and rioting on the streets of Paris, we are not immune to that happening on streets across America.
For decades, France has provided "free" healthcare, paid family leave, free childcare, free preschool, generous unemployment and housing benefits and heavily subsidized higher education. This has bred a culture of entitlement and an insatiable desire for the government to do more, while many demand to work less — if at all.
As the government subsidizes these sectors, the price of goods and services rises. More housing aid and blocked building permits cause rents to rise, which precipitates a demand for the government to impose rent control. That diminishes housing supply and the spiral continues. Education subsidies prompt universities to raise tuition; students then take to the streets to protest the '"injustice" of unaffordable housing, education and other services.
France has one of the world's highest tax burdens, yet they have an enormous public debt. The International Monetary Fund estimates that France's Gross Domestic Product in 2026 will be a mere 0.4 percent, compared to 2.3 percent in the United States.
What France is doing is unsustainable, and if Americans elect candidates who embrace that kind of socialist agenda, it won't be long before we reap the whirlwind.
On election night in 2025, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani began his victory speech by quoting Eugene Debs, one of the most prominent socialists in 20th century American politics. Mamdani's speech reflects the growing embrace of socialism among Democrats and young people more broadly.
An August 2025 Gallup poll found that 39 percent of Americans have a positive opinion of socialism and, for the first time, less than half of Democrats (42 percent) have a positive view of capitalism. A March 2025 Cato Institute/YouGov poll found that 62 percent of Americans aged 18-29 have a "favorable view" of socialism.
Democrats' embrace of socialist candidates is not isolated to liberal enclaves such as New York City. In 2026, they have nominated socialist candidates across the country — even in states such as Michigan, Florida and Oklahoma.
In 2025, congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump enacted the One Big Beautiful Bill/Working Families Tax Cuts Act. This legislation stopped a $1,700 tax increase on families and provided an additional $600 tax cut. It increased the child tax credit to $2,200 and increased the standard deduction by $1,500 per family to $31,500.
The bill delivered no tax on tips or overtime pay, and tax relief for seniors. It established savings accounts for America's children and provided $1,000 at their birth and tax credits for contributions to K-12 scholarship granting organizations.
Republicans made small business tax relief measures permanent, helping them create new jobs and stimulate GDP growth. They also ended tax credits for illegal aliens with new Social Security number protections.
While almost all Republicans voted for this bill, every House and Senate Democrat voted against it. Many Democrat candidates are now attacking this measure and calling for massive new increases in government spending.
The Democratic Socialists of America plans to press hard for their platform if Democrats win majorities in the congressional elections. The Cato Institute estimates that the DSA proposals would cost between $71 trillion and $212 trillion over a decade.
As socialists' foothold in Democratic politics grows stronger, they are pushing the party further down the path toward the chaos and decline we are seeing in France. America has an opportunity to choose freedom and personal responsibility over government control and a culture of entitlement — but only if we vote accordingly by Nov. 3.
Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and author of "Necessary Noise, How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why this is Good News for America" (Hachette 2019).