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Is the Era of American Entrepreneurship Dead?

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Early in American History, a Frenchman came to view the success of this new, recently discovered territory. He was impressed with the feeling of teamwork, commonality, and the treatment of women in America. More importantly, he was impressed by America’s ability to give all of it’s citizens equal opportunity to thrive. That is sometimes called the spirit of Entrepreneurship. Alexis concluded that the people of America, in this spirit, are what make this country wonderful and prosperous. He then warned, “If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Being election year, this observation rings true more than ever.

On March 21st 2016 an American President visited Cuba for the first time in over 80 years. In a joint news conference between the leaders of the two countries, Cuban Dictator Raul Castro blamed the United States for the poverty of his nation. He lectured Mr. Obama on human rights, poverty, violence and race tensions in America while the President of the United States nodded his head in agreement.

A news anchor for one of the three major media networks lauded the intention of communism and its goals of equality. He spoke admiringly of the hope of communism to elevate the circumstances of the people.

Such high praise for Cuba’s communistic regime ignores the reality of economic conditions that causes its citizens to flee the country at the very risk of life. Cuban refugees fleeing the country not only risk their lives to the common threats of dehydration, starvation, and the open seas–they also risk attack and death at the hand of their own government who famously sank a ship holding more than 30 refugees, including children. Within hours of Mr. Obama’s visit, 18 Cuban refugees were rescued by a cruise ship after 22 days of desperation on the open sea. They were dehydrated, sick, and dying. Nine of their companions had already perished.

People who escape communist-totalitarian rule from countries like Libya and Cuba are called refugees.

People who leave Europe’s socialist nations are called immigrants

As Alexis De Tocqueville, the author of Democracy in America noted, “the happy and the powerful do not go into exile.”

Communism, socialism, and capitalism are economic systems influenced by laws and tax policies of sovereign nations without regard to form of government. In recent years America’s policies have moved distinctly socialistic, the opposite of an entrepreneurship spirit.

Formerly, our nation’s representative democracy favored equality of opportunity and equality before the law. Socialism favors equality of current economic condition. Making economic conditions equal among people requires the perpetual re-distribution of wealth.

The following definitions and the thoughts from Alexis de Tocqueville are timely and worthy of thought. See what ideas they stimulate for you regarding the coming elections.

Communism:
A system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is
controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating
Political party. (1)

Socialism:
The stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism,
characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.

Capitalism:
An economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of
production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained
chiefly by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.

The following quotes come from Alexis De Toqueville’s Democracy in America which I found to be equally beneficial and enlightening:

  • “America offered a thousand new paths to fortune and placed riches and power within the reach of the adventurous and the obscure”.
  • “The exercise of the intellect became the source of strength and wealth”.
  • “During my stay in the United States, nothing struck me more forcibly than the general equality of conditions. Equality of conditions is the fundamental fact from which all others seem to be derived.”
  • “The poor man retains the prejudices of his forefathers without their faith, and their ignorance without their virtues; he has adopted the doctrine of self-interest as the rule of his actions.”

Reflect on those words by Alex De Toqueville. The decision of the future remains with us. You and I are the hope of America! Continue to ponder on these few points as you consider your decisions, both in the upcoming election and in your daily life.

Read more about how your entrepreneurship gives you power to affect America for the better by clicking here! 

Happy Election Year!

(1) Definitions from Dictionary.com
(2) Democracy in America

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