Dear Editor,

While on vacation last week, I read in a novel, “The problem is that their economic system doesn’t reward people for doing good work. There’s a saying in economics: Bad money drives out good. That means poor performance will take over if good performance isn’t rewarded.”

The author was talking about the old Soviet Union, but the statement is rapidly becoming applicable to the United States.

Our economic system is rapidly becoming a socialist/communist entity in which the government proposes to “take care of everyone.” That means that people are being rewarded simply for existing and not for producing anything.

A “free” college education for everyone. Bernie Sanders says that is a right. What does that portend about the future of education? Mediocrity! Why should there be competition to excel? Everyone gets a free education and therefore everyone gets to graduate and everyone gets to succeed. Quality performance becomes a thing of the past.

Say what you will about the flaws in our system, but competition is what made America great. The lack of it is what brought the USSR to its knees. Their economic system took individual effort and individual responsibility out of the equation and replaced it with “doing everything for the state.”

Individual striving and individual success were perceived as selfish and harmful to the state. Unfortunately, that’s the direction we are heading. Everyone gets a trophy. There can be no winners because it might hurt the egos of the losers.

Can’t have that! Did anyone ever observe the impact of losing on successful people? It makes them try even harder.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” That saying has been replaced by, “Don’t try too hard, you may make someone else look bad!” And, Atlas shrugged.

Socialism has failed time and time again. Why we have people who still think it can work is beyond me. It very clearly eliminates the motivation to succeed. To invent. To create. To build.

Show me any successful enterprise whose motto is “Mediocrity in all things.” That is what socialism strives for — mediocrity!

Ford McLain

LaGrange, GA