In recent elections, voters trended toward electing candidates who promote the socialist agenda.

Whether those voters are aware of the historical ramifications of socialism is unknown. The father of socialism, Karl Marx, collaborated with another socialist, Friedrich Engels, and created two literary works that oppose capitalism, “Das Kapital” and “The Communist Manifesto.”

Undoubtedly, frustration about the affordability of owning a home, the high cost of living, paying the enormous cost of college tuition, and being burdened down by a lifetime of debt has fueled the rise of socialism.

Being a traveler who has seen militant socialism, I can confirm that socialism eventually fails. Socialism forces citizens to live by a system of rules that limits the scope and creativity of the human mind. The incentive to compete in a free market system that alternatively rewards those who work harder is severely limited by an overseeing centralized government.

Be warned, your privacy, your freedom of expression, and your right to choose how you should live will be restricted and monitored. If you believe you’re better off in a socialist society than in a free constitutional republic you’ve made a serious error in judgment.

When the well runs dry, the elites in charge will find creative ways to take your personal property to pay the cost to cover their opulent lifestyles leaving you with the scraps.

George Pikoulas, Butler