A child's garden of socialism

Do you want to see how socialism works? Gather a class of third grader children, or older or younger as you have available.

Give into each hand a variable number of candies, give to some one, some three, some two or four or five. Tell them not to eat them; they are to play a game.

Place before them a large bowl. Each is to put the candy into the bowl.

After all have done this, each is to take out his or her candy. Line them up in an orderly fashion each time.

The result that at the end of the line, or maybe a good deal before, there is no candy and there are still children.

That is socialism as I understand it. I am clearer on this than most, because I traveled in the old Soviet Union, while there still was such a thing,  and heard the best joke of the century. "Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under socialism, the reverse is true." Whoever said that was a genius. Unfortunately, he may have also been shot. If you know who said it and he is still alive, tell me who it is. I would like to shake his hand.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" ends inevitably with people thinking it is better to have needs than abilities, and that is how socialism's downward spiral begins. The government must monitor what you have, because you might not give enough, or get too much. Then they have to make sure you have no candy in your pockets. Or anywhere else.