Yesterday while reading an article titled” A Country Verging on Collapse: A Reading List on Venezuela by Cheri Lucas Rowlands- Venezuela is Falling Apart” (link:https://blog.longreads.com/)  something stirred within me. The story is about toilet paper, a factory, an owner and a corrupt system. This cocktail mix brought back some painful memories and with those memories the tendency to grab unto fear as my lifeline. However I’ve been given the great privilege to experience the other side of life, a world desired by many and envied by most in the form of America the country and its culture.

“The entrepreneur is one of the real people behind those zany “there’s no toilet paper in Venezuela” stories that play up the crisis for laughs, and clicks. But to Venezuelans like the present writers, and the entrepreneur, there’s nothing funny about the dark turn our country has taken. The experiment with “21st-century socialism” as introduced by the late President Hugo Chavez, a self-described champion of the poor who vowed to distribute the country’s wealth among the masses, and instead steered the nation toward the catastrophe the world is witnessing under his handpicked successor Maduro, has been a cruel failure.”-fragment from the article-Venezuela is Falling

Why do I see a tangible forewarning in this story? While many sit and discuss the great benefits socialism brings, I have flashbacks that do not match, not even close, to the words these politicians so eloquently twist to paint a beautiful picture of hope and prosperity. If you’re regular folk, like most of us are, let me tell you from the get go, you’re not part of that beautifully twisted picture these politicians put so much effort into force feeding it to you. Speaking against socialism will have its costs, some very close  to home, but unlike me and thankfully for them, they’ve never had to live through the greatness of socialism, but have been blessed by the advantages capitalism brings. Socialism works great for those in power, period.

Lots of us come from Europe’s socialism because America’s different, not perfect, not void of corruption, but different. Yet the politicians of America are destroying this great land one stupid law at the time, the latest one being the Transgender law passed for the public schools, because where there’s man at the center you will find corruption.

It’s sad to see the maddening stupid choices we have presented before us as future candidates for the role of President of United States, such poor examples for the entire world.

So, as a person that lived through some of the glories of socialism, I’m here to say that, even if there are a few good advantages to it, most of the time it only benefits the government. Have a great rest of the day.