Socialism in the Classroom

Any economist worth his or her salt can explain why Socialism does not work.  Historians can cite example after example, all the way back to the Pilgrims, of failed Socialist experiments.  But, because people love power and seek to be like little gods, they simply ignore the facts.

When I visited my doctor the other day, he related an experiment conducted by a college professor to explain why Socialism will never work.  I don’t know who this college professor was or is, but bless him!

The experiment went like this.  A professor kept hearing from his students about the glories and wonders of Socialism and why it was the best way to run an economy.  Finally he said, “OK, I’ll implement Socialism right here in the classroom.”  The students were initially delighted.

The next time he gave a test he announced that individual students would not receive grades, but that he would average all the grades out and give the same grade to all students.  When the test results came in, he averaged out the grades and everyone got a “B.”  Well, the “A” students were not very happy with this, but the less talented and less hard working students thought it was great. 
A few weeks later the professor gave another test and again averaged the grades out.  But this time the average score was a “C.”  The brighter and harder working students realized that there was no reason to work hard if everyone was going to get the same grade, and the lower half of the class saw no reason to work hard as long as their poor performance would be improved by those blessed with more gifts.

Eventually, the professor gave a third test and this time the average score was barely a “D,” which made everyone angry.  The smarter students were now receiving horrible grades and even the poorer students were getting grades below their normal level.  Everyone was mad at everyone.  Performance had dropped across the board.

Now, I don’t know if this story is factual or apocryphal, but it certainly contains more than a grain of truth.  Socialism doesn’t work because it takes away the incentive to perform at your highest possible level.  Why work long hours and why work hard if you are to be rewarded just the same as the laggard or the less intelligent?  Maybe that’s not the way it should be, but it’s the way life really is.

Socialism doesn’t work for high performers or for those at the bottom rung of the economic scale either.  When the economy is pushed down to a low level by the implementation of Socialism, those at the bottom suffer the most.

Consider who has been damaged the most by the current Socialist schemes.  More than 200,000 people have been laid off in the hospitality industry since the last election.  Who do you think those folks are?  They are the folks that make the beds, vacuum the rooms, handle the luggage, work in the kitchen, etc.  It must have felt good to tell businesses that they should not spend money on entertainment and conferences outside the office, but the net result was to put people out of work.  Socialism pulls down the standard of living of all who are forced to live under it, but it always hurts those at the bottom of the economic ladder the most.

Socialism doesn’t work in the classroom.  It doesn’t work in sports.  And it certainly doesn’t work in society.