By JACKIE TAYLOR | November 12, 2025

Socialism

I’ve been thinking of the increase in support by young, college-aged Americans for socialism and I know the surveys are not wrong. Why?

One of my favorite relatives has children who espouse the concept of socialism, and further, he said, communism.

Upon thinking about it, I believe covid and the government’s shutdown of society created the black hole that is being filled with socialism amongst our youth.

Think about it. Many of them lived, and many still live, in their parents’ basements. They continued their college careers online, many times from liberal college professors molding the young minds to their liberal way of thinking.

Many of the students earned degrees in political science – great if you want to be an attorney, art history, or name any number of other degrees where they will need to practice “do you want fries with that.”

Instead of learning how to weld, plumb, be a nurse or other trade, students ended up with huge college debt, unless they have a parent of some means, and no prospect for a job to dig them out of the hole they are in.

With that, socialism pops up with goofballs like New York City mayor-elect Zhoran Mamdani who is calling for $30 per hour minimum wage, rent control, free health care, free bus rides and more. So, to the college student with huge debt and no prospect – what is a natural way to go? Of course, free, free, free.

Cato.org reports, “A recent survey by the Cato Institute and YouGov paints a troubling picture: 62 percent of Americans aged 18–29 say they hold a “favorable view” of socialism, and 34 percent say the same of communism. This is shocking given that communism is responsible for 100 million deaths worldwide and is rooted in socialism, the same philosophy that spawned both Mussolini’s fascism and Hitler’s National Socialism.”

The article in Cato.org goes on to state, “As Senator Rand Paul (R‑KY) wrote in The Case Against Socialism (2019), young Americans who identify as socialists don’t even agree on what the term means. Some want government ownership of industries and central planning, and others want heavy regulation, wealth redistribution and a vast welfare state. However, what unites them is a disdain for capitalism and a preference for collectivism over individualism. This is innate to all forms of socialism.”

Troubling in this scenario, is the lack of understanding from most young people on what socialism actually is. Fraserinstitute.org states they define it, “Rather, when Americans today express support for socialism, what they really mean is more expansive government. Specifically, 58 percent of Americans define socialism as the government providing more services and 47 percent define it as the government guaranteeing a minimum income for all citizens.”

The next paragraph in the Fraserinstitute.org article is where the rubber meets the road. How do we pay for this new thought process of socialism? “According to our poll, which provided respondents with four different tax options to finance socialism, 66 percent of respondents support a wealth tax on the top 1 percent, by far the most popular tax option, and 54 percent support higher personal income taxes on the top 10 percent. However, when a broad-based personal income tax increase is proposed, support collapses to just 37 percent. And support for a national sales tax, again affecting most Americans, was even less popular at 29 percent.”

New York City is about to get its rear handed to itself. The top one-percent are reportedly already purchasing real estate in Florida, as shown by skyrocketing real estate prices in the southern state. They were the targeted group for Mamdani’s method of paying for his socialist daydream. He forgot that they have the means to leave the state and tell him to pack sand.

I’d read a story last week that said New York City will face cataclysmic economic consequences from Mamdani if 750,000 people of means leave the city fleeing his “free everything” form of government.

As for my favorite family member, his kids who live with him or their mom, don’t have to worry about things in this country. He’s well off; they won’t have to worry about humongous tax increases to pay for free stuff, yet. Further, they won’t have to worry about losing their jobs at the local restaurant that shuts down because it can’t pay the huge minimum wage touted by the likes of Mamdani and his followers.

Socialism is a terrible path for this country. I honestly think that anyone who looks to socialism needs to go spend a month in Cuba or Venezuela for a real-life education; then, once they come back to this country, if they still think socialism is everything they thought, fine.

There’s nothing like in-your-face experience to educate a person; I think several million college-aged kids need a dose of in-your-face.