The Case Against Socialism audiobook

This should be required reading for any high school or college political science class.

Wonderful non-fiction book! All Americans should read this. I thought I knew a lot about Mao’s China but I learned so much more about China and many other countries that believed government control would lead to prosperity. Unfortunately, the countries that tried socialism ended up with violence and starvation. It is human nature to work hard when there are incentives and competition; communal work with everyone receiving the same pay regardless of who works harder leads to workers doing the absolute bare minimum. Paul lays out the facts of history (including fascinating personal experiences from survivors) in this captivating book. Paul explains that a free-market system, although imperfect (because humans are imperfect and corruptible), is still the least bad option. Quotes:“As long as socialists continue to promote the will of the collective over the rights of the individual, it remains a danger that the determiners of the collective will may determine to carry out policies for their own self-interest, their own power, or even their own petty prejudices. ““Failing to see the socialism in Nazism misses that which Hitler saw as his great insight: achieving socialism without civil war and in the name of nationalism driven by racial animus. Hitler never denied his socialist platform.”“Socialism promises equality and leads to tyranny… Mao and Stalin and Hitler didn’t come to power promising tyranny. They came to power promising EQUALITY… It is important to know something of the horrors of Maoism so that we can resist the same calls for government-enforced equality. We can see quite clearly that the more you destroy economic carrots, the more you have to resort to economic sticks.”Listened on Overdrive. But I look forward to reading the actual book because there is so much in here that is worth rereading and really learning.

Excellent -- far exceeded my expectations. Thoroughly edifying and worth one's time and attention. Highly recommended. I am likely to regard this volume as a favored text that I will refer back to time and again.

I chose to read Rand Paul’s book because I have seen the reports that indicated that as many as 66% of Americans are now leaning towards a Socialistic form of government. There could be only two reasons why this is so, if it is true. First, that is what our students are being taught in our schools, the news media and the entertainment industry. Second and most likely more responsible is that these same people have no concept of what Socialism actually looks like and the damage it has done throughout history. Some people, like me, will read this book because it does give you a very good understanding of Socialism both past and present. These people are looking to verify their level of understanding of Socialism. Some people believe they already know everything there is to know about Socialism so why read the book? It would be easy to suggest that choosing not to read the book is their problem and not mine and that would be true. But far more importantly, moving towards Socialism in America is America’s problem and it is a problem provided you understand what Socialism brings and does.I could never give an adequate explanation of the contents of the book as that would be left to each individual reader’s understanding to achieve. It IS a book that EVERY American should read. If your vision of the future of America is one of Socialism, then you had better be absolutely certain that is what you want and you can’t possibly know that if you don’t know what Socialism has been and continues to be. Paul explains throughout the book that Socialism gives the appearance of being a good government for everyone. However, the ONLY way Socialism can work, requires that the government controls almost every aspect of a person’s life. If people choose NOT to be controlled, government’s only remedy is violence. Paul describes how tens of millions of people have been murdered in the name of Socialism. As I read the book one thought kept pouring through my consciousness. You can vote your way into Socialism but you will have to shoot your way out of it. Most if not all countries governed by Socialism ban the ownership of guns by its citizens. Therefore, if you later discover that Socialism violates every aspect of the freedom most people seek, they are unable to do anything about changing it.Who should read the book? As stated, EVERY American but especially freedom loving and freedom seeking American!Would I read it again? Definitely parts of itWould I give it as a gift? Absolutely!

Surprisingly balanced, cogent, and comprehensive. Being written by a politician, I assumed it would be trite, if not ghostwritten. However, Paul's exploration and argument against socialism is quite targeted at the proper audience (younger Americans).Paul begins by dissecting the socialism of the new progressive left, the boogeyman of Nordic socialism, and the debunking of Venezuela, which nobody remembers was the darling of the left 5 minutes ago, before they went steady for Sweden. But, thankfully, Paul doesn't end there, going deeper into the philosophical, economic, and psychological arguments against a socialist state. He goes into the case studies of the USSR, China, Etc. not only showing how centralist planning fails on an economic level but also how it crushes individual expression and civil rights. They go together. For young people or those who haven't already read everything by Thomas Sowell or Freiderich Hayek, this is a pretty serviceable introduction to the failures of socialism. If I had a liberal friend who I knew would actually read a book, I would give them this one.

At a critically important time for combatting the perilous group of collectivist ideologies, The Case Against Socialism is a comprehensive, unrelenting, and effective refutation. Paul organizes his book into multiple sections, each aimed at assailing socialistic ideology from economic, political, historical, and my personal favorite, philosophical, lenses. However astute his criticism of socialism are, I am afraid his book can only be well received by those already well versed in the rigorous academic debate surrounding capitalism vs socialism. For many conservatives, this critique is restrictively esoteric; for socialists, the rebuttals do not address their motivations sufficiently. While this book excellently debunks oft cited virtues of socialism/communism, I’m not sure who Paul’s target audience is, and whether or not this book arms this population in combatting socialism in the popular culture. I would have liked to see a more economic-focused refutation of why socialism has failed, and increased emphasis on the historical atrocities committed u see socialist regimes, as I thought that section was by far the most riveting. Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone with an above basic understanding of political systems and history.

Should be required reading in High Schools and Colleges.

Better than expected.

"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."

If enough people read this book before they vote we may yet stop the socialist juggernaut coming to the home stretch.The Case Against Socialism reads like a series of political speeches but covers the title subject well. Rand Paul aims at the millennial American voter and he makes a strong case in broad strokes. I strongly recommend this book for young people as an inoculation against the prevailing "progressive" mindset that he/she will encounter in the academic world, while older people can be deprogrammed from the Useful Idiot cults and cliques. The Case Against Socialism is not great literature; it is more like a text book. But it is an easy fun read that will open the reader to the potential real world. The world where citizens are not slaves to be used by the rulers for the good of society but have the freedom to spend their lives where every individual can seek his own dreams and goals. The world that the US Constitution has promised – A world of - Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.