I grew up in Venezuela, a country where the government ran supermarkets, seized private housing, imposed price controls, and built public housing. Where the state hated that the rich got richer, so it took their wealth. Now, everyone is equal: equally poor.
The same ideas that destroyed my country — government control, class resentment, and centralized power — are now being celebrated in New York under Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. These are not new ideas. They are a nightmare I’ve lived before.
With all the historic disasters caused by socialism, you would think this debate was over. Right?
Communist East Germany built a wall not to keep people out, but to keep its own citizens from escaping to capitalist freedom. Cubans risk their lives crossing shark-infested waters on homemade rafts, and when they reach Miami, they start businesses and thrive. The data confirm it: According to the Heritage Foundation, countries that are economically free or mostly free, meaning capitalist, are, on average, five times richer than repressed or socialist economies.
And despite all the empirical evidence, Mamdani just won the youth vote in New York City by a landslide: 81% of women and 64% of men aged 18-29 supported him. Why? Because we’re not fighting socialism the way we should, and we’re not making the case for capitalism enough.
First, talk about the real problems and who’s causing them. The Left dominates the conversation on “affordability.” Yes, housing is expensive. Healthcare costs are high. Education is overpriced. Inflation hurts everyone. But these problems are caused by statism and big government, not free-market capitalism.
Housing is expensive because of zoning laws, endless regulations, and high property taxes that choke supply and discourage building. Healthcare is costly because it’s one of the most heavily regulated sectors, and the public sector already accounts for roughly 43% of all U.S. health spending. Inflation? It’s the result of a government that overspends, and 60% of that spending goes to entitlements.
America has problems, yes. But they come from abandoning capitalism and embracing big government. Young people never hear this.
Second, stop accepting socialist premises. Many people say, “Socialism is a nice idea that just doesn’t work.” Really? How can a system that uses force to steal the fruits of your labor be “nice in theory”? It’s not. It’s horrible — both in theory and in practice.
When you claim socialism has “good intentions,” young people think, “If we mean well, maybe it’ll work next time.” That’s how socialism always comes back. Socialism denies your natural right to own what you produce. It can only exist through coercion, through the tyranny of the majority and the suppression of individual freedom.
Socialists would rather have an equally poor society than an unequally successful one. Their ideology isn’t about compassion — it’s rooted in envy. And that’s why we must never accept their premise — just as we would never accept the premise of Nazis.
Lastly, defend capitalism — proudly and morally. Capitalism changed human history forever. For most of humanity, poverty, hunger, and death were the norm. Capitalism introduced prosperity.
It’s not “the least bad system.” It’s a moral system. The only one that treats people as free individuals, not servants of the state. It’s what you get when you recognize property rights and allow people to produce, innovate, and trade voluntarily.
If you believe that every person has the right to be free and pursue his own happiness, you must defend capitalism. We love capitalism not only because we like the iPhone, but because we love freedom.
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS QUIETLY CAPTURE CITY COUNCILS ACROSS AMERICA
The United States is the greatest country on Earth. It saved my life when I needed it. But socialism is growing, and we need to fight back.
We must talk about affordability and offer real solutions. We must reject socialism because its intentions are not noble — they are evil. And we must defend capitalism, not just because it works, but because it is moral, free, and right.
Franklin Camargo is a Venezuelan-born political activist who fled his homeland due to political persecution. He is a former Univision host, a co-author of After Socialism, Freedom, and a PragerU personality.