There are some who believe that the message of Bernie Sanders, the socialist candidate, makes sense after the obvious failure of the progressive agenda as evidenced in the last seven-plus years. In case anyone adheres to this belief, it might do well to understand what it is that Sanders is offering the nation: Socialism is the condition in which government owns and/or controls the means of production in a nation. That means the government plans all economic output and, therefore, controls consumption by limiting consumption to that which they deem worthy of production.

The problem with socialism lies in the subservience of the individual to the state. If the state directs economic matters, the desires of the individual are forced to comply. In other words, the individual becomes a tool of the state, nothing more.

Or, in the words of the late Margaret Thatcher: “Socialism works fine until you run out of other people’s money.”

Francis X. Barden

Arlington