Dr. Martin Hash Podcast

Communism has a bad name, rightfully so, and it's credo, “from each according to their ability, to each according to their need,” elicits an unthinking knee-jerk reaction from liberty-loving Americans, but the sentiment is not really so clear cut. In reality, the first part of the sentence, “from each according to their ability” doesn't actually conflict with liberty. It's simply the Willy Sutton rule: when asked why he robbed banks, Willy said “because that's where the money is,” and you can't fault his logic; resources must come from the resourceful. People choose to exchange their wealth for whatever they want, and the pragmatic approach, the one that will keep society functioning and the wealth-concentrators alive, is to spread some of it around; voluntarily if begrudgingly.

It's the second part of the statement, “to each according to their need,” that is anathema to liberty because it gives the right to claim things from others. All a Communist has to say is that “I need it and you have it so give it to me,” then armed men come and ensure the transfer. It's not difficult to see how that could be easily abused, and is, just ask any former Communist. They even go so far as to jail people who accumulate anything, or don't work hard enough, or seem to be taking pride in their accomplishments. There is no ideology more counter to liberty than having the needy be in charge.