Another hot day here.

America at 250 - Capitalism Under Attack
ROBERT DUCHEMIN SR
JUL 17

Cost of waterfront home: $2 million+.

Grady-White Express 330: $650,000+.

Fishing equipment: $23,000+.

Full tank of fuel: $1,827.42.

Bait: $76.34.

According to the mayor of New York, the 23 dolphin (mahi) and two yellowfin tuna we caught were free.

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When the Founding Fathers determined that the Articles of Confederation were failing, they studied historical democracies and philosophy to try to come up with the best structure for the new American government. Supporters, especially Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, were very familiar with their Scottish contemporary, Adam Smith. Smith’s legendary book, An Inquiry Into The Wealth Of Nations, was published during a year of turmoil in America: 1776.

Smith philosophized that certain factors could determine the wealth of a nation, including environmental, political, social, and legal factors. Hamilton and his co-authors, among other members of the Continental Congress, wanted to incorporate Smith’s philosophy into the Constitution. John Hancock, John Adams, and Paul Revere gave examples of how Smith’s philosophy created wealth.

As a result, the Constitution contains many provisions to allow American wealth to grow under the Smith philosophy. One little-referenced example is in Article I, Section 10, which states in part, “No State shall . . . pass any Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts . . .” I once won a case on appeal by pointing out that the trial judge’s decision changed the terms of a contract, in violation of this provision.

Smith in Scotland, like the colonials in America, noticed that the Scottish economy was growing faster than the English economy because in Scotland merchants adhered to the terms of their contracts while in England any contract could be set aside by any member of the nobility at any time. It turned out that the United States, not the United Kingdom, would be the country that proved Adam Smith was 100% correct, causing him to be called the Father of Capitalism.

About 200 years later, the leaders in China came to the same conclusion. After World War II the communists took control of that country. 30 years later, their economy was in worse shape than it was at the end of the war and some 50 million of their people had died of starvation. Communist leaders in China came to the conclusion that they needed to inject capitalism into their country. They established “economic zones“ where capitalism would be permitted. Those zones ended up producing all of the economic growth in the entire country. Soon they were expanded so that today China allows capitalism throughout the country (although still heavily controlled by the government).

While China and the Soviet Union were proving to the world that socialism always ended in failure, most of Western Europe was sliding into the foolish belief that socialism benefited society. Today, outside of England there is no new economic wealth anywhere in Western Europe. Their economies are flat or receding because they are suffocating under socialism.

Intelligent people have realized that capitalism rewards productivity, hard work, and ingenuity. Socialism rewards sloth.

It really is that simple.

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Ordinarily, I would not feel the need to write about what happens among the Democratic Socialists of America because that party is made up of ignorant children and crazy people. Unfortunately, however, those same people have taken control of the largest political party in the United States so what they say does now matter.

This week, the Democratic Socialists published their party platform. It includes overthrowing the US government and replacing it with a single governing body similar to the former Soviet Politburo. They even want to end the independent judiciary, something that is essential to justice. They want their politburo to be able to control judicial decisions. In other words, they want the United States to stop being a free country.

The problem is that some of these socialists are going to be elected through the Democrat party. They will then take an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

They will honor their oath the same way they plan to honor the obligations of contracts: not at all.

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© 2026 Robert DuChemin Sr
1440 Place Vendome, Winter Park, Florida