Karl Marx is not in the U.S. Constitution

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 363B

José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon.  Karl Marx is not in the U.S. Constitution (Previously published) Share Tweet Forward

According to a nationwide survey commissioned by Columbia Law School in 2002, almost two- thirds of Americans thought that Karl Marx’s maxim “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” was written by the Framers and included in the U.S. Constitution.  Never mind that the maxim could not possibly have been in the Constitution since it was popularized by Marx in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Program--some 87 years after the 1788 ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Put aside how troubling this ignorance is, and the difficulties that it signifies for democratic governance. Discount what this illiteracy says about our educational system and consider only what it asserts about the role of government in our society, and how it creates unworkable expectations that become entitlements.  For a government to undertake “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs,” that government must have near-totalitarian powers to transfer wealth to groups that the government decides are entitled to such a transfer. It would be a government with the authority to engineer society to its liking.  However, our central government was carefully designed to restrict the discretion of those in power. James Madison, the mastermind of the U.S. Constitution, succinctly explained why in Federalist 10: “Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” Consequently, the Founding Fathers crafted a brilliant Constitution that does not say much on what government must do; it emphasizes what government may not do.  Currently, much of what government does is of questionable constitutional warrant, and much of what government seeks to do, it does not know how to do. In his second inaugural address Ronald Regan reminded us: “Our system has never failed us, but for a time, we failed the system. We asked things of government that government was not equipped to do.” It seems we are still asking such things.  As made clear in the Declaration of Independence, governments are instituted to protect our liberty, and our liberties are always necessarily restricted by government. Thus, the Founders understood liberty mostly as freedom from government.  To the disappointment of those that think that Karl Marx’s maxim is in our Constitution, it is not in our Constitution for government to engage in wealth redistribution. An open and democratic society is one in which people are equally free to become economically unequal as a result of our unequal natural distribution of aptitude and abilities. Even more basic, as economist John Cochrane points out: “Rich people mostly give away or reinvest their wealth. It’s hard to see just how this is a problem...”  Social scientists now recognize that radically different socioeconomic systems result in different kinds of people. The virtues promoted by our Constitution—the virtues of freedom—include industriousness, and assuming responsibility for our wellbeing. These are virtues essential to a culture of freedom. A capitalist society makes us better off, but more importantly, it makes us better. The thought of getting by without working is not virtuous.  In Federalist 51, Madison called for government to have a “dependence on the people.” Unfortunately, our society has acquired a culture of big government and self-indulgence that fosters a different kind of dependence. Today, our culture is not one of a government dependent on the people, but rather a culture of people dependent on the government. This is a troubling ethos that dilutes individualism. Democracy requires our individual informed competence.  No, Marx’s creed urging for a government redistribution of wealth is nowhere in our Constitution. It was, however, in Stalin’s Soviet Constitution. Our founding philosophy, regarding the role of government, was beautifully articulated by Thomas Jefferson in his first inaugural address: “Wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.”  Please let us know if you  this article. We welcome your feedback. Abrazos, Lily & José (click on the name to email Lily or Jose) José Azel, Ph.D. José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.   He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Dr. Azel was a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics. In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami. José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They cycled St. James Way (El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary and throughout southern France.  They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Most recently, they rafted for 17 days 220 miles in the Grand Canyon.  Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them.  Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro. Books by Dr. José Azel José Azel’s writings are touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone who wishes to understand why countries do, or do not, progress will find in this book the best explanations. And, from these readings emerge numerous inferences: How and why do the good intentions of leftist collectivism lead countries to hell? Why is liberty not a sub product of prosperity, but rather one of its causes? If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would also recommend its reading to all politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With his writings Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: Azel brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous, Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                                    BUY NOW Los escritos de José Azel están tocados por la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquiera que desee entender por qué los países progresan, o no, encontrará en este libro las mejores explicaciones. De estas lecturas surgen numerosas inferencias: ¿Cómo y por qué las buenas intenciones del colectivismo de izquierda llevan a los países al infierno? ¿Por qué la libertad no es un subproducto de la prosperidad, sino una de sus causas? Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería de obligada lectura de todos los estudiantes universitarios, pero además, le recomendaría su lectura a todos los políticos, periodistas y policy makers. Con sus escritos Azel logra lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo. Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                            Compre Aqui "Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now "Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui In Reflections on Freedom, José Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles. Buy Now En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico. Compre Aqui Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now

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