Source: Independent Institute
by Christopher J Calton
“Socialism is the abolition of private property rights, with control of property absorbed by the state. Democracy, of course, is mob rule, with private decisions being socialized across the wider populace. Under democratic socialism, then, private property rights must be outsourced to the community, with the state acting as the enforcer of the collective will. In California, it has become common practice to involve the broader community in property rights questions, such as whether a developer should be permitted to build a two-story home on land it owns. … The consequence of this democratic socialism has been an unprecedented housing shortage in one of the country’s wealthiest states.” (07/23/26)