If anyone needs a first-hand example of why socialism doesn't work, just spend some time with an Indian tribe. The irony isn't lost on me that Americans feel guilty about what our forefathers purportedly did to the natives 150 years ago; you know, stealing their land, killing them off with desease and rifles, sending them to desolate reservations, etc. So what did we do? We let them open casinos.
Another thing we did was give the tribal governments relative autonomy. They get tax breaks and are exempted from many federal and state regulations. For example, you can buy gas on this particular reservation for about 30 cents less than anywhere else.
But in working for a few of these Indian casinos over the years, I've observed a microcosm of what socialism is really like. The tribal members are virtually guaranteed a job, either at the casino or at one of the other business enterprises operated by the tribe. Tribal members are also given special consideration over non-native counterparts when it comes to promotions and job perks. Even if they have no qualifications whatsoever for the job.
The results of these kinds of policies are predictable, and mirror what I observed during my visit to the Soviet Union back in the 70's. Alcoholism and drug abuse are rampant. People who are guaranteed a job generally don't worry too much about showing up for work on time, when they show up at all. Tribal members demand and often receive promotions to management positions for which they have no qualifications. Many of the tribal members end up in a continuous cycle of being hired, going on a drunk and failing to show up for work, getting fired, going to their uncle or father-in-law on the tribal council asking for reinstatement, being reinstated usually to a job in a different department, then repeating the cycle. Until they've been fired by every business and department in the tribal world, when the least powerful department manager will be saddled with a second round and forced to find a non-essential position for the person.
For example, there's a tribal member who has very strong family connections to influential tribal council members. She started work in an entry-level job, and was rapidly promoted all the way to a top managerial position. Once she got there, she went on a drinking binge and was nowhere to be found, missing some very important events for which she had primary responsibility. Once they finally found her, she was fired. About a month later, she was reinstated under instruction from the tribal council, although to a lower-level position in another department. But the manager, at significant risk to his own job, insisted that she would not be reinstated at her previous manager-level salary, but at the prevailing rate for the new position.
There's a popular description of how tribal casinos operate, which is on "Indian time". Projects move at their pace, which means the project I've been working on has been postponed. Postponed not for any reason other than the Indian managers involved became uncomfortable that things were moving too fast. There's no way any project will be allowed to cause anyone to put in extra hours, which includes Friday afternoons, when generally the place is empty - especially on payday. Then there's deer season coming up, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and of course the conclusion is that it's impossible to make staff members work on a project this time of year.
All of this explains why the non-Indians here tell me that this casino is generally known as a last resort for anyone who needs a job. Between the institutionalized discrimination on promotions and wages, tolerance for poor performance by tribal members, and general lack of urgency or motivation, anyone with pride or ambition would find it a torturous place to work.
Don't misunderstand, I have no issues with the tribal people. I find them friendly and pleasant, and am somewhat fascinated with their focus on their heritage and traditions. They had a drum ceremony while I was trying to meet with them for our initial planning meeting, which even though it was disruptive and cost valuable information-gathering time, I kind of enjoyed experiencing.
I don't know when the project will be finished, but most definitely not on the originally planned timeline. It may take a year and cost 2 or 3 times what it should, but I suppose that's the only way to get things done in any socialist society. Of course, I've seen very similar issues in projects for governmental organizations in general, so it's not just the tribes. You should see what it's like to work with a city government; it's different in many ways, but very similar in terms of the unnecessary extra time and cost due to the political structure.
My theory is that socialist-minded people are generally those with very little ambition and a desire for the best lifestyle they can achieve without effort or accountability. Are you attracted by the idea of a job for life, where you only have to show up 30-35 hours per week, can take a day off whenever you feel like it without consequence, and can't be fired no matter what your behavior?
If so, I'm guessing you're a socialist and vote Democrat.
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