“Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country.”

That’s from President Trump’s last State of the Union address. I’m sure many people found it as encouraging as I did, especially in light of surveys indicating that socialism is gaining popularity here in the United States.

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And not just at the fringes. One recent Gallup poll showed four out of 10 Americans have a favorable impression of socialism. Almost half — 47 percent — said they would vote for a socialist candidate for president….

I find that somewhat encouraging. Not that so many people don’t understand what socialism is, of course, but that much of its apparent support is based on a misunderstanding. That certainly beats a genuine conviction that socialism is better.

If they understood what socialism is — “a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state,” to use Merriam-Webster’s definition — they would realize it’s the antithesis of free enterprise. That it’s the very opposite of freedom.

Many Americans who say they favor socialism clearly are hearing “socialism” and thinking of it instead as a way to fix whatever societal woes are bothering them.

Our attitudes have shifted in a negative way. The American Dream rests on us seeing successful people and thinking, “I can do that, too. I’m free. I’m willing to work hard. I can make it happen for me as well. . . .

But as Mr. Puzder points out, you can’t succeed in a free society without finding a way to serve your fellow man. You gain only by helping your customers gain.

Socialism is the opposite. You get ahead, Mr. Puzder notes, by “satisfying the needs of the government elites. If you can satisfy the needs of the government elites, in a socialist economy, you can get more.”

That’s why you see well-fed, well-clothed overlords in a socialist economy such as Venezuela. They’re the true robber barons.

You don’t get a better seat on the boat but punching holes under the people sitting in first-class. We’re all in this together. So rather than focus on how to pull those at the top down, let’s focus on how we can join them.” (Excerpts from The Washington Times article by Ed Fuelner)