This fine example of how socialism works in the classroom is written as a reminder to all. Its author is unknown, but thank you whoever you are.

An economics professor at a university said he had never failed a single student, but he had once failed an entire class.

His students had insisted that socialism worked since no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, “Ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism.

“All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.”

After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who had studied hard were upset while the students who had studied very little were happy.

But, as the second test rolled around, the students who had studied little, studied even less and the ones who had studied hard decided that since they couldn’t make an A, they also studied less. The second test resulted in everyone receiving the average grade of a D.

No one was happy. When the third test rolled around the average grade was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame, name calling all resulted in hard feelings, and no one would study for anyone else.

To their great surprise, all the students in that class failed. The professor told them that socialism would ultimately fail because the harder people try to succeed the greater their reward (capitalism), but when a government takes or redistributes all the rewards away (socialism), no one will try or succeed. Thus, all will fail. There has always been a power elite who just live off the combined efforts of all the people, and that would be true in this example as well.

A simple story with a clear message: none of us will be successful if we continue to allow the government (and federal at that) to penalize hard work. Remember it took Babe Ruth many “failed” swings at bat in order to be the home run king. It is quite sad that the government thinks so little of people that it is making it more and more difficult for them to try. And, what is equally disturbing is some of our most successful American entrepreneurs are making it impossible through their misguided trust in government for their own children or the children of others to achieve as they once did.

Catherine Paxton

Arlington