Socialism? We know how that story ends every time.

For many Latino families, the word “socialism” doesn’t evoke some romanticized image of revolution. It brings back memories of real experiences that changed the course of their lives—of businesses and property lost, food and medicine becoming scarce, political dissent being punished, families being separated, and parents making the painful decision to leave everything they knew and start over in another country.

For these families, this isn’t an abstract political debate. It is part of their family history. They remember what their parents and grandparents endured, what they left behind, and why they came to the United States searching for greater freedom, stability, and opportunity.

Today, we’re hearing that same ideology gain renewed interest—especially among a new generation, and this time here in America. Self-described democratic socialists are proposing government-funded health care, housing programs, fare-free transportation, tuition-free college, and even government-run grocery stores.

To many young Americans struggling with the cost of living, those promises may sound appealing. But for families who have lived under socialist governments, the word carries a very different meaning. They don’t hear a political theory. They remember what happened to their families.

DSA says its vision of democratic socialism is different from the authoritarian socialism experienced in countries like Cuba and Venezuela. It argues that its model would be democratic, not authoritarian.

But there is still a fundamental debate over who should control more of our economic lives. DSA calls for greater collective control of resources and production, economic planning, and public or collective ownership of key sectors of the economy.

For families who have experienced governments exercising extensive control over economic and civic life, those ideas can raise difficult questions: How much power should government have? How much should individuals be free to decide for themselves? And what safeguards ensure that greater government control does not come at the expense of individual freedom?

Whenever implemented at its full extent, like in Cuba and Venezuela, socialism brings only poverty, oppression and scarcity.

That’s not the American way.

America was founded on a different idea: that people possess individual rights—including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—and that government exists to protect those rights.

For generations, that promise has helped make America a destination for people from around the world seeking greater freedom and opportunity.

America offers something powerful: the chance to choose your own path. To start a business. Buy a home. Build something from nothing. Work hard and create opportunities for your children that you may never have had yourself.

Millions have come to this country in search of that chance—to build a future they believed was beyond their reach where they were born.

Our responsibility is to preserve that freedom and opportunity for the generations that follow.

Join LIBRE and be part of the conversation about economic freedom, individual choice, and the future of the American Dream.