Take a look at the skillful arguments against central planning in the first two minutes of the clip below. Why don’t we see any Republican officeholder taking on such fundamental issues, like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with such clarity?

Film made in the Truman era explains what Republicans don’t.

Progressives will call the rest of this video over-the-top anti-communist scare tactics.  They may call those who made it intolerant sexist jingoists. This means that their arguments need not be answered with reasoned responses. There’s a name for responding to arguments by discrediting the speaker. C.S. Lewis called it Bulverism, and you can read here how he masterfully responded to it in his day.

Even though the rest of the film may be over the top, conservatives will think that many of the comments from the “master plan” advocates in the film have a familiar ring to them.

We haven’t solved such things as full employment. Real security…. Let the people have full employment, full security… Vote against the old, ruthless sick American economy with it’s private property and it’s so-called free competitive enterprise.

Most people who are wary of centrally planned anything and who distrust the good intentions of government experts are puzzled that the Obama administration still has almost half the population on its side. But it should be no surprise. Wrong though their ideas may be, they are defending their ideas. The President defends them well and often.  It is my sincere hope that the Republicans we put in congress start defending ours strongly and with simple metaphors like this video clip. And do it over and over. Telling once isn’t teaching. You have to repeat yourself.

This is from the “In Our Hands” series produced by Wilding Picture Productions, Inc. in 1950 for the American Economic Foundation, sponsored by The Inland Steel Co. & Borg-Warner Corp.