Depending on how you carbon-date it, the American conservative "movement" is some 60 to 80 years old. And in all that time, its rhetoric has not changed one iota: Socialism is imminent and Communism is right around the corner, and the end of the world is nigh.

Yet, here we are. In spite of all that "creeping Socialism", in point of fact the wealthy elites haven't abandoned America, not by a long shot. In point of fact, the living's never been better for the wealthy elites, with inequality of wealth and income restored to the levels of the late Gilded Age (that is, pre 1929). The wealthy elites haven't abandoned America for greener pastures--what do they know that Steyn doesn't?

In point of fact, during the same long period that Steyn describes as "a couple more steps [left] every election", America's fortunes have risen inexorably. Post hoc ergo propter hoc? Not hardly, because if you swallow Steyn's argument, the steady movement leftward should have destroyed all that prosperity and power. America should have become North Korea by now, according to core conservative doctrine, but the opposite occurred. What happened?

And then there's the classic Europe-bashing, with as little logic and rationality. This is Europe we're talking about, most of whose countries rank higher than the United States in overall quality of life. Steyn sarcastically writes that "America might as well apply for honorary membership in the European Union"...well, given the actual reality, we should be so lucky as to be members of the EU. Americans would live longer and be healthier and better educated, and a lot fewer of us would be living in poverty.

What both the American and European experiences demonstrate is that what you call "socialism" is not only the natural economic evolution fostered by democracy, it works very well for a large number of people. Maximum benefit to the maximum number is the only guaranteed outcome of democracy. Looks to me like the system's working as it should.

What a tired old rant Steyn wrote.