To be rich is glorious.
Deng Xiaoping, 1904 - 1997
Deng, the late Paramount Leader of China, said this on the eve of initiating several policies of capitalist reform, loosening of the Chinese economy, and the dismantling of the public sector. At Deng's command, the entire nation, still stagnating under the idiotic welfare system, the inefficiency of public ownership, and an all but paralyzed economy, jumped into the capitalist frenzy.
You see, the whole nation at that point was sick of decades of Maoist abuse, socialist dogma, and the promise of prosperity that never materialized. People sat there, eating at public canteens, collecting free handouts, not working. Sound familiar? Hint: Australia and Canada.
Insanely jealous of their capitalist pals in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Deng Xiaoping abolished the socialist purity nonsense that has gripped China for the past 30 years, and declared "It's a free for all!" Instantly, businesses popped up everywhere, from small one-man operations to giant behemoth corporations. Nobody in their right mind was going to sit there and wait for the government to deliver. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. No bureaucrat is going to deliver.
Of course, China is still far from being capitalist. But it's getting there. I heard the CCP cut welfare benefits across the board last year. Result? Unemployment went down. Isn't it great? Why doesn't Canada do that I wonder.......