There are serious problems in the Democratic presidential field that can be summed up in two candidates: Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. They are socialists. Which is to say they are advocates for failure.

Sanders and Warren are among the “Big Four” candidates, including Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, who are currently polling in the top tier in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The attacks by Sanders and Warren on capitalism and billionaires (produced by capitalism) win them endorsements and kudos from the envious, the ignorant and the cruel. Consider what they, and socialism, advocate: the theft of others’ wealth under an allegedly moral umbrella of redistribution to those who “need” it. Billionaires are dubbed evil outright. Nice of them to make all that money first, though, so it can be seized. (Don’t mention any wealth held by Sanders or Warren. They are in the elite “good people” group that gets a pass.)

Beyond their hypocrisy and threats to individual freedom, Warren and Sanders pose a macroeconomic threat. The implementation of their proposals would bring stagnation and ruin to the economy. Government that tries to “take care of” everyone fails. It is too costly and too burdensome to sustain.

The U.S. economy currently can be categorized as “mixed,” which is to say a blend of capitalism and government intervention. This long-term mismatch is disguised by the massive federal debt. Socialism would explode the debt and rob society of wealth (capital) needed to invest in existing and new enterprises.

Socialism also warps society, destroying natural incentives to improve yourself, do better, pay your own way, and to save and invest. It says that if you do well, you will be punished. If you do poorly, you get rewards. It is not ethical, charitable or kind. It’s a horror.

If people truly want to help others, they should advocate for the creation of more wealth, not its confiscation. What creates wealth? Capitalism.