I asked a self-described “Marxist-Leninist” why do people risk life and limb to escape mostly socialist Cuba to the much more free market United States? And why is South Korea wealthier than North Korea?

He had a one word answer: Sanctions.

Sanctions are when governments coercively violate the property rights of people under the guise of pursuing the greater good. By forcibly stopping people from freely trading and contracting, they make everyone worse off.

The Marxist literally is saying government regulation is the cause of people staying poor.

Notice there is no principled difference between the U.S. government coercively regulating someone in Minnesota vs. coercively regulating someone in Mongolia.

The leftist knows in his bones that to truly support the “proletariat”, he must support the right of the “proletariat” right to freely trade and contract with everyone, even the “bourgeoisie”.