If you believe education, health care, affordable housing, and things people need to flourish should be a basic right and not a privilege, then you might be a “Democratic socialist.” (apologies to Jeff Foxworthy)
In his 1961 speech to the Negro American Labor Council, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God's children."
Democratic socialism typically refers to collectively-owned businesses and forms of government, where workers and government entities have more control over the means of production and distribution of goods, as opposed to the private ownership and free market that drives capitalism. A Democratic socialist typically supports ideas such as labor reform and pro-union policies, tuition-free public universities and trade schools, universal healthcare, federal jobs programs, fair taxation that closes loopholes that the wealthiest citizens have found, and using taxes on the rich and corporations to fund social welfare programs.
Some examples of democratic socialism that we have all enjoyed for years without giving it a second thought:
~police, fire and ambulance departments;
~public schools;
~public libraries;
~public museums;
~public parks, Grand Canyon in Arizona; Hot Springs in Arkansas; Yosemite in California and Acadia in Maine as examples;
~Social Security;
~Medicaid/Medicare;
~SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program); (for those who need help in feeding their families)
~highway and road maintenance; these are just several examples of what Democratic socialism is all about. Think about that the next time you travel that highway to a state park, take your child to a library, or find yourself in need of an ambulance or the fire department.
On the other hand, capitalism is an economic system consisting of private ownership of the means of production. Modern capitalist systems generally include a market-oriented economy, which means the production and pricing of goods, and even the income of individuals, are dictated to a greater extent by market forces. Capitalism is built on the ideas of private property, profit motive, and market competition. Throughout history, capitalism has been criticized for several reasons with some historians connecting profit-driven economies to the rise of oppressive institutions such as colonialism, imperialism and slavery. Capitalism is also ripe (when it runs amuck) for abuse of the very system which enables it.
A dictatorship is where one person or a small group possess absolute power without effective constitutional limitations. Dictators typically use force or fraud to gain despotic political power, hanging on to it through the use of intimidation, terror, and the suppression of basic civil liberties. They might also use techniques of mass propaganda in order to retain public support.
This last election has given rise to the potential of a dictator here in the United States. They will be coming after healthcare, looking to repeal the ACA again. They plan on getting rid of the Dept. of Education, which we have already seen the beginnings of with taxpayer funded religious school vouchers in many states. Immigrants will have more to fear, and soon. The EPA will be dismantled, a majority of environmental protections for humans and planet alike will go bye-bye which means more and frequent extreme weather. No more funding for Planned Parenthood.
Our new assignment now is to somehow support civil liberties groups such as the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Organization for Women (NOW) to name a few. We need to stay informed and vigilant on local, state and federal issues and don’t be afraid to reach out to your representative, let them know what you’re thinking and/or how you would like them to vote. Most importantly, do not obey in advance!
Future articles will be featuring a birds-eye view (so to speak) as to what happens at the State House. We are stronger together!