SOCIALISM & BERNIE SANDERS
Posted on- May 1, 2016 at 1:55 P.M.(Written By Joshua Hill)
Bernie Sanders is not a Socialist, he is a Democratic Socialist even arguably a Social Democrat. Democratic Socialism shares the term Socialism, a word that some people incorrectly find to be scary. I want to set the record straight & I want to explain why Socialism isn't the scary Boogeyman term that the Political Right & even some on the "Political Left" have been making it out to be lately. Some go as far to say that Sanders wants to expand our Government large enough to control every aspect of our private lives. I am going to dispel the over-the-top ridiculous notation that Sanders is aiming to take control of everybody's lives, he's simply looking to take the popular programs that we already have implemented & expand them while making them stronger & more efficient to favor the poor & middle class. To help pay for these programs Sanders wants the millionaires, billionaires, as well as the individuals on Wall Street whose reckless & illegal behavior destroyed our economy in the first place to pay their fair share in taxes. What I have noticed with this current election is that so many people seem to get Socialism & Communism confused with one another.
Socialism isn't a horrible idea when implemented properly. Socialism is working fantastically in other countries that have implemented it such as Norway, Sweden, & Denmark for example. If you go down the line on individual programs you can see those countries beat us in almost every category including among others healthcare, education, or lower crime rates. In fact, during 2016 a study showed Denmark was once again ranked number one in The World Happiness Report. The study takes a variety of factors into account, (Among Other Things) It looked into people's health & access to healthcare, family relations, job security, as well as social factors like political freedom & Government corruption.
I have personally taken the liberty of looking into the different definitions of Socialism & the definition recognizable by most people is, "Any of various economic & political theories advocating collective or Governmental ownership & administration of the means of production & distribution of goods or services." So based on that definition you can find right here in the U.S. that some of our most cost effective, efficient, & popular programs are pure Socialism, such as The Roads/Highways, Public Libraries, The Post Office, Public Schools, Public Parks, The Sewer System, The Fire Department, The Police Department, State & Snow Removal, Town / State-Run Beaches, Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, etc… etc... If the people who say they hate Socialism so much really dislike it as much as they claim, I recommend they stop using all of these programs immediately!
Also don't forget our last Socialist President who is arguably one of the best presidents we've ever had was so vehemently popular they had to invent term limits because he just kept getting elected over & over again. The one thing FDR did that modern day Progressives & Liberals condemn him for is the one thing that modern day Republicans praise him for. The current Republican front runner Donald Trump has flirted with the idea of bringing back internment camps for an entire religious group in a country that has put so much emphasis on making part of its foundation to include freedom of religion. On the other hand, real Progressives, Liberals, & Socialist support FDR for his Socialist Left-Wing ideals such as being against the corruptive influence of big business & money in politics. FDR was able to implement Social Security, but what would have been FDR's greatest achievement was his second Bill Of Rights which included the right of Employment, food, clothing & leisure, via enough income to support them, farmers right to a fair income, freedom from unfair competition & monopolies, housing, medical care, Social Security, & education.
So,I'll leave you with this... The next time someone tells you that Socialism is an attempt for the Government to grow out of control & take over every aspect of your life, disregard the over-the-top ridiculousness of that type of rhetoric because It's nothing more than an incorrect regurgitated Political Right-Wing talking point not tethered to any form of reality. My name is Joshua Hill & I am a Progressive Liberal Socialist because I am always aiming to be a better open minded person who advocates for the betterment of mankind. So now you have to ask yourself… what kind of person are YOU?
Bernie Sanders is not a Socialist, he is a Democratic Socialist even arguably a Social Democrat. Democratic Socialism shares the term Socialism, a word that some people incorrectly find to be scary. I want to set the record straight & I want to explain why Socialism isn't the scary Boogeyman term that the Political Right & even some on the "Political Left" have been making it out to be lately. Some go as far to say that Sanders wants to expand our Government large enough to control every aspect of our private lives. I am going to dispel the over-the-top ridiculous notation that Sanders is aiming to take control of everybody's lives, he's simply looking to take the popular programs that we already have implemented & expand them while making them stronger & more efficient to favor the poor & middle class. To help pay for these programs Sanders wants the millionaires, billionaires, as well as the individuals on Wall Street whose reckless & illegal behavior destroyed our economy in the first place to pay their fair share in taxes. What I have noticed with this current election is that so many people seem to get Socialism & Communism confused with one another.
Socialism isn't a horrible idea when implemented properly. Socialism is working fantastically in other countries that have implemented it such as Norway, Sweden, & Denmark for example. If you go down the line on individual programs you can see those countries beat us in almost every category including among others healthcare, education, or lower crime rates. In fact, during 2016 a study showed Denmark was once again ranked number one in The World Happiness Report. The study takes a variety of factors into account, (Among Other Things) It looked into people's health & access to healthcare, family relations, job security, as well as social factors like political freedom & Government corruption.
I have personally taken the liberty of looking into the different definitions of Socialism & the definition recognizable by most people is, "Any of various economic & political theories advocating collective or Governmental ownership & administration of the means of production & distribution of goods or services." So based on that definition you can find right here in the U.S. that some of our most cost effective, efficient, & popular programs are pure Socialism, such as The Roads/Highways, Public Libraries, The Post Office, Public Schools, Public Parks, The Sewer System, The Fire Department, The Police Department, State & Snow Removal, Town / State-Run Beaches, Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, etc… etc... If the people who say they hate Socialism so much really dislike it as much as they claim, I recommend they stop using all of these programs immediately!
Also don't forget our last Socialist President who is arguably one of the best presidents we've ever had was so vehemently popular they had to invent term limits because he just kept getting elected over & over again. The one thing FDR did that modern day Progressives & Liberals condemn him for is the one thing that modern day Republicans praise him for. The current Republican front runner Donald Trump has flirted with the idea of bringing back internment camps for an entire religious group in a country that has put so much emphasis on making part of its foundation to include freedom of religion. On the other hand, real Progressives, Liberals, & Socialist support FDR for his Socialist Left-Wing ideals such as being against the corruptive influence of big business & money in politics. FDR was able to implement Social Security, but what would have been FDR's greatest achievement was his second Bill Of Rights which included the right of Employment, food, clothing & leisure, via enough income to support them, farmers right to a fair income, freedom from unfair competition & monopolies, housing, medical care, Social Security, & education.
So,I'll leave you with this... The next time someone tells you that Socialism is an attempt for the Government to grow out of control & take over every aspect of your life, disregard the over-the-top ridiculousness of that type of rhetoric because It's nothing more than an incorrect regurgitated Political Right-Wing talking point not tethered to any form of reality. My name is Joshua Hill & I am a Progressive Liberal Socialist because I am always aiming to be a better open minded person who advocates for the betterment of mankind. So now you have to ask yourself… what kind of person are YOU?