Socialism 101
Windham's LTE (12/20) repeats tired cant about "socialism" when really his target is illiberal regimes. Socialism has been part of this country from its founding and has produced immense benefits around the world, N America and NW Europe in particular. First it needs to be defined.
The term first appeared in France in the early 1800s and broadly is government ownership or control of various means of production or services for common purposes, like "promote the general Welfare" in the Preamble to the US Constitution. As such, socialism is driving on a public road to a public hospital to be treated by publicly educated doctors and nurses, and capitalism is an insurance company denying the claim.
N America and NW Europe have long had a mix of the two in a balance of economic power to our collective benefit. In a liberal democracy, the benefits of socialism are many: 1. government isn't run by and for the rich; 2. less money is spent on health care with better results; 3. credit for technical innovation is more broadly shared; 4. public sentiment prevails over demands of lobbyists; and 5. jobs aren't held hostage in tax havens.
Compendium Of Posts About Socialism And Democratic Socialism: Harry Truman, Bernie Sanders And Western Europe's Democratic Socialism As Exemplified By Norway
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