In “Political Basics 1,” we explored what the tenets of Communism actually ARE, and discussed why that system of governance would never work governing a nation. We pointed out that no nation has ever been Communist, and that nations calling themselves “communist” were instead ruled by dictators, where NONE of the tenets of Communism are followed. To briefly review the tenets of Communism, they are 1. Equality for all, and no “class” system, 2. No private property, with all materials, land, natural resources and production shared commonly, and 3. Leadership by cooperation.

In “Political Basics 2”, we noted that, in America, our leadership is determined by Democracy, and thus as citizens we retain our rights, our freedom, and our power of self-rule.

Today we will explore what SOCIALISM is, whether it is the same as Communism, and whether we are in danger in America of becoming a “Socialist” nation. The word “Socialism” has been used many different ways, depending on time, place, and circumstances. To discuss Socialism in terms of how it may exist in America today, we need to boil down the definition to its essence. To this end, I offer this definition:

SOCIALISM is a system by which public goods are determined — goals which affect ALL citizens rather than just individuals — and the decision is made by leadership to pursue those goals through programs, and the cost of those programs is shared equally by ALL citizens thru taxation.

“Public goods” would be anything we citizens agree, through our representative leadership, needs to be accomplished to make this a better nation. Examples of public goods we currently have in effect in America span from roads and highways, to parks and libraries, to various health care programs, to welfare for those who are in need, elder care programs, and even to our military (there are many more examples). All these programs were instituted by our elected representatives, all these programs benefit the nation as a whole, and all are paid for from the common Treasury. It’s important to note, ALL of these programs that currently exist are Constitutional; if they were NOT, our Supreme Court would not allow them (to be sure, most programs our Congress passes and the President signs into law are challenged by opponents, and those challenges fail scrutiny in our Judiciary; thus they become the law of the land.)

It’s ALSO important to note here that we citizens AGREE to this embracing of selective Socialism, because we participate in democracy and the choosing of our leadership who make the decisions, and as citizens, we all benefit from such programs.

As is true in democracy, since a majority rules, there will be many who might not agree with specific decisions made by leadership. I may not agree with a school lunch program, and you might disagree with a military engagement in Iraq. The cure to such disagreements is to persuade others to our point of view, and change leadership to people whose ideals, goals, and vision comport more closely to our own (although it’s rare to agree with ALL the positions of a leader). Our success in changing policy will depend on the popularity of either keeping a program, or getting rid of it.

In America, Socialism is often referred to as “Democratic Socialism,” because it exists alongside Democracy and Capitalism without threatening either system. In Political Basics 5, we will discuss Capitalism as America’s chosen and successful system of economics.

 

Submitted by Jeff Harrison.