Dear Editor,
SOCIALISM IS GOOD
“SOCIALISM” is a real thing. It’s also a GOOD thing for a society. However, socialism is often misrepresented by folks with a political agenda in favor of autocracy. Today’s administration in particular is at war with this thing they call ‘socialism.’ Political Scientists and politicians and assorted media talking heads these days can’t categorize nations or political structures in the world, without using the word “hybrid.” This is because most nations on earth are Capitalists, and this is not mutually exclusive to Socialism; the two very often co-exist in a varying balance without problem. Scandinavian nations are great examples. The first mistake political commentators make is to imply ‘socialism’ is the same as ‘communism.’ It’s not, not even close. The second mistake they make is to simply assume and assert, without any proof or verification, that nations referring to themselves as ‘communist’ or ‘socialist’ are indeed as advertised. In history, the most cursory study of so-called ‘communist revolutions’ will reveal that after the dust settled, what remained was a rightwing dictatorship: Authoritarian rule. A recent Letter writer asserted, “… socialism is a time-proven failure in every instance where it’s been tried: Soviet Russia, East Germany, Cuba, Venezuela…” Russia was run by dictators, first Stalin, then morphing into Putin. East Berlin was a satellite of Russia. Cuba’s dictator was Fidel Castro. Now it’s his brother Raul, directing a puppet Diaz- Canel. Venezuela’s dictator is currently Maduro. Why are dictators (authoritarians) NOT socialists? Why is it a mistake to not only equate socialism with communism, but also to claim dictators are running “failed” socialist states? It’s fairly easy to explain, but definitions are necessary. True ‘socialism’ is simply the recognition that there are public goods and chores to be performed to have a proper society, and the government is best suited to provide those services. In a democracy, we all agree to pay our part to have these chores done. They include things like a military, roads for commerce, a currency system along with regulated banking, disaster aid, postal service, and also social services for the poor, the disabled, veterans, the elderly, and others who have “fallen through the cracks” of our society. Providing these services are tasks assigned by OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES, and they IN NO WAY go counter to Capitalism operating fully. The proof? We’ve had such services since our inception as a nation, have added programs regularly, and America is the strongest, most prosperous nation ever in history. Our freedom, democracy, and regulated capitalism allow it. With communism, the tenets call for all the means of production to be taken out of individuals’ hands (NO private property), and for ownership of all production to be equally shared by all citizens. There is no hierarchy, there are no classes, all citizens are EQUAL. A dictator does NOT “equally share” prosperity with all citizens. Perhaps where amateur political scientists get confused is with the “take over means of production” aspect. Dictators, too, will take over all industry and production to be run and directed by the Dictator in charge. In Russia, for instance, Putin has a bunch of Oligarchs who are very rich, but are totally under Putin’s control. If one displeases him, out a high window they go. The point is, communism calls for all control to reside with THE PEOPLE equally (but without structure). In a dictatorship, all control rests with the leader, and the people get whatever scraps from the table the dictator deems necessary to stave off unrest and revolution. The czars in old Russia, and the French aristocracy at the time of Marie Antoinette, misjudged their power and control, and they paid the price of violent revolution that took their lives. The people had had enough! An American analogy to such dictatorial control would be the plantation owners in the old South. Their slaves were not the beneficiaries of ‘socialism,’ they were just more property the owners controlled. So, America today is a ‘hybrid’: Capitalism operating full gallop, and Socialism to take care of those chores that don’t – or SHOULDN’T – have a profit motive. To be sure, President Donald Trump is making big moves to dismantle America’s institutions deemed ‘socialist,’ and to usher in an American Autocracy, with the leader having all the say, and THE PEOPLE getting whatever table scraps the leader deigns to allow. I agree with the letter writer that this is a PROVEN FAILURE of an idea. Will we need another Revolution to overcome this power grab? Jeff Harrison Buffalo TX 75831
