LETTER: Socialism vs. communism
In response to the Feb. 14 letter to the editor that makes the case that socialism is misunderstood, it is important to distinguish between socialism and communism.
Socialism, per many definitions, is when the government controls the means of production. This means state-run “businesses,” such as the state-run oil industry in Venezuela. Communism is often defined as the government controlling both the means of production AND the means of consumption. I am hard-pressed to find a modern example of this. It is easily deduced that neither classic socialism nor communism apply to the United States. We are not a socialist nation, despite the misleading and dishonest claims of some, mainly on the right. Rather, the United States is more of a social democracy, roughly in the range of most developed democracies.
What is a social democracy? A democracy that collects tax dollars and uses the tax dollars to provide services that people want or need. Those services include roads, schools, health care (in the U.S., Medicare and Medicaid), retirement (Social Security), and safety net programs (WIC, SNAP, SSDI). Also, parks, game lands, most waterways, and boat launches – basically, anything that is paid for by tax dollars.
I ask everyone who reacts negatively to the term “socialism” to take the time and actually learn what the term means. Then try to figure out what politicians mean and are trying to accomplish by using the term. Also, please reflect on whether you use or support the above-stated services. If you truly believe that our tax dollars should not be used for such services, that is to be respected. There should be an honest and rigorous discussion about the fundamental issue behind any debate on “socialism,” namely, what should be the role of government in our lives?
Reasonable and informed people can disagree on this fundamental issue and work toward a compromise and perhaps consensus. However, just reacting negatively to a word that is wielded to exploit ignorance is not acceptable in a democracy which requires engaged and knowledgeable voters.
In the meantime, I call on those who oppose “socialism” to personally reject the above-listed services. You have the freedom to not use such services. You will still have to pay taxes and would not receive the benefits of said taxes, but that is the price to pay for a principled stand.
John Moretti
Claysville