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#Post#: 578--------------------------------------------------
What is Democratic Socialism? Q & A
By: david090366 Date: May 19, 2015, 11:50 pm
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Democratic socialists believe that both the economy and society
should be run democratically—to meet public needs, not to make
profits for a few. To achieve a more just society, many
structures of our government and economy must be radically
transformed through greater economic and social democracy so
that ordinary Americans can participate in the many decisions
that affect our lives.
Democracy and socialism go hand in hand. All over the world,
wherever the idea of democracy has taken root, the vision of
socialism has taken root as well—everywhere but in the United
States. Because of this, many false ideas about socialism have
developed in the US. With this pamphlet, we hope to answer some
of your questions about socialism.
Doesn't socialism mean that the government will own and run
everything?
[quote]A: Democratic socialists do not want to create an
all-powerful government bureaucracy. But we do not want big
corporate bureaucracies to control our society either. Rather,
we believe that social and economic decisions should be made by
those whom they most affect.
Today, corporate executives who answer only to themselves and a
few wealthy stockholders make basic economic decisions affecting
millions of people. Resources are used to make money for
capitalists rather than to meet human needs. We believe that the
workers and consumers who are affected by economic institutions
should own and control them.
Social ownership could take many forms, such as worker-owned
cooperatives or publicly owned enterprises managed by workers
and consumer representatives. Democratic socialists favor as
much decentralization as possible. While the large
concentrations of capital in industries such as energy and steel
may necessitate some form of state ownership, many
consumer-goods industries might be best run as cooperatives.
Democratic socialists have long rejected the belief that the
whole economy should be centrally planned. While we believe that
democratic planning can shape major social investments like mass
transit, housing, and energy, market mechanisms are needed to
determine the demand for many consumer goods.[/quote]
Hasn't socialism been discredited by the collapse of Communism
in the USSR and Eastern Europe?
[quote]A: Socialists have been among the harshest critics of
authoritarian Communist states. Just because their bureaucratic
elites called them “socialist” did not make it so; they also
called their regimes “democratic.” Democratic socialists always
opposed the ruling party-states of those societies, just as we
oppose the ruling classes of capitalist societies. We applaud
the democratic revolutions that have transformed the former
Communist bloc. However, the improvement of people’s lives
requires real democracy without ethnic rivalries and/or new
forms of authoritarianism. Democratic socialists will continue
to play a key role in that struggle throughout the world.
Moreover, the fall of Communism should not blind us to
injustices at home. We cannot allow all radicalism to be
dismissed as “Communist.” That suppression of dissent and
diversity undermines America’s ability to live up to its promise
of equality of opportunity, not to mention the freedoms of
speech and assembly. [/quote]
Won't socialism be impractical because people will lose their
incentive to work?
[quote]A: We don’t agree with the capitalist assumption that
starvation or greed are the only reasons people work. People
enjoy their work if it is meaningful and enhances their lives.
They work out of a sense of responsibility to their community
and society. Although a long-term goal of socialism is to
eliminate all but the most enjoyable kinds of labor, we
recognize that unappealing jobs will long remain. These tasks
would be spread among as many people as possible rather than
distributed on the basis of class, race, ethnicity, or gender,
as they are under capitalism. And this undesirable work should
be among the best, not the least, rewarded work within the
economy. For now, the burden should be placed on the employer to
make work desirable by raising wages, offering benefits and
improving the work environment. In short, we believe that a
combination of social, economic, and moral incentives will
motivate people to work.[/quote]
Why are there no models of democratic socialism?
[quote]A: Although no country has fully instituted democratic
socialism, the socialist parties and labor movements of other
countries have won many victories for their people. We can learn
from the comprehensive welfare state maintained by the Swedes,
from Canada’s national health care system, France’s nationwide
childcare program, and Nicaragua’s literacy programs. Lastly, we
can learn from efforts initiated right here in the US, such as
the community health centers created by the government in the
1960s. They provided high quality family care, with community
involvement in decision-making. [/quote]
But hasn't the European Social Democratic experiment failed?
[quote]A: Many northern European countries enjoy tremendous
prosperity and relative economic equality thanks to the policies
pursued by social democratic parties. These nations used their
relative wealth to insure a high standard of living for their
citizens—high wages, health care and subsidized education. Most
importantly, social democratic parties supported strong labor
movements that became central players in economic
decision-making. But with the globalization of capitalism, the
old social democratic model becomes ever harder to maintain.
Stiff competition from low-wage labor markets in developing
countries and the constant fear that industry will move to avoid
taxes and strong labor regulations has diminished (but not
eliminated) the ability of nations to launch ambitious economic
reform on their own. Social democratic reform must now happen at
the international level. Multinational corporations must be
brought under democratic controls, and workers’ organizing
efforts must reach across borders.
Now, more than ever, socialism is an international movement. As
socialists have always known, the welfare of working people in
Finland or California depends largely on standards in Italy or
Indonesia. As a result, we must work towards reforms that can
withstand the power of multinationals and global banks, and we
must fight for a world order that is not controlled by bankers
and bosses. [/quote]
If I am going to devote time to politics, why shouldn't I focus
on something more immediate?
[quote]A: Although capitalism will be with us for a long time,
reforms we win now—raising the minimum wage, securing a national
health plan, and demanding passage of right-to-strike
legislation—can bring us closer to socialism. Many democratic
socialists actively work in the single-issue organizations that
advocate for those reforms. We are visible in the reproductive
freedom movement, the fight for student aid, gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered organizations, anti-racist groups,
and the labor movement.
It is precisely our socialist vision that informs and inspires
our day-to-day activism for social justice. As socialists we
bring a sense of the interdependence of all struggles for
justice. No single-issue organization can truly challenge the
capitalist system or adequately secure its particular demands.
In fact, unless we are all collectively working to win a world
without oppression, each fight for reforms will be disconnected,
maybe even self-defeating. [/quote]
If so many people misunderstand socialism, why continue to use
the word?
[quote]A: First, we call ourselves socialists because we are
proud of what we are. Second, no matter what we call ourselves,
conservatives will use it against us. Anti-socialism has been
repeatedly used to attack reforms that shift power to working
class people and away from corporate capital. In 1993, national
health insurance was attacked as “socialized medicine” and
defeated. Liberals are routinely denounced as socialists in
order to discredit reform. Until we face, and beat, the stigma
attached to the “S word,” politics in America will continue to
be stifled and our options limited. We also call ourselves
socialists because we are proud of the traditions upon which we
are based, of the heritage of the Socialist Party of Eugene Debs
and Norman Thomas, and of other struggles for change that have
made America more democratic and just. Finally, we call
ourselves socialists to remind everyone that we have a vision of
a better world. [/quote]
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