Social Democracy

[TheProgressivePatriot]

See?
Your entire screed is based on an idealized view of Democratic socialism and an extreme and inaccurate interpretation of capitalism.

Clearly you have nothing of substance to offer

 

[Hafar1014]

Your entire screed is based on an idealized view of capitalism and an extreme and inaccurate interpretation of Democratic socialism.

To be clear, Democratic Socialism as practiced DOES NOT mean government ownership or total control of the means of production. While there are those who claim that Democratic Socialism is distinct from a social democracy, with the former involving a dismantling of capitalism, that is not what is advocated by people like Bernie Sanders

As I have previously written, Democratic Socialism not only allows for free enterprise and private property, it is essential and complimentary to capitalism. The regulations and social programs which are the centerpiece of Democratic socialism serve to reign it the excesses of capitalism, ensure an available and healthy source of labor, and quell social unrest in leaner times.

Furthermore, to say that there is no corporate control is pure codswallop . To be sure, they do not have as much control as they would if those regulations did not exist – but your ability to “buy what you want’ is only part of the story and only gives individuals the illusion of control. The fact is that we are constantly being manipulated as to what to buy, and deceived about the quality of products- despite laws and regulations.

Given free reign, corporations would exploit workers, rip off consumers, and destroy the environment to a much greater extent than they currently do. As an example, government intervention of the type that you would deride as socialism include anti trust laws that curb monopolies. Those monopolies greatly limit the choices that you have, destroy competition, and provide a disincentive for the marketing of quality goods and services

Sure corporations compete for market shares by pleasing customers, but only because they must and it is not the consumer who is driving that need. In the absence of the aforementioned laws and regulations, they are inclined to fix prices across industries, and provide inferior products.

It is not only antitrust laws that limit corporate control. Other aspects of Democratic Socialism include:

• Consumer product safety laws and regulations
• Child Labor laws
• Minimum wage laws
• Unemployment and disability insurance
• Worker safety regulations
• Environmental protections laws and regulations

While labor unions play an important role some of these matters, not everyone belongs to a union, and those who do can thank government for the ability and right to organize.

To think that corporations would not seek to get away with anything and everything that they could get away with for profit, in the absence of regulations is naive . We would be back in a times where people would be paid poverty wages with company currency that could only be spent at the company store, children and adults alike would be forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions, the quality of products would be questionable at best, and you could forget about vacations or retirement.

All of these matters are arguably “socialistic” but few people who rail against Socialism connect the dots. Much of the hysteria about socialism is due to fear born of ignorance , or pro capitalism propaganda. The fact is that socialism's goal is to shift power from corporations to the people- not to government- with the role of government being a means towards that end

Youre confused by your own propaganda. Socialism and capitalsim are polar opposites and cant exist together. Socialism never stops sucking all the power away from the people until there is none left.

First America is not a democracy so democratic anything cant exist. In your imagined world the state has all the power and the people have none.

Socialism's goal is to shift all the power from the people the state in the name of the people. A bold faced lie.
Socialism is based on the false belief that an economy is zero sum. When one gets rich it makes another get poor.
Heres what really happens. When the rich get richer we all get richer. They create jobs and opportiunities real wealth we can aquire by working or creating a business.
When the government gets richer as in socialism we al get poorer.

In capitalism the consumer has all the power. The power to say no I wont buy your product. Make it confirm to what I want or you go out of business. Thats power