Don't Use That Word
“Socialism” is the new word people are using as a weapon against the left side of the government. They use that word to scare people away. They use that word because of all the negative historical significance it has. But it is not the right word to use.
Free healthcare and free college are human rights. Economic freedom is a human right. We are talking about inalienable rights, the right to the pursuit of happiness. How can you pursue happiness if you are sick and don’t have enough money to pay for treatment? How can you pursue happiness if you cannot pay for a higher education in a time when it is required for almost any decent job? How can you be free if there are not enough jobs that pay a living wage?
Almost every other civilized and developed country on earth has these plans for their people except for the United States. Why? I thought we were the richest and most powerful country on the planet. Healthcare and education are not privileges, they are rights. We have the right to be healthy and able to get a good job.
Bernie Sanders and his like are not promoting anything ‘crazy’ by suggesting that people be treated like human beings. Just plain capitalism without any government programs creates a society in which the rich thrive and the struggling poor never make it. Bernie Sanders calls it Democratic Socialism.
He made that notion up. It doesn’t matter. He is talking about things that matter to most people.
If you are doing alright, and love your private health insurance and love your high paying job, good for you. You are not going to lose any of that if other people can have a little of what you have. There is actually enough to go around.
Taxing the rich and Wallstreet is one of the many ways we can pay for these programs. The rich do not pay their fair share of taxes and either do people who make a lot of money on Wallstreet. I would also personally suggest using some of the outrageously high military budget. We have enough bombs to kill the world many times over. What is the point of that?
Climate change is another issue that the left is talking about with very serious urgency. There is a need for drastic action to stop destroying our environment otherwise we will do irreparable harm. The fossil fuel industry has created the idea of climate change denial, that it is all a hoax. Don’t let them fool you, they will have to work harder and spend more money to clean up their act if climate change initiatives are taken. They are profiting from destroying our world.
These are not insane, far left, socialist ideas. This is all about humanity and how to allow it to flourish in our country. It is also becoming more and more apparent that robots and technology will take human jobs away from many people. There are even proposals to have a universal income where everyone is given a small stipend in order to live in case they cannot find a job at all.
Does that really sound out of this world? What are people supposed to do when machines take over the world? Again, nothing will be taken from the average human being if programs are put into place that help everyone. Everyone benefits from this.
We need revolutionary change in this country. No change has ever really happened without being a little radical. The idea of civil rights and women’s rights were all very radical at the times when they were introduced. Now they just seem like human rights.
That’s because human rights extend to every part of our lives. We have the right to live like humans, not homeless and on the streets with no healthcare or housing. If you are a die-hard capitalist and think that any government program is a waste of money, it is probably because you have enough money. You have never needed to rely on other people.
The average American is not rich. The average American is barely getting by paycheck to paycheck. This became apparent when the government shutdown happened and people could not even pay for food. It’s not because these are careless or irresponsible people, it is because the average wage has not increased to meet inflation.
Things are too expensive and people are not getting paid enough money.
After all, resources, money, the ability to have enough to live a decent life, is a human right.
These are the minimum requirements of what we as a society can do to help those who are struggling even if we are not. Raising the minimum wage is not going to shut down businesses, it just means the take-home pay of the CEO’s will go down slightly.
Again, there is enough food in the world and enough money, to go around. We need to stop those who are hoarding it and have them pay their fair share.
That is what true democracy is about.
nina