The move from barn raisings to democratic socialism

The move from barn raisings to democratic socialism
 
Especially since the advent of a presidential candidate who labels himself as a democratic socialist many individual have confused this terms with the term socialist as it has been used by other countries.  Mr. Sanders does advocate such democratic socialist policies as a single payer, national health care system, expansion of free education and other shared care of each other.  He is advocating the same policies that many other countries have successfully implemented although, to be fair, in recent years even they are under attack by a significant and very vocal minority.
 
In the United States the popular myth is that if one works hard enough one can attain the “American (read United States) dream. For a certain percentage of individuals this has been true.  I and many of my relatives and other contemporaries have managed to carve out a life which allows us to have a life which includes many of the luxuries which were  not available to our parents or grandparents.    This was possible for a number of reasons among them:

• Being born with at least an average intellectual ability.
• The absence of mental illness or other brain disorders affecting our abilities to function.
• Parent and grandparents who were hard working and directly or indirectly instilled a “can do” attitude.
• Parent, grandparents and other ancestors who read and had an interest in learning.
• Being able to identify as Caucasian although I am not clear how many varied ancestors contributed to the gene pool which we inherited.
• Physically abled enough to take advantage of opportunities.
• Inheriting a certain sense of arrogant pride in the illusion that we are self-made and do not need each other.
• Not generally needing access to health care as a child and when needed others helped.
• Having to learn, when young, the habit of hard work in order to  share in basic survival of self and family.

 
Obviously I cannot take credit for any of these factors.   There were all a matter of luck, circumstances or whatever one wants to name it.  Democratic socialism recognizes:
 

• Luck is unevenly distributed.
• Access to adequately staffed and funded school systems is dependent on how schools are funded and, thus, often on neighborhoods.  Neighborhoods with Mcmansions do not generally have underfunded schools or lack access to better funded schools.
• Access to health care is often dependent on employer and/or an independent source of money.
• Salaries/incomes are not equal and, thus, do not allow for equal opportunities.
• Access to affordable, healthy food is not equally distributed.
• Access to affordable and decent housing is dependent on income – very low income or very high income.
• We live in a post industrials age  in which one may need to change jobs or even careers multiple times.  
• Unions are no longer a viable force to ensure livable wages and access to benefits
• We live in a global economy which affect choices employers have and exercise.

 
Democratic socialism challenges one to confront the fact that in 2st century  post capitalist society’s access to basic necessities such as health care, housing, transportation and food  is not guaranteed.  Relatively few of us live in agriculture communities with a country doctor who can see to most of our medical needs and where communities take care of each other without the need to label the mutual sharing of resources as democratic socialism as opposed to being good neighbors.  Community “barn raisings” are no longer a given for most of us.
 
Soviet, Chinese or even Cuban forms of socialism is not democratic socialism.  If we work hard to both restore and nurture the three branches of government in the United States we can have civil, compassionate discussions of what are necessities and how we can provide and share necessities in a democratic republic such as the United States.  If instead we want to design a society in which the survival of those with the most luck/the fittest is the norm than we need to  confront the lie that we are all created equal (equally deserving) and allow the less fit/lucky to die a slow, painful death.
 
Written February 27, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org