to visit this site since September 7, 1998.Sure, you've heard the word before, right? Socialism. And when you hear the word, you probably attach labels like "Soviet Union," "Communism," or others.
The truth is that Socialism means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Some people choose to associate the word Socialism with the autocratic authoritarian systems of China and the Soviet Union. Others think of Socialism as a new social order, one in which people cooperate at home and in the community, and where everyone is equal both in rights and in social and economic status.
The latter view is that espoused by the Democratic Socialists, and by groups such as the Socialist Party, USA. It is also what I believe Socialism is and should be about. Allow me to explain further.
Democratic Socialism is an alternative to the political philosophy known as Capitalism. In my view, and in the view of most Democratic Socialist thinkers, Capitalism, based on the idea that everyone working for themselves will lead to a prosperous commercial society, causes many problems. First of all, free-market enterprises (corporations and the like) are not working for the good of the people. The only thing that these corporations want is profit, profit, profit. They want to make as much money as they can and keep it. Taking this attitude, many corporations will step on as many toes as they must in order to acheive their goal of market dominance and high profit.
The next logical question, of course, is whose toes get stepped on? Most traditional Socialist thinkers will tell you that it is the working class. The existence of the working class is essential to the proper functioning of any Capitalist society. The major corporate bosses (Bill Gates et al.) need people to carry out their vision. Thus the working class is hired by the Capitalist class to work for them. The workers then become as the wheels and cogs of the corporation, with the boss as the programmer of the corporate machine.
If we continue this analogy, of a corporation as a machine, we see that the wheels and cogs of any machine need to be kept well-oiled, otherwise they run down. Hence the workers are given by the corporation what they need to survive and function productively, and generally nothing more. Even though the workers are doing the majority of the actual work in the corporation, they are not allowed to share in its prosperity.
This is why many countries have instituted such reform measures as the minimum wage, strike and unionization rights, and collective bargaining. With these reforms, the working class has won many battles, but it remains as always the working class, forced to sell its labor power to the highest bidder in return for a life of virtual slavery to the corporate bosses.
But these sorts of class divisions aren't the only problem with Capitalism. Stemming again from their intense desire for profit, corporations not only step on the toes of the working class, they also step on the toes of the environment.
Take the Exxon Valdez. Take the burning of the Brazilian rainforest. Take the corporate-backed "studies" that "disproved" the Greenhouse effect and ozone depletion. All of these are examples of corporate greed trampling on the safety of the environment.
Corporate greed reaches its tentacles elsewhere too. Think about all of the studies done by tobacco companies that "found" that second-hand smoke "isn't deadly." Let me ask you, who are you going to believe? The tobacco corporations, who are in business to make money at the expense of people's health, or the National Lung Association, the National Heart Association, the National Red Cross, and millions of other public health oriented groups who say that second-hand smoke IS deadly?
The point of all this is that corporations, the bastion of the "free market," will do anything to make money, up to and including oppressing the working class, destroying the environment, and lying to the public about the dangers of their product.
To sum up:
The problems with the Capitalist system are complex and innumerable. Due to its very nature, Capitalism creates class divisions. The Capitalist class, i.e. the CEOs of corporations, stockholders, bankers, lawyers, and the political elite, has the power in society. To hold onto this power, the Capitalist class, even though it comprises less than 10% of society, needs the lower classes in order to function. The working class and the middle class thus become virtual slaves to the Capitalist class, having to sell their labor power to the highest bidder in order to survive.
So what's the alternative?
Those of a Democratic Socialist mindset propose a different sort of system-- a radical shift in the consciousness and composition of society. Democratic Socialism is a system where all citizens cooperate at home and in the community, and where true freedom, democracy and equality, both in civil rights and in socio-economic status, are all made a reality.
The first principle of Democratic Socialism is called Radical Democracy, in which the people control the political system and the economy through direct democratic participation. Unlike many Communistic systems, Democratic Socialism does not necessitate central planning. Rather, planning takes place on a local and community level, through public committees and workers' councils. Each community thereby has the direct democratic power to control its economy.
Of course, a strong central government would be important to impose national order and stability. This national government, which would operate on a parliamentary multi-party system much like in Europe, would also be completely democratic, unlike the mostly coporate-controlled two-party system currently in power in the United States.
This sort of planning, both local and national, would also be geared towards a harmonious relationship with the environment. A Democratic Socialist society would actively seek alternative fuel sources that are less damaging to the environment than nuclear power and oil. Recycling would be mandatory, and every effort would be made to clean up the pollution and destruction left behind by Capitalist greed.
Democratic Socialism also emphasizes the concept of people not profits. Because corporations care only about profits and not about the welfare of society as a whole, they must be dismantled from the top-down and democratized. Profits would be distributed evenly throughout the company, and all salaries would be equalized. Every member of the corporation, from the CEO to the janitor, would be responsible for training and being trained in the basic functions of the corporate entity, thereby allowing everyone the opportunity to lead the organization, and the ability to make informed decisions on company policy and leadership. Leadership would be rotated often to eliminate the possibility of power grabs.
People not profits extends into other parts of a Democratic Socialist society as well. Unlike Capitalistic societies, in which the basic function of society is profit and competition, and most public services have been cut or are being run by private corporations, a Democratic Socialist society values the importance of a strong public sector. Public services, such as health care, housing, education, job training, cultural opportunities, and others, would be universally provided, giving everyone equal opportunity and access to the basic necessities of life.
Many skeptics would then ask the question: how to pay for all of this? The answer is simple and two-fold. Firstly, a progressive tax system, in which the wealthy pay their fair share, would be implemented immediately. This would solve two problems; firstly it would help pay for the increased public sector, and secondly it would shrink the gap in income disparity between the wealthy and the poor, thereby easing class conflict. Secondly, military spending would have to be cut drastically. In an era in which the United States is the ONLY superpower left in the world, we have no serious enemies that require a huge standing army, and terrorism can't be solved by shooting missles at far away countries. Thus, spending billions of dollars a year on the military is wasteful and ridiculous. By cutting military spending and raising the tax on the wealthy, we can pay for the Democratic Socialist program.
So now I leave it up to you, the reader. Which society would you rather live in? A society in which some people compete mindlessly for profit and others starve in the gutter? Or a just and humane society, in which people cooperate at home, at work and in the community, and everyone is equal not only in rights and social status, but in economic status as well?
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