Socialism? Hey, we actually need it

Hey folks, when you really think about it, Socialism isn't all that bad. I got to thinking about it the other day. People sometimes make the mistake of conflating socialism with communism. They are really quite different.

One definition of Socialism says Socialism is taxpayer funds being used collectively to benefit society as a whole, despite income, contribution or ability. Some well-known examples of Socialism (or social programs) as defined above are: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and unemployment insurance, to name a few.

But there are more government-funded programs that can be considered socialistic in their approach. Here's a sampling: the United States Military; highways/roads; public libraries, CIA and FBI; the EPA; public schools; FEMA; Center for Disease Control; OSHA; National Weather Service; and let's not forget: corporate bailouts/welfare.

As someone once said, "Socialism does work! Just as when the banks failed in 2008, legislation was passed to bail themselves out. Ya' see, they practice socialism at the top … it's capitalism for everybody else!"

So, when you really think about it, government may not be the problem after all. It sure looks like we need these programs, and to move toward eliminating them would certainly make us a lot worse off.

In short, our economic system is a hybrid, a combination of capitalism and, do I dare say the word, "Socialism" or at least socialistic in its approach. Don't know about you, but I think we need both. Neither capitalism not socialism alone can be that effective, but together we stand a chance in this uncertain and sometimes terrifying world.

Robert Prahl

St. Charles