To the editor:
Democratic socialism? Be careful what you hope for. At its best, democratic socialism is just a different term for “creeping socialism.” The author of the letter to the editor Aug. 1-3, 2020, stated that democratic socialism centers on economics ("Democratic socialism: It’s not what you think," Page A4). This may be the intent, but seldom is it the long-term practice. He then gives two major U.S. social programs, Social Security and Amtrak, as examples which are dismal failures economically. History shows us that our governments do not understand moderation when it comes to money and power. Most thirty-something’s that I know are not factoring Social Security in their retirement because they do not believe it will be there for them when they retire. The other social program the author mentions is Amtrak, which, since its origin in 1970, has never shown a profit, requiring public funds to make payroll and costs. Almost always, once a government program is in place it will remain alive through government funding long after the program is no longer needed, wanted, or effective. It is obvious that our governments are poor business people. The proof is in the pudding.
The U.S. is a democratic republic, not a democracy. The U.S. populace cannot vote on whether Social Security recipients get a cost-of-living adjustment or even an inflation increase each year. The populace cannot vote on Amtrak CEOs who, by law, can do about whatever they want while at the helm of Amtrak. The voting for anything socialistic has little to do with economics; it is strictly political and in the U.S. is almost always along party lines, which has gotten worse over the past few decades.
Many regard Canada as a good example of democratic socialism. It is interesting to note that net immigration between the U.S. and Canada is 3.5 to 1 in favor of immigration to the U.S.
The author of the letter does not give the whole truth. Any form of socialism is by definition redistribution of wealth. Search for yourself, and you will see that socialism in any form is not a sustainable long-term answer.
Dan Leary
Greenfield
