Discussion On Democratic Socialism

In light of Bernie Sanders running for President I came across a discussion about "Democratic Socialism" @ CNN.


One of the contributors, Peter Dreier (professor of politics at Occidental College) wrote some of the following,..

"In the early 1900s, socialists led the movements for women's suffrage, child labor laws, consumer protection laws and the progressive income tax. In 1916, Victor Berger, a socialist congressman from Milwaukee, sponsored the first bill to create "old age pensions." The bill didn't get very far, but two decades later, in the midst of the Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt persuaded Congress to enact Social Security..

In the 1890s, a socialist Baptist minister, Francis Bellamy, wrote "The Pledge of Allegiance" and a socialist poet, Katherine Lee Bates, penned "America the Beautiful."..

During the Cold War, many Americans confused democratic socialism with communism. In fact, democratic socialists opposed the totalitarian governments of the Soviet Union, China and their satellites..."
I think of "socialism" as a philosophy or method of dealing with the best needs of people in our society. Not some politically driven form of government that robs successful people in an attempt to equalize those who refuse to contribute in some way. My idea of socialism is to allow those who work the hardest to benefit the most while still limiting those from accumulating all the marbles and political clout unfairly.

Everyone gets sick at some point. Everyone gets too old to work or may run into hard times. Society as a whole should support (and needs to support for it's own survival) anyone having to going through a rough patch in their lives for a limited time. Where it goes off the rails is when one side takes advantage of such generosity or those who would deny all together others an opportunity to recover or better themselves..

There comes a breaking point where a nation can't afford to have some making millions upon millions. Others working their tails off unable to support themselves or get needed medical care. There needs to be mechanisms whereby reasonable regulations are put in place to prevent such extreme inequities. A nation can't leave capitalism unchecked in place anymore then it can afford to allow unwilling slackers bleeding each or the other dry.

It's been said by some, in nature only the strong animals survive. I'd like to think the human race (who claim to be at the top of intelligence and capable of reason) would be ashamed if they behaved no better then the animals who inherited no such gift forced to live on instinct alone.

"Socialism" is not a dirty word. Rather a system of thought that not only bonds us to one another, but makes us stronger both as humans and as nations forced to live together on this planet. All of us can readily see what is happening in the middle east for thousands of years and continues to this very day Nations of peoples who slaughter and kill because they refuse to "socialize". Rejecting their commonality with one another.

That's what "democratic socialism" means to me

After Thought
Question to anyone familiar with the what's going on with Allentown's NIZ...
     Example of "democratic socialism" OR something worse?