Not Everything You Disagree With Is Socialism

If you believe everything that the Trumpublicans are saying, everything that the Democrats are proposing is socialism, which according to them is the same as communism, which of course is un-American and bad. This approach depends on the assumption that voters will not do the hard work of critical thinking and will accept the party's slogans without question, and their assumption would be correct. What voters  should be doing is asking not whether or not a particular program or policy is socialist or not, but whether that program is or isn't good for the country. 

It isn't very difficult to demonize socialism. Most of the nations that are apologetically socialist are either repressive dictatorships, or have failed economies, or both. Socialist (or Marxist or Communist) theory envisions a utopia where there are no class differences and no gaps between the rich and the poor. The "workers" own the means of production and there is no economic exploitation. The problem with this theory is that it neglects nearly every aspect of human nature. Since there is no possibility of amassing wealth, there is no incentive to take risks. The countries that have attempted to model their economies on socialism could only do so by instituting a dictatorship to force it on the population. Authoritarianism coupled with a command economy usually resulted in poverty, as well as a robust black market. Countries who have seen their economies flourish, despite a socialist structure, have done so by allowing some measure of capitalism. Politicians who throw around the accusation of socialism point to extreme examples like Venezuela and Cuba, and even the former Soviet Union to make their point. These are indeed glaring instances of failed socialist economies. 

But are the policies of left-leaning politicians the same as the policies of these failed economies? In order to make that case, Trumpublicans have to ignore three basic things:

1. The policies that liberal politicians are offering are nowhere as extreme as what was happening in the failed socialist nations
2. There are successful socialist nations, e.g. The Nordic nations
3. There are aspects of our own economy that could be considered socialist

#1 is pretty obvious. No one in the Democratic Party is suggesting that we turn the United States into a socialist dictatorship. No one is in favor of a command economy, no one wants to eliminate private ownership. 

#2 is arguable. The Scandinavian countries are smaller are more homogeneous than the United States. But these are not strictly Socialist nations, but Socialist Democracies. Democratic Socialism is a better term for what even the farthest left politicians want to institute. 

#3 is something that the hard core capitalists hate to admit. We already have programs in place where income is redistributed. The Social Security system, despite people's mistaken belief that they "pay into it" is a social safety net program. Most states have incentive programs where businesses can gain tax credits for meeting goals that the government thinks are worthy. 

Most things that are pejoratively labelled "socialist" are only a bad thing if you view them through the lens of "something for nothing". But anything that anyone receives from "the government" is getting a handout if you look at it a certain way. But any government expenditure is merely a result of a consensus on how taxes collected from the citizenry is spent. Few would argue that spending tax dollars on the military, or roads, or the fire department is socialism. While it can be argued that we all benefit from the protection that the  military offers, some people never need the fire department for example. Programs such as Medicaid for All, Free College Tuition or even universal basic income, should be looked at, not as a giveaway, but as use of our tax dollars that has wide-ranging benefits to society. Universally available health care wouldn't be free, it would be a program that recognizes that it is beneficial to the nation as a whole, and a wise use of our tax dollars. 

If by "we will never be a socialist nation" the Trumpublicans mean that we will never be a failed dictatorship plagued by poverty and hyper-inflation, I agree wholeheartedly. But if they mean that we will never use our tax dollars to benefit all Americans, then I vehemently disagree.