The S-word
Bernie Sanders’ presidential candidacy has brought the “s-word”— socialism — back into the American political vocabulary. But what does it actually mean?
Dictionary definitions are useless. Tea partiers call President Obama a socialist. The third letter in USSR stood for socialist. I call myself a democratic socialist.
There are local and regional socialist role models around the world, but no national examples. So we have to follow John Lennon’s advice and “imagine” an America (or country of your choice) in which a democratically planned economy prioritizes production of basic human needs, protection of the environment, and the elimination of poverty; our natural resources are our common property, and their use planned for our common benefit; everyone who needs or wants to work can find a job at a living wage, and has a voice in how it is organized; quality education on all levels is a human right, and health care is a collective responsibility of society, paid for by progressive taxes; the media, liberated from corporate control, stops dumbing us down, and the public schools educate for public and civic purposes, not just for job training.
Can’t we have this under capitalism? No, because none of it is profitable, and none of it is in the interests of the billionaire class. Is all of that what Bernie Sanders has in mind? No — Socialism Lite is the brand for his presidential campaign. But I don’t think he’d disagree with anything on this list.
Does all this mean we just sit back and let society take care of us?
No, it’s exactly the opposite! Socialism means we are to collectively take care of society. It isn’t about “entitlements” — it’s about responsibility. Socialism requires us to assume a great deal of it by involving ourselves personally to participate in keeping it fair, efficient, and democratic. It means holding ourselves to a higher standard of thinking and behaving to make all this function smoothly. We don’t have to be altruists, but there would certainly have to be less “me first” attitude. Contrary to what we call human nature? Not at all. We see that kind of behavior around us every day, even if not often enough. Not everyone organizes their lives around selfies.
It does sound more difficult than living under capitalism, doesn’t it? Perhaps a bit scary? Maybe so. But with two-thirds of Americans agreeing that our country is on the wrong track, and if you consider the causes, maybe all that effort might be worth it.
Drink tap water
I’m a student at Mount Holyoke College, class of 2017. Bottled water undermines our public water infrastructure. Just as we need to buy locally to support small business, it’s just as important to drink our tap water and invest in our community rather than corporations. We need corporate accountability. That much is simple.
Baseball in Springfield: Let’s make it happen
I’m writing in about the letter from Scott Burns in the June 11, 2015 issue. I think it would be wonderful to have a professional baseball franchise located in the Springfield area.
My parents got to enjoy the Portland Sea Dogs when they played in Maine. My father got to see Aaron Sele up-close and personal.
I would think that MGM would agree that having an attraction like this would be a good reason to come to downtown Springfield. Where are the baseball fans going to go after the games? And if the team was a Red Sox minor league team, we would get to have a preview of their talent. Is there anything we can do to help make this dream come true?
