I'm sure we have all heard it this election: "Bernie is a communist" or "socialism doesn't work". It is obvious that in the United States, a country built on the idea of freedom that ultimately impacts our capitalist system so heavily, we have a heavy stigma surrounding socialism. Socialism is generally associated with our enemy, as we engaged in an arms race and multiple quasi-wars with the USSR, or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This fear of socialism is anchored today in our older generations. These were people living in an America that was preparing its kids for bombing raids and fighting socialist ideology around the world after World War Two. It comes to no surprise then that older generations, especially when it came to the Bernie Sanders campaign, was afraid of socialism, often equating it with communism. The fear of losing our individuality and freedom was a major thorn in the side of Bernie Sanders. He did, however, start a revolution that provided for a lot of his supporter base, and this was the millennials.

The opinion of millennials by older generations is largely divided. Those that identify as Democrat typically view them as more politically active and more open and accepting of people in this country. Republicans, not all but a large majority of those I have heard from and talked to while doing volunteering of my own for a political campaign, view millennials as lazier and prefer the ideas of socialism because it gives us a bunch of "free stuff". So why is socialism becoming more popular today, and can we really relate it with communism?

I would like to start with the latter of the two questions. Communism and socialism do share a lot of common, core principles, but communism is a more extreme form of socialism. The main difference roots itself in communism being both an economic and political system. Socialism itself as an economic ideology can find itself fitted in many different forms of government, and can also be a part of a larger economic system, most notably capitalism. Another huge difference between communism and socialism is that socialism maintains the fundamentals of personal property ownership, communism completely removes that concept. Personal choice is also an area of differing factors. Socialism allows personal choice, especially since it isn't tied to a political system. People living in a nation with a socialist economy still benefit from the choice of education and religious freedom, while communism again completely removes both of those and many other personal choices. It is also important to note that a Bernie Sander's style government ideally would be a "democratic socialist" system, which embodies both the democratic style government with a socialist economy.

Many countries today have a socialist economy today in some form. Even the United States doesn't have a fully capitalist system and does accept some forms of socialism to regulate parts of our economy. Medicare, our railroad system, the Homestead Act, the interstate highway system, and the internet. These all have the common involvement of the government, rather than allowing a capitalist system to figure all of these out on its own.

The election in 2016 has caused people to start thinking about socialism differently. Many people have been affected by the economic recession in 2008, and many people are looking at our capitalist system and realizing it isn't providing us with a lot of what we need just to make it by in the 21st century.

Bernie Sanders drove on this in his campaign. Tuition-free post-secondary education, single payer health care, and paid medical and family leave all became milestones of "Bernie's revolution" that sparked all of this to become a major discussion. This begs the question, do we really need all of this?

All of these proposals don't come without a price tag attached. In our current taxation system, we don't have enough revenue to properly fund all these plans without making major cuts in other areas of spending. This calls for increased taxes, which Bernie adopted in his version of a progressive tax system. Another huge topic in his campaign, this system of taxation is widely used in Europe. The rates are progressive in that they increase as your taxable income increases. Despite the increased tax rates, many people view this as a small setback to the benefits they would receive if socialist policies are enacted in our economy.

As I stated earlier, people are viewing our economy post-recession and aren't filled with a lot of optimism as we move forward into the century. The cost of college is rising and debt is becoming a deterrent to students who want to further their education. According to the Business Insider, "the average annual increase in college tuition from 1980-2014 grew by nearly 260% compared to the nearly 120% increase in all consumer items." Along with the rising cost of college, many people are struggling to afford their health insurance. Obamacare has benefited in some areas, but in some states, premiums have been driven up too high. ABC News reported that insurers are set to raise the cost of premiums for plans sold through HealthCare.gov by an average of 22 percent in 2017. This is a massive increase compared to that from 2015 to 2016 which was around 7.5 percent. Obamacare to some is simply not enough. The "Medicare for all" system would cover all medical services while also causing premiums to disappear entirely. The Physicians for a National Health Program reports that 95 percent of households would save money under this system. It would also eliminate the profit-oriented system today with a system that would essentially benefit everyone.

It comes to no surprise that millennials are becoming more socialist than recent generations when you examine further into these alarming statistics. We have realized the inefficiency of a capitalist system to provide for us a financially secure future. Not only do we see how socialism could benefit us, we see it as a system that would benefit all.

Personally, I have heard the stories of those that can't afford cancer treatment anymore so they simply discontinue their medical treatments. I have heard about the single mother who has to work longer hours for lower wages or even has to take a second job just to put food on the table for their children.

We live in a pivotal moment in the history of our nation. Our nation benefited from the capitalist system, but the development of progress in this system has slowed to the point that the middle-class is in danger. It is time to seriously consider another way. A prosperous nation should not display itself as such if it's people are struggling to pay for education and their health. A woman shouldn't be forced to take sick days just to spend time with their newborn child. Socialism does not mean a loss of our freedom and individuality, it means the gain of financial assurance and policies that benefit the majority of the nation that have fallen victim to a capitalist system praised for the "beauty of its free market". As a millennial looking at the issues I will have to face after college, I can't imagine what not acting now will do to those who follow in my footsteps.