What is "Democratic Socialism"? Who benefits, and why?
Start by asking yourself if you like the following dozen things:
1. Public roads.
2. Firemen.
3. The Internet.
4. The idea of equality.
5. Minimum wage.
6. Postal service.
7. Garbage collection.
8. Veteran health care.
9. Government scholarships (you’re in college, don’t say no to this one).
10. Social welfare programs.
11. A woman's right to vote?
12. A woman’s right to make her own decisions without consulting a man?
Guess what?! Those are all socialist in nature!
In the US you can find hundreds of options for soap and for bread and for fingernail clippers, but only two choices for political parties. Why is that?
Why Even Think About It?
The richest 1 percent of Americans own 35 percent of the nation’s wealth. The bottom 80 percent own just 11 percent of the nation’s wealth.
In the 1950s and 1960s, when the economy was booming, the wealthiest Americans paid a top income tax rate of 91 percent. Today, the top rate (one that isn’t always applied) is 43.4 percent.
The average federal income tax rate of the richest 400 Americans was just 20 percent in 2009.
1,470 households reported income of more than $1 million in 2009 but paid zero federal income taxes on it.
CEOs of major corporations earn nearly 300 times more than an average worker.
30 percent of income inequality is due to unfair taxes and budget cuts to services and benefits.
Women are generally paid 78 percent of what men with the same jobs make.
Our government sees businesses and corporations as “people,” even though that is an obvious fallacy.
Democratic Socialists are not against wealthy people, they are against wealthy people who bring harm to others in order to make themselves richer.
Don’t let yourselves be stepped on.
You deserve better.