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Don't let them scare you with words like "socialism." These policies are just common sense. (Photo: Screenshot)
The Same Old Scare Tactic About Socialism
When the Republican candidate inscribes the slogan 'Down With Socialism'…what he really means is, 'Down with Progress.'
Jun 10, 2019
I keep hearing a lot about "socialism" these days, mainly from Donald Trump and Fox News, trying to scare Americans about initiatives like Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, universal child care, free public higher education, and higher taxes on the super-wealthy to pay for these.
Well, I'm here to ask you to ignore the scaremongering.
These initiatives are overwhelmingly supported by most Americans.
First, these initiatives are overwhelmingly supported by most Americans.
Second, for the last 85 years, conservative Republicans have been yelling "socialism" at every initiative designed to help most Americans.
It was the scare word used by the Liberty League, in 1935 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed Social Security.
In 1952, President Harry Truman noted that "Socialism is the epithet they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years...."
Third, if we don't want to live in a survival-of-the-fittest society in which only the richest and most powerful can endure, government has to do three basic things: regulate corporations, provide social insurance against unforeseen hardships, and support public investments such as schools and public transportation.
All of these require that we pool our resources for the common good.
Regardless of whether this is called democratic socialism or enlightened capitalism, all are necessary for a decent society.
Fourth and finally, America spends very little on social programs compared to other industrialized nations. As a result, almost 30 million Americans still lack health insurance,nearly 51 million households can't afford basic monthly expenses including housing, food, child care, and transportation. And we're the only industrialized nation without paid family leave.
Our infrastructure is literally crumbling, our classrooms are overcrowded and our teachers are paid far less than workers in the private sector with comparable education.
We can and must do more.
So don't let them scare you with words like "socialism." These policies are just common sense.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Robert Reich
Robert Reich is professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former US secretary of labor. His latest book is the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Coming Up Short."
centers for disease control (cdc)green new dealinequalitymedicare for allpovertyrepublican partyrobert reichsocial securitysocialism
I keep hearing a lot about "socialism" these days, mainly from Donald Trump and Fox News, trying to scare Americans about initiatives like Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, universal child care, free public higher education, and higher taxes on the super-wealthy to pay for these.
Well, I'm here to ask you to ignore the scaremongering.
These initiatives are overwhelmingly supported by most Americans.
First, these initiatives are overwhelmingly supported by most Americans.
Second, for the last 85 years, conservative Republicans have been yelling "socialism" at every initiative designed to help most Americans.
It was the scare word used by the Liberty League, in 1935 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed Social Security.
In 1952, President Harry Truman noted that "Socialism is the epithet they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years...."
Third, if we don't want to live in a survival-of-the-fittest society in which only the richest and most powerful can endure, government has to do three basic things: regulate corporations, provide social insurance against unforeseen hardships, and support public investments such as schools and public transportation.
All of these require that we pool our resources for the common good.
Regardless of whether this is called democratic socialism or enlightened capitalism, all are necessary for a decent society.
Fourth and finally, America spends very little on social programs compared to other industrialized nations. As a result, almost 30 million Americans still lack health insurance,nearly 51 million households can't afford basic monthly expenses including housing, food, child care, and transportation. And we're the only industrialized nation without paid family leave.
Our infrastructure is literally crumbling, our classrooms are overcrowded and our teachers are paid far less than workers in the private sector with comparable education.
We can and must do more.
So don't let them scare you with words like "socialism." These policies are just common sense.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich is professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former US secretary of labor. His latest book is the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Coming Up Short."
I keep hearing a lot about "socialism" these days, mainly from Donald Trump and Fox News, trying to scare Americans about initiatives like Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, universal child care, free public higher education, and higher taxes on the super-wealthy to pay for these.
Well, I'm here to ask you to ignore the scaremongering.
These initiatives are overwhelmingly supported by most Americans.
First, these initiatives are overwhelmingly supported by most Americans.
Second, for the last 85 years, conservative Republicans have been yelling "socialism" at every initiative designed to help most Americans.
It was the scare word used by the Liberty League, in 1935 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed Social Security.
In 1952, President Harry Truman noted that "Socialism is the epithet they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years...."
Third, if we don't want to live in a survival-of-the-fittest society in which only the richest and most powerful can endure, government has to do three basic things: regulate corporations, provide social insurance against unforeseen hardships, and support public investments such as schools and public transportation.
All of these require that we pool our resources for the common good.
Regardless of whether this is called democratic socialism or enlightened capitalism, all are necessary for a decent society.
Fourth and finally, America spends very little on social programs compared to other industrialized nations. As a result, almost 30 million Americans still lack health insurance,nearly 51 million households can't afford basic monthly expenses including housing, food, child care, and transportation. And we're the only industrialized nation without paid family leave.
Our infrastructure is literally crumbling, our classrooms are overcrowded and our teachers are paid far less than workers in the private sector with comparable education.
We can and must do more.
So don't let them scare you with words like "socialism." These policies are just common sense.
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