Joe Mastrota Micro-Activity #11

With all the discussion and  argument I have decided to explore is if Democratic Socialism would be a good type of government to transition to.

“Is Democratic Socialism Right for America?”

I would like to put away all my inherent biases to communism and socialism, and explore if Democratic Socialism could be the right progression for the country.   In my research I have found myself rooting for negative feedback and have managed to suppress that.  It is tough to let those old cold war associations that have something to do with communism  go. I can be objective and I find the subject is interesting. If Democratic Socialism is the right way for the country, I will embrace it whole heartedly.  In researching the Democratic Socialists of America the first points that stand out is that they are for Eco-Socialism, Socialist Feminism, Anti Imperialism, Anti Racism, Anti Fascism. This is a good start for my acceptance, as each of these I agree with. But if these wonderful ideas can make a valid economic system is a matter for debate. Countries have been, are, or have recently  transitioned to Democratic Socialist governments. Most of which are performing poorly economically. Several have done well and it is worth exploring the reasons for their success. Could this be the inevitable model for America. Surprisingly, I  discovered that California has been moving towards a Democratic Socialist state and Alaska also utilizes some of the same policy.  I look forward to a good analysis of this question and hope to generate a good unbiased accurate product.

Notes From Research

• Economy and society must run democratically
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashita Tlaib are members of the Democratic Socialists of America and are the only two in the House of Representatives.
• There are 11 Democratic Socialists in various state legislatures in the U.S.A.
• The Democratic Socialism is social ownership, it is worker owned and worker managed cooperatives. Other services like steel and energy would be by state control.
• Is Democratic Socialism the first step towards communism?
• Socialism is public ownership of the means of production.
• There will be private land ownership but not extremely large.
• Private corporations will eventually be eliminated.
• No country has  a pure Socialist Democracy.
• A common question on how to finance the large public welfare programs. This is mostly answered by tax reform.
• Democratic Socialist system makes me consider Max Weber. His design of,  and his contributions to the management of corporations.
• How will the management of cooperatives work.  What will it need to work.
• Is America too big to transition to Democratic Socialism?
• There are three things that successful Democratic Socialist countries have in common.
• Would there be an eventual desire, or necessity for multinational corporations that are under public control.
• While exploring websites it appears to be difficult getting information on the two systems without observing a political angle contained within the information.

Four questions;

1.  What is Democratic Socialism as a government?
2. What are the Democratic Socialist countries and what makes them successful or not successful?
3. Can  or has Democratic Socialism been attempted in the United States?
4. Would it be, should it be, or is it destined to become, the best template of government in the future?