In "Who is Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders?" (2016) BBC News Magazine, Jessica Lussenhop introduces Sanders as an emerging star of "political revolution" who stands against billionaires - 2% of the rich in the US and depicted him as an antiwar, civil rights activist. According to the report, the 74-year-old Vermont Senator gets a larger support from youngsters than Hillary on Google, and he raised $33 million to Hillary's $37 million in small amount from individuals. He aims social policies of Nordic countries - universal healthcare, paid leave for new parents, free college education for all Americans, and additional tax to billionaires. To me .he looks like a staunch opponent to capitalism. Now people in America are devastatedlly suffering from widening gaps between the rich and the poor. Do you think it is the time to rewrite the US history to a social democratic country by supporting Sanders?
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My Yes/No question is:
Should capitalism in America be revised by Sanders, a democratic socialist?
My answer is:
Yes. I think his saying is not wrong in the theory and I even admire him for his passion at his age to change America better for youngsters. America was born as a country of freedom and since then people have not relied on their government much but have tried to settle their public problems by themselves. However, America is an ethnically and racially diverse country and not everybody is able to live on his or her own efforts or to achieve their American dreams. The 2015 release of Forbs, the US business magazine, reports that there are 536 billionaires in the US and Americans take 15 seats out of the top 20 of the world wealth ranking. People started to say that it is an evil practice by the end of the capitalism. To save the 98% of middle class and the poor, income distribution by the government will be necessary as the practical solution.
Japan is a democratic country but it is often called as a country of democratic socialism. Because there are not many rich people and we settle all social problems by tax income; the system of income distribution. Nordic countries policies are model of Japan, also.
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Reference
Lots of thoughts immediately came to mind in response to Cheese's post on a topic likely to have major historical consequences for years to come. It's hard to imagine any of the increasingly weird Republican presidential contenders defeating either Hilary of Bernie come November, so the sorts of issues that they bring to public concern now will likely have an impact on US policy, even if Bernie doesn't win the Democrat nomination and go on to become President of the United States.
ReplyDeleteMy initial reaction has long been to disagree with what Cheese supports, but lately I've been having second thoughts, and Cheese gives us some solid support in her comparisons with other countries, both her own and the Nordic countries of Europe.
Another initial response was to think of the Thai situation, which seems not so much socialist as almost communist in its control by the government of many details of citizens' lives, except that it does not do much in the way of helping the less fortunate in society, just controlling them so that the rich can keep on getting richer. But maybe I'm wrong, and someone will reply to correct my misunderstandings on this point.
I think I've now written eight comments or replies with my morning coffee. Way more than the allocated two daily. Time to stop blogging and browse the BBC and my other daily news sources.