Where we are going---Social Democracy April 6,2010

You likely heard of "Socialism", the word is being banded around by American "Right-Wingers" . Some get it confused with "National socialism" which was the catchword for Nazism in Germany. Actually, Nazism was a Fascist movement---as far to the right as one can go on the political spectrum. It has nothing to do with "Socialism". So, when you hear some Right-Winger claim socialism is a Nazi like school of thought---they are about as wrong as one can be. Any college freshman political science student will explain that Fascist are extreme RIGHT WING thinkers---who believe the power rests with the Corporations who select leaders, mostly Dictators, to run things and keep the workers in their place. Just a nudge towards the Center are the CONSERVATIVES who want to elect leaders who do the bidding of the Corporations---keeping their hands out of the marketplace, to let profits and greed run rampant, the people's welfare be damned. Then the fence sitters, Moderates, who sort of balance between Conservatism and social programs within limits. LIBERALS are those who want to keep watch on Corporations, regulate them, make them pay their fair share---and assure that the workers get a decent cut of the pie. Then, comes the Democratic Socialist, the prevailing political movement in Europe that is beginning to spred to American shores. Democratic Socialist believe in a mutual partnership of government and private sector companies--- that partial government ownership of companies is a good thing---that universal healthcare is a Human Right, not a privilege, that every citizen who makes money should keep 60% and turn over 40% for the mutual good of society, that every developer must include in a project housing affordable by all income levels, that child care for working families should be provided as a Right, and that every worker should have at least 30 days a year of vacation with pay--- new Mothers and Fathers get 6 months to a year off with pay to raise a new child. This is the core of Social Democracy that has been in place since WWII.

While the USA threw $billions down silos in Idaho---Europe spent it's $$$ taking care of each other. A society is only as strong as it's weakest participants---- we have a long way to go to be the strong nation we all think we are .