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There will be an effort, especially this election year, to claim that progressive Social Democrats are kind of like Socialists and Communists, and will try to taint all opponents with that label. However, there is a vast difference between totalitarian communist socialism and social democracy as practiced in the Scandinavian countries and in most of Europe.

Social democracy does not try to control the "means of production," but rather permits a free enterprise supply-and-demand economy that harnesses the best of human initiative for the common good. At the same time, it employs good social programs that serve to soften the hard edge of capitalism. These programs provide for universal health care, good equal educational opportunities for everyone, reasonable child care, and secure retirement programs for the elderly and incapacitated. Students and their parents need not incur huge debts to finance college costs.

These social democracy programs are paid for by an enlightened tax policy that does not disproportionately favor the rich and very rich and has a realistic corporate tax structure. The current policies have the bulk of the wealth going to the top tier, while at the same time driving up the national debt to historic levels.

We already have many social democracy programs in effect in our country, such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the vast health care and retirement systems for the federal workforce and the VA system for all of our veterans, as well as government support programs for our farmers.

And really, all levels of our government are operated on social democracy principles, as well as our schools and water/sewer systems and our REA cooperatives and the Bank of North Dakota, which provides student loans. And we have the North Dakota State Mill and Elevator. I believe it's safe to say that the vast majority would not want to cancel all these programs and totally privatize them.

There is room in our country for both free enterprise as well as good social democracy programs for everyone's benefit and life security. And at all levels of our social democracy entities, we get to vote and choose our leaders.

It's important to be informed and to vote in all our elections, whether it be town, county, city, school board, state or national. This is how we can keep our democracy.

I have to admit that I am 100% Norwegian descent and am proud that all the Nordic countries with their social democratic governments are constantly rated as having the best quality of life for all their citizens.

Please do not let the scare tactics of portraying Social Democracy as a dirty word sway your balanced thinking on these matters.

Read more from the original source:
Letter: Don't believe the socialism scare tactics - INFORUM