A letter writer presuming to educate us should first understand the subject. (“Better study what socialism means.”) Bernie Sanders is not a socialist, he is a democratic socialist. Allow me to explain what that means. Democratic socialism has been a major facet of our government for centuries and has resulted in such evils as public highways, bridges, police and fire protection, public schools and hospitals.
Some folks may detest labor unions while at the same time enjoying the benefits they’ve provided, such as reasonable work hours and overtime pay, workplace safety, sick leave, health and retirement benefits and fair representation for the working class. Of course, Social Security and unemployment insurance are also the result of democratic socialism as well as our armed forces. Thus, it is quite obvious that democratic socialism is a good system of government and when combined with well regulated capitalism results in the most viable form of society yet conceived.
Matt Begley
Everett
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