[rad-green] Ralph Nader: “Democratic socialis m” – bring it on corporate socialists!

*https://riseuptimes.org/2020/02/14/ralph-nadar-democratic-socialism-bring-it-on-corporate-socialists/
<https://riseuptimes.org/2020/02/14/ralph-nadar-democratic-socialism-bring-it-on-corporate-socialists/>*

*Rise Up Times          February 14, 2020*

*“Democratic socialism” – bring it on corporate socialists!*

*The American people of all backgrounds like their public libraries, public
local control water works, municipal fire departments, police precincts,
and public schools. They seem okay with government highways, bridges,
public transit, and want their taxes spent to repair and upgrade these
vital pieces of our infrastructure. Taxpayer’s don’t want our commonwealth
being owned by tax-escaping, gouging corporations.*

By Ralph Nader  Nader.org  In the Public Interest
[image: image.png]

Crooked Donald Trump, the erstwhile failed gambling czar and corporate
welfare king, is assailing Bernie Sanders for his “radical socialism.” How
ludicrous given Trump’s three-year giveaway of taxpayer assets and
authorities to giant corporations – a perfect portrait of crony capitalism.

Others are joining the socialist labeling bandwagon, including corporatist
right wing radio talk show blowhards, themselves freeloaders, profitably
using the public airwaves. This pack includes Lloyd Blankfein, former
lawbreaking chairman of Goldman Sachs.

Bernie knows, of course, how to rebut this distorted interpretation of
“democratic socialism.” But will his rebuttals be enough given that the
Biden-Bloomberg-Klobuchar wing of the Democratic Party is determined to
label Bernie “unelectable” against the boastful Don the Con?

Some suggestions for Bernie and others to use in this upcoming back and
forth on “democratic socialism” vs. “corporate socialism” of the super-rich
corporations:

1. Go after the corporate socialists who have invited Wall Street and Big
Business to socialize the means of government against the peoples’
necessities and freedoms. It is a government of, by, and for the dominant
corporations. Such private power dominating our government in so many
reported ways was called “fascism” in 1938 by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt in a formal message to Congress. This is a fertile field for
taking the offensive.

2. “Democratic socialism is a political force in countries like Denmark,
Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, sometimes Canada, and others. In
these places, it means all the people in those countries get their taxes
returned in the form of improved livelihoods, economic security, and peace
of mind. Democratic socialism means better pay, universal healthcare,
pensions, day care, family sick leave, vacations, tuition-free higher
education, robust public transit and parks, and many other amenities backed
by stronger unions, denied the American people in the “land of the free and
home of the brave.” Since World War II, the European political movements
were led by “social democratic” parties.

3. Back to our country. Corporatists and right-wing Wall Street Democrats
are inferring that “democratic socialism” is un-American, ruinous for our
economy. These demonizers argue that a self-proclaimed “democratic
socialist” is a sure loser in the election against Donald Trump – a
self-enriching crook, outlaw, boastful, savage sexual predator,
bigot/racist in his policies, inciter of violence, and a serial,
delusionary liar. Trump, the Electoral College-selected tool of the
super-rich and corporate powers should be easy to defeat given his
disgraceful presidency.

The American people of all backgrounds like their public libraries, public
local control water works, municipal fire departments, police precincts,
and public schools. They seem okay with government highways, bridges,
public transit, and want their taxes spent to repair and upgrade these
vital pieces of our infrastructure. Taxpayer’s don’t want our commonwealth
being owned by tax-escaping, gouging corporations.

There are over 1,000 municipal public utilities providing electricity. The
“Red” states of Tennessee and Alabama would fight any corporatization of
the Tennessee Valley Authority, which 87 years ago, brought electricity to
a large poor region that the private electric companies didn’t think was
profitable enough.

The unfairly maligned Veterans Administration brought free hospitals and
health care to millions of veterans. Millions of Americans are favorably
disposed to life-saving Medicare and Medicaid and are economically saved by
Social Security and unemployment compensation. Hey! There must be a lot of
“democratic socialists” out there in “blue” and “red” states. New
Hampshirites are mostly okay with state-owned, revenue-producing,
hard-liquor retail stores.

At a meeting long ago with top medical officials at the Walter Reed Army
hospital, I was told that after learning the second leading cause of
hospitalization for U.S. soldiers in Vietnam was malaria, the U.S. Army
asked the drug companies to develop remedies. The negative response was
that developing medicines to deal with malaria wasn’t profitable enough.
In response, the Pentagon brought together skilled doctors and scientists
and started its own “drug company” inside Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval
Hospitals. For less than 10 percent of what the big drug companies say it
costs, our government developed three out of four of the leading
anti-malarial drugs in the world and made them available everywhere without
any patents producing big pharma-like profits.

If the political and corporate Trumpsters and the Clintonite Democrats
snort at all this, tell them that they do agree on one thing. Those in both
these camps have been eager to have collapsing capitalism, as during the
2008 Wall Street dive, always saved by reliable socialism – aka – trillions
of taxpayer dollars via Washington, D.C. funding the bailout of the
reckless bankers and speculators.

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