Birthday. I celebrated my 83rd birthday on Tuesday. My poetry prompt for the week was “What would you tell your younger self?” The two events led me to a reflection about my life.
When I began my grandmother’s phone was a crank with a party line. We moved to through dials and touch to a cell with world-wide contacts I can phone by touch or voice.
When I began, we had manual typewriters and white out. We had hand-calculators with a lever and rolls of white paper. We had mimeo machines with ditto paper and messy ink. Today we have computers that self-correct and printers that copy, scan and send as well as print on two sides in color.
When I began, the world needed forgiveness, love and grace. That has not changed.
Socialism. I am not a socialist. I am not even a Democratic Socialist. I am a compassionate capitalist. I believe in a capitalist economy but I believe the people with money have responsibilities to care for the poor and the development of the middle class.
For example. I like MacKenzie Scott for what she is doing with her fortune more than Elon Musk. MacKenzie is Jeff Bezos first wife. She is giving millions to help schools, charities, and build the middle class.
The world’s richest man is set to earn more than all US elementary school teachers combined. There are 4 million elementary school teachers in the US; he will take home $3 billion more per year than all of them combined, according to the Washington Post. That is not contributing to the development of the middle class. I hope he gains an understanding of what he can do to help others.
The rise of Mamdani to Mayor of New York City has obviously raised the issue of Democratic Socialism. I have a very different understanding of Socialism and Democratic Socialism than many divisive people I read or hear.
The first key is how I view Venezuela. Time and again I read Venezuela is the example of the failure of socialism. Venezuela has socialist policies and I agree Venezuela is a failure but there are more factors than socialistic policies. It certainly is not an example of Democratic Socialism. There is nothing democratic about a dictatorship and Venezuela is a dictatorship. One man is ruling by coercion, oppression, and military force. I believe the downfall of the country reflects the problem of power in the hands of one person. One person rule is a bigger problem than socialism.
Second and even more important to understanding Mamdani, Democratic Socialism is not Marxist Socialism. Democratic Socialism has great success in at least the four Scandinavian countries; Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. All four have capitalist economies with multi-millionaires. However, they have democratically voted to have high taxes so that safety nets for all citizens are available. They believe that enables the whole country to be safe and prosper.
It should be noted all of them are small countries and have strict immigration limits. Whether Democratic Socialism would work in a bigger country is yet to be seen. I am not pushing for it to happen in the United States. I just want intelligent understanding of what it is.
Based on my understanding, I have far less fear of Democratic Socialism than One-Man rule.
This and That
Unbelievable
Palantir boss calls for public hangings to show ‘masculine leadership’
The concern for masculinity was shared by Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk Says Seminaries Produce ‘Weak, Beta-Male,’ ‘Overly Feminine’ Pastors
Good News
Wonderful story
https://reader.mobilepressregister.com/1207-karle/content.html
Kindness
Man Walks 6-Year-Old Girl To School After Finding Her Alone In Freezing Weather
Rural America
‘I Will Always Remember This’: 75 Farmers Show Up To Finish Fallen Friend’s Final Harvest
Peace
Jerry
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