Bernie Sanders' Socialism Is as American as Apple Pie

[JDPriestly]

5. I do not consider myself to be a Socialist, but I support the kinds of social programs

that Bernie Sanders favors within a capitalist system. I agree with Bernie on this if this is what he calls "socialism." This is very similar to the "democratic socialism" that is in Germany

(Bernie) is a socialist. But don't expect him to call for government ownership of banks and drug companies. His views fall squarely within the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, similar to those of his Senate colleagues Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and Barbara Boxer of California and the late Paul Wellstone of Minnesota.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-dreier/bernie-sanders-socialism-_b_7210120.html

For example, I know someone who has a good job and plenty of money. She had a lot of money in a big bank which shall remain nameless. One day, she decided to move most of her money because the bank was paying a pitiful amount of interest. She left a little sum in the big bank just in case. (In case of what, I do not know, probably because she is very conscientious.) Anyway, the bank charged her $12 per month just to leave that small sum in the bank.

Which brings to mind the fact that some of our biggest banks, banks that can borrow money from the Fed for nearly nothing actually charge people too poor to have much of a balance in their bank account but still want to have a bank account for leaving money in the bank. That is a shameful travesty. No wonder people use payday lenders. That is the greedy side of capitalism gone wild.

We need either public banks or some regulation that prohibits banks from charging people for bank services if their accounts are too low. My friend simply removed her money to an account that had enough money so that she was not subject to bank charges. But really? Why penalize a person for having just a small sum in the bank?

There were times in my life when I was in school and working and deposited my meager paychecks in a checking account because I wanted to be able to write checks. My tiny account would have been eaten up by the charges banks charge today. But I was learning how to manage my money. Banks should at least provide the public service of banking facilities for all. In fact, in my world, they would be required to give instruction on elementary money management, like the concept of carried interest and how to balance a checking account and what kinds of accounts and small investments that are safe are available.

I can understand a small charge for an overdraft, but charging people for leaving their cash in the bank is so greedy I can't fathom it.

This is just one example of the kind of thing that pushes a person who is somewhat conservative about economics into raptures about Bernie Sanders!!!!!

If private banks won't help and support bank accounts for small savers and the poor, then I agree with Elizabeth Warren: we need post office banks or some sort of government run banks that don't do risky investments with depositors' money and make only small loans and simply provide services. Too bad if that deprives the rich bankers of all those $12 penalties for not keeping enough money in a bank account charges.

I also agree with Bernie here:

"Ever since I was a kid I never liked to see people without money or connections get put down or pushed around," Sanders explained in making his announcement.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-dreier/bernie-sanders-socialism-_b_7210120.html

As a child, I did not know enough wealthy people to see how money and connections gave them advantages I did not have. I had to make my way without them which may explain why I did not get that far. But I was especially upset by racism. I just never understood it. It made me cry when I read about it. So I am very much with Bernie on that.

Bernie has compassion. He combines honesty with compassion. If that is how you define "socialism," then I agree with it.

Generally in America, the term is used to be synonymous with communism. In Europe democratic socialism does not mean communism at all. There is nothing forced or dictatorial about democratic socialism. It is different in every country because it reflects the will of the voters, of the people and is not a strict ideology. I hope that is understandable to those who are confused by the difference between the term, "socialism" as used in the United States and "democratic socialism" as used in Europe. An economist could probably explain this better than I can.

A DUer asked me about this yesterday because I am fairly conservative about economic matters compared to the socialists on this board. I am very liberal compared to right-wing conservatives. I am somewhere in between as I think Bernie is.