What am I? [View all]

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

Well, apart from not being really well read on socialism per se...

I'm hoping folks here can more precisely identify where I fall on the 'socialist'/'capitalist' spectrum, and suggest readings that might help me refine my rather general notion of the nature of socialism if I throw out some of my ideas.

First, I don't entirely exclude capitalism, just think it should be far more limited in where it arises. Any endeavour that is either explicitly mentioned in the duties of the state or can be seen to be implicitly geared towards the common good should be at least primarily a matter for the state, if not the exclusive purview of the state. No prison should be privately run, and indeed, all trial lawyers should be publicly provided - justice should not be a matter of who can afford the best lawyers. Education should be public, including university level. Private institutions should be allowed to exist, but should not receive any public support.

In healthcare, actual socialized medicine would be best, along with single payer. Licenses to practice issued by the state would require at least some minimal level of time spent working for public patients - no physician could simply decide to work exclusively for those who might pay cash outside the system and still stay licensed, unless they wanted to practice outside the country.

Public dining facilities would exist in any city over a certain size, with anyone able to simply walk in and receive breakfast, lunch and dinner, without direct charge, although such free meals would be off a limited menu of healthy choices. Ditto minimalist public housing, so that no one was forced to stay outside in inclement weather, would be able to sleep securely, and have a bathroom indoors.

Utilities of all sort should be publicly run, and the government should have manufacturing facilities to vertically integrate to minimize costs of the supplies it uses, whether in terms of ammunition, weaponry, or even office supplies.

Capitalism would largely be confined to non-essentials of life - fashion, design, entertainment, but government would be allowed even to compete in these areas, but would be required to compete evenly - it would have to run any of those endeavours as profit generators, unsubsidized by other facets of government.

So there would still be plenty of room for those who wanted go the private sector route, but specific areas related to the public welfare and critical needs of the state would be of a necessity state run.

So where does that put me on the socialist spectrum? Whose writings might I best identify with?