What is a Democratic Socialist?

With Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders leading DNC hopeful Hillary Clinton in early primary states, and with many media outlets declaring Sanders the winner of the Oct. 14th, 2015 Democratic Debate, there are a lot of Americans out there who are now trying to figure out just who Bernie Sanders is.

Sanders' biggest struggle has been competing with Clinton's household name recognition. Now that Sanders has given Clinton a run for her money in a nationally televised and widely streamed debate, people who haven't previously heard his message are Googling him like crazy to see what he stands for.

Merriam-Webster blew up during the debate with people looking up the word "socialism."

Unfortunately, the dictionary definition just makes people think of this:

Some people have trouble understanding that what Bernie Sanders calls "Democratic Socialism" does not in the slightest resemble the communist government of China or the former USSR.

So what is a Democratic Socialist?

A Democratic Socialist is still a capitalist, but a capitalist who believes you can still make a buck without stepping on the poor and starving the worker.

A Democratic Socialist believes in a living wage.

A Democratic Socialist in America believes that things should be "Made in the USA" to provide good jobs here, and not outsourced for cheap labor to other countries through trade agreements like NAFTA and the TPP.

A Democratic Socialist believes that healthcare is a right and not a privilege.

A Democratic Socialist believes that education is a right and not a privilege.

A Democratic Socialist believes that soldiers should be sent to war not for corporate profit, but only as a last resort when foreign policy fails.

A Democratic Socialist believes that the government's responsibility to that soldier doesn't end when the soldier comes home.

A Democratic Socialist seeks a government that uses tax money to create equal opportunities for everyone.

A Democratic Socialist believes corporations should pay their fair share of taxes as they did in Eisenhower's time (people who hold this particular belief are also called Rockefeller or Eisenhower Republicans).

Before you decide this system of government could never work, take a look at Scandinavia.  This type of government has been working for a long time in countries like Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

Don't believe me that this works?  Then take a look at the World Happiness Report, an index that rates the happiest populations on Earth.

Source: Bloomberg

Any questions?