We Need More Socialism!
Bet you can't guess the most successful socialist institution in America
One of my longtime readers was amazed when I praised Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy for mayor of New York a few days before he won that election last week. “But he’s a socialist!” the man said in horror. “Yes, a democratic one who supports small business and wants to see more of it,” I told him. He wasn’t convinced.
“Socialism always turns into Communism,” he proclaimed. I told him I had never thought of it as a gateway drug before, and he just looked blank.
Here’s the problem. We’ve been brainwashed into thinking “socialism” always means some sort of Stalinist gulag hell. In fact, that’s not what anyone using that term today means at all. When people like Mamdani talk about “socialism,” they mean what we used to call a “mixed” economy, which means essentially healthy capitalism with a thriving public sector; i.e., well-funded schools and roads and sidewalks and libraries.
There are countries that have exactly that, and — I hate to break it to you — but they are much better off and the people are much happier than people are today in the not-so-United States of America. We are mostly talking about the nations of Western Europe, especially Scandinavia. Want proof? Oxford University’s annual World Happiness Report this year rates the happiest countries in this order:
Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands
The United States was No. 26.
Think that’s some kind of left-wing fluke?
The traditionally conservative U.S. News and World Report does a “Quality of Life” assessment every year, and said the best countries for quality of life are:
Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and Canada
U.S, News ranks the United States 21st.
These nations do not have people like Elon Musk, who just got paid an obscene $1 trillion. They just have a society that works for nearly everyone. They also don’t elect obscenities like Donald Trump either.
By the way, you know where U.S. News ranked our nation last year, when we were still “suffering” under the horrible Biden Administration?
Third best in the world.
I can’t wait to see if, by 2028, we are ranked as equal with Malawi, or Chad.
By the way, we do have some successful socialist institutions in America. Know what the largest, and usually considered most well-run one is?
The United States Armed Forces.
**
Politics and Prejudices and other musings is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.




Key Phrase:" A society that works for everyone". We also have people that believe that for ME to be a Winner, there have to be LOSERS. Meanwhile we have become a Fraiddy Cat country letting the culture wars and fear of immigrants scare enough morons to vote for the orange marmalade. For almost 100 years we introduced socialism with Social Security.
Do away with socialism and it's pay as you go fire department, police, roads, etc. Give me some socialized medicine for all, add to all the other things we get with our tax dollars.