Letter: Is It Socialism, Really?

It’s a fact of American history that any effort by middle income and working families to reform excesses of our capitalist system will always be always labeled “socialism” by right-wingers and their wealthy backers. Child labor laws? “Socialism!” Antitrust laws? “Socialism!” They characterize any restrictions on corporations, or any taxes on the wealthy that way. But today too many American families are one missed paycheck away from living in their car because the bottom 50 percent of U.S. households own only 2.5 percent of the country’s wealth. And today most household bankruptcies are caused by medical debt because healthcare insurance is outrageously expensive. How did this happen? Whelp, it wasn’t socialism. Forget labels. Vote for candidates who support a livable minimum wage, affordable healthcare, fair-share taxes, and corporate accountability like Hobbs, Fontes, Mayes, and Mendoza do. Every other wealthy democracy has these basic features. We can too.