September 2, 2026
Dead editor;
I recently read the Reader’s Commentary, “Socialism/Communism: Denies individual freedoms, worth.” I appreciate the author’s concern for individual freedom, personal responsibility, and the value of hard work. Those are important principles, and I think they are shared by most people across the political spectrum.
Where I respectfully disagree is in treating socialism, communism, and democratic socialism as essentially the same thing. They are not interchangeable terms, and the distinctions matter.
Communism, as we have seen historically in countries such as the Soviet Union and Cuba, involves one-party rule, restrictions on political freedoms, and extensive state control of the economy.
Democratic socialism is a very different concept. It operates within democratic institutions and advocates using government to provide certain programs (e.g. Medicare for All) and to reduce economic inequality while maintaining democratic rights and civil liberties.
Senator Bernie Sanders is perhaps the most well-known democratic socialist in America. His approach does not call for abolishing private ownership of homes or businesses, as the author of the Reader’s Commentary suggested. Instead, senator Sanders advocates for universal health care, stronger labor protections, and a more progressive tax system in which everyone (including the super-rich) pay their fair share. His Medicare for All proposal, for example, is similar to programs in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Nordic countries. It works for them. In the United States, our healthcare system is unaffordable for many. If we were able to get rid of the insurance companies and allow the big health care and drug companies to make a fair profit (but not overcharge), it would probably work well, and be much less expensive for us too.
I have never been a member of a political party and have no urge to join one. But all of us should be reading, discussing, and discerning important issues. And when we do that, we should be using terms properly, because definitions matter.
Pat McNamara, Yorkville