Are you a democratic socialist?

What in the hell is socialism?  Hoopleheads confuse socialism with a lot of things.  Hoopleheads do not realize you can have democratic socialism.  Today the NYT ran a good article that allows you to determine if you are a democratic socialist.  Turns out that is what Kadizzle is.  Republicans insist socialism of any sort is communism.  Getting the Hoopeleads to believe that socialism and communism are the same thing has been a great success for the Republicans. If you get into a conversation with a Hooplehead they will turn out to be clueless about successful socialist countries.  If you present a Hooplehead with the facts it spins their mind.  The other day Kadizzle was talking to a Hoople about economic mobility.  The Hooplehead said there was no upward mobility in a socialist country.  Unfortunately the facts so do not support his claim.  There is more upward mobility in socialist countries than in our country.   Republicans know the best way to get Hoopleheads confused is to get them to believe that countries like Cuba or Venezuela are socialist countries.  The Republicans always point to the failures, never to the successes.  If it were humanly possible to get a Hooplehead to so some research the Hooplehead would find democratic socialist countries have better health care, education, life expectancy, and general happiness of the population.  Hoopleheads do not travel a lot so they have never visited a country that embraces sharing.  So the picture in their mind and the reality are vastly different. 

Now for the amazing part.  No state is more socialist than North Dakota.  North Dakota has a state owned bank, and elevator.  North Dakota has more cooperatives than you shake a stick at.   What is more socialistic than a cooperative?   Socialism is everywhere in North Dakota, yet the Hoopleheads think it is terrible. Socialism grew out of the depression. People realized the rich were taking them to the cleaners and realized they could subvert the capitalist who were exploiting them.  Remember the robber barons? Republicans greatest feat has been convincing people that sharing leads to evil.  This is contrary to the basic way humans came to exist.  Humans cooperated to hunt, to grow grain, and to protect themselves.  When humans share they thrive.   Socialism is nothing but sharing under a regulated system.  What happens when Republicans successfully defeat sharing. One percent of the population ends up with everything.