Socialism is a theoretical concept that suggests that the government should take charge of means of production and natural resources to ensure benefits for society at large. It is a political and economic philosophy in which populist economic and political systems based on collective ownership of the means of production and workers' self-management of enterprises. In socialism, there is no private property but rather common ownership.
Meyerson (2016) defines socialism as a radical, societal, and economical way of life that incorporates several societal and economic structures characterized by communal ownership of production systems and workforces' self-running of enterprises. It entails that every person in society has equal rights to the share of the various aspects of production. It means that each member of the community has a proprietorship of the shared resources.
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Explain how socialism differs from the American political and economic structure.
In America, the economy is more capitalist than socialist because production is owned and controlled by private owners (Sklair, 2016). This concept differs from socialism, where the least means of production is not under individuals' control. The American economic structure empowers company owners to make decisions on the use of the companies' resources and operation without undue external influence. The capitalist nature of the economic structures allows companies to be profit-oriented, unlike socialist economic structures where individuals work for society's overall benefit ( Hinton & Maclurcan, 2017) . The profit generated is distributed equally to everyone.
From a political perspective, the government plays a crucial role in ensuring a fairground for individual companies' competition. On the contrary, in the socialist structure, the government decides on distributing wealth as it provides for the people.
Ideally, socialism differs from the American political and economic structure. The American economic structure is based on classes ranging from the upper class, which is made of wealthy individuals, well educated in a reputable school, and who have various sources of income besides their salary. The middle class is made of well-paid white-collar workers who are well educated. The working class is made of low skilled individuals. This stratification classifies the American economic system as a capitalist, unlike socialism, which advocates for equality through collective ownership. Individuals own private property while in socialism, the property is collectively owned and regulated by the community. Many means of production in the US are individually controlled.
American political and economic structure is considered as a prime illustration of a capitalist state. American society believes in economic systems in which means of production are appropriated by private personnel. Resources and forms of capital are in the hand of private individuals which greatly contrast with socialism. In a country practicing socialism, production means are communally owned where the profits are distributed equally (Meyerson, 2016). But, in the US, the decisions on means of production and profit share falls under private individuals.
Describe programs of the American government at the federal and state level that have aspects of socialism.
The programs of the American government at the federal and state level that have aspects of socialism include;
Social security Program
It is a government-run pension scheme that cuts out private money managers to cater to the aged retired employees' needs. The Social Security program in America provides ultimate protection against the loss of earnings, which can be due to an individual's death, retirement, or disability. An individual pays monthly fees for the service. If the above scenarios occur, one is paid monthly benefits for sustainability.
Medicare Program
Medicare refers to a federal health insurance program that provides intensive benefits to the elderly and those with disabilities and some chosen illnesses. It is divided into four parts: (A) being free and covers home health services, nursing facilities, and hospitals. Parts B, C, and D are payable. The US government-run health care insurance for those aged over 65 years and this is a collective ownership program funded using the taxes collected from the people.
Progressive Income Tax
In the US, the government confiscated some money from people’s income through taxes to fund social programs like infrastructure and free education.
Free Education
This is a subsidized cost for education that ensures that all children can receive an education regardless of their background.
Public Universities
These are publicly owned institutions run by the government and provide affordable education to the students within the country.
However, some programs depict the rise of socialism in the US. One program is the federally funded public education (Meyerson, 2016). It provides free basic education for children from kindergarten till the twelfth grade. The federal government is practicing socialism as a lead example that enables citizens to enjoy free education communally.
If some American policies and practices are socialistic, does that make America a socialist political system?
No. It does not mean that if some American policies and practices are socialistic, America is a socialist political system. This means that America has both socialism aspects, but the dominant practices upon which the political system is built on becomes the reference system.
America is not a socialist political system, and neither is it strictly a capitalist but instead has both capitalism and socialism aspects, although capitalism is dominant. America production is based on private ownership and operation for profit, and these groups control large amounts of money, and capital, and they make critical economic decisions. However, the economy has regulations like taxing and subsidization.
Even though some American policies and practices are socialistic, it has a greater capacity to make America a socialist political system. The federal government is encouraging this sprout by administering many government programs, services, and activities. Some of these programs directly serve society's needs by providing them with equally distributed benefits, including social security, food, welfares, and employment opportunities.
References
Hinton, J., & Maclurcan, D. (2017). A not-for-profit world beyond capitalism and economic growth?. Ephemera, 17(1), 147.
Meyerson, H. (2016). Socialism in America. Dissent , 63 (1), 137-145. Doi.10.1353/dss.2016.0015
Sklair, L. (2016). The transnational capitalist class, social movements, and alternatives to capitalist globalization. International Critical Thought , 6 (3), 329-341.
