WHAT IS DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM?
Democratic Socialists believe our country should be run by real, working people — not big corporations & billionaires. Simply put, Democratic Socialism is the belief that people are more important than profits; that a human being's value should not be measured by how much money they can make for themselves or their employers. Democratic Socialism is not against economic development but encourages economic development that evenly distributes wealth.
Democratic Socialists believe our country should be run by real, working people — not big corporations & billionaires. Simply put, Democratic Socialism is the belief that people are more important than profits; that a human being's value should not be measured by how much money they can make for themselves or their employers. Democratic Socialism is not against economic development but encourages economic development that evenly distributes wealth.
Click Picture to Watch Video Explanation of Socialism
 The Political Spectrum
THE POLITICAL CENTER
As with all political ideas exist on spectrum, with a majority of people in the center and only a small minority on either extreme. Contrary to its portrayal in the media, Democratic Socialism or Social Democracy rests near the center of the political spectrum. The majority of the world's developed nations, from countries in Europe to Japan and South Korea consider themselves "socialist democracies" and offer all their citizens benefits like universal healthcare, tuition free taxes and months of unemployment or paid family leave, all paid for through taxes. These countries are able to afford such programs because they spend only a fraction of what America does on police, prisons and the military. Democratic Socialism is not a dictatorship like China or old Soviet Union, where a central government committee controls all property and political power. Democratic Socialists believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically, not to make profits for a few corporate CEOs (as in American capitalism) or government bureaucrats (as in Soviet communism). LABOR IS ENTITLED TO ALL IT CREATES!
This phrase, made famous by the 19th century economist David Ricardo, explains a core believe of Democratic Socialism. If wealth is created by people working, then working people should receive not a minimum wage, but a fair share of the wealth our labor creates. Democratic Socialists seek to elect people and enact policies that re-distribute wealth from the top 1 percent to the workers who actually produce the world's wealth. Democratic Socialist proposals to redistribute wealth include: Publicly Held Property/Industries Democratic Socialists believe that infrastructure used by everyone — like transit systems, utilities, or major industries like healthcare — should be owned and operated through democratically controlled governments. Many American institutions already operate this way, from highways and mass transit to public hospitals and even some aspects of the internet. At the municipal (city) level, Democratic Socialists like khalid seek to use Community Land Trusts and other methods to buy land to be controlled by community members, not developers; and develop parks and cultural programs that are affordable to all families, regardless of their income. Government Regulation of the Economy History has shown time and again that capitalist corporations, when left unregulated, cause harm to the public. In America, it is government regulation that makes it illegal for private corporations to discriminate in hiring, make children work in factories, or produce consumer goods that have not been tested for safety. In more even more regulated European countries, workers and consumers have even greater protections. At the city level, Democratic Socialists seek to enact "ecosocialist" regulations which protect the natural environment; and protect communities of color from environmental racism, which occurs when corporations and developers seek to locate their most toxic production and waste facilities in less affluent communities of color. Extensive Publicly Financed Pensions & Social Programs Examples of such programs in America include Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Medicaid & Obamacare — and even free public elementary, middle & high school (which in many, developing countries, is not free). In more Socialist Democracies college & university are free; health and dental services are covered by taxes and accessible to everyone; every worker is guaranteed at least one month of vacation; new parents receive several months of maternity and paternity leave; and average salaries are much higher. At the local level, Democratic Socialists like Councilman khalid have supported legislation raising the minimum wage, increasing worker protections and allowing municipal employees to form unions. HOW DO WE PAY FOR ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS? 
The average American CEO takes home a salary hundreds of times the pay of their employees. In the United States, much of wealthy people's income is not subject to income tax.
Well-paid pundits and politicians try to scare people into believe that there is no way a society could function with all these "free giveaways." In fact, countries all over the world have been functioning like this decades, by doing 2 things:
1) Spending far less on police, prisons and military forces. 2) Not allowing their richest people to become so rich that they drain wealth from everyone else. In 2017 the average American CEO took home a salary that was 361 times that of his/her employees, many of whom are receiving public assistance like food stamps or living in temporary housing or homeless shelters while they work. While many Americans are working multiple jobs to pay bills and debts, the three richest people in the United States – Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett – own as much wealth as the bottom half of the US population, or 160 million people. The Waltons, the family behind Walmart, makes $4 million per hour from the work of its employees. Study after study has shown that reducing income inequality reduces crime and increases worker productivity and overall happiness. |
Councilman khalid: AfroSocialist
Click to read the New York Times article by Matthew Desmond
Slavery is the foundation of America’s entire economy. It was the reason not only for the Civi War, but the Revolutionary War which started our country (the Colonists actually feared that England might abolish slavery).
America’s banking system was built to finance the domestic and international slave trade. In fact, Wall Street derives its name from the fact that it was on a wall there that slaves were sold in New York. New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones' 1619 Project reveals that slavery was an invention of capitalism — and the global economic exploitation of Black and Brown people continues to this day. Click the link below to visit the 1619 project to read articles, listen to podcasts and find school curriculum materials to teach your children about how America's wealth was built on the backs of Black slaves. "This is why Capitalism — a system build on exploiting workers — cannot save Black people, who are the most exploited people on Earth," explains Councilman khalid. "Democratic Socialism is rooted in African traditions of shared community wealth and government by consensus."
Councilman khalid — America's first #BlackLivesMatter organizer elected to public office — is one of the South's most prominent Democratic Socialists. Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members like Councilman khalid use a variety of tactics, from legislation to direct action (protest) to fight for reforms that empower working-class people. 
Click Picture above to Listen to The Nation Magazine Podcast Interview
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is an organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and union-oriented members in the United States. The DSA is America's largest Socialist organization, with over 60,000 members in 50 States. The DSA is not a political party, but a political and activist organization that works through all political parties, as well as community organizations, to fight for reforms that empower working class & working poor families.
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