Reader disagrees with

portrayal of Sanders

Robin Beres' recent column on Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and democratic socialism displayed shocking ignorance. Throughout her column she confused the democratic socialism advocated by Sanders with Soviet and Chinese communism. Communism advocates class warfare in order to achieve public ownership of all means of production, which the Soviet Union and China achieved through an authoritarian state. Sanders, on the other hand, seeks to strengthen democracy and roundly rejects Marxist theory and the abolition of capitalism.

In a recent speech at Georgetown University, Sanders explained that he supports a free market, but he wants to expand social programs in order to reduce widening income inequality. The economy needs to work for everyone, not just the few at the top who have the advantages.

Sanders is in the same progressive lineage as President Teddy Roosevelt and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Because of these previous presidents, we already have an economy that mixes capitalism with socialism. Sanders would like to see the U.S. develop programs such as universal health care similar to what exists in Canada and much of Europe. Such a program would save an enormous amount of money and be far more efficient than our current approach.

Sanders is not my preferred candidate. Too many of his ideas are political nonstarters. But he's certainly not a communist.

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Letter to the Editor, March 1, 2020: Reader disagrees with portrayal of Sanders - Richmond.com