JJ

We could have closed borders and a welfare state. Or we could have open borders and no welfare state. But of course we’ve chosen the most foolish and destructive option available - open borders and a welfare state. The worst of all possible worlds.

Many Americans have no clue about the difference between Social Democracy and Democratic Socialism🇺🇸🛑 Social Democracy is what you see in places like Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Private property. Private business. Entrepreneurship. Capitalism. But with strong worker protections, healthcare, education and social safety nets. In other words: Capitalism with guardrails. Democratic Socialism is a different animal. It still supports democracy, but it wants to move society further away from capitalism and toward greater collective ownership and control of the economy. And this is where some people on the far left are walking on very thin ice. Because beneath Democratic Socialism sits full-blown Socialism. And beneath Socialism sits damn Communism. History has shown us many times that the road to hell is often paved with good intentions. Just like the far right keeps flirting with authoritarian nationalism that always leads to fascism, parts of the far left keep flirting with economic systems that have repeatedly ended in disaster. The sweet spot is usually somewhere in the middle. Enough capitalism to create wealth. Enough social democracy to stop people from being crushed by it. That’s why Nordic countries became some of the most successful societies on Earth. Not because they abolished capitalism. Because they civilized it.