If one were to pick the one most misunderstood word in the language — in any language — today it would be a good gamble to select the word “socialism." It is really interesting, in fact, to contemplate the large number of Americans even who believe they understand what socialism is all about and who will actually admit to accepting it as a superior way of life to what we now have. Interesting because it seems that most of these supposed supporters, like most of those who think they understand the subject but who oppose it, really have something in mind that has no relationship to socialism.
There are, to be sure, a number of variations in the meaning attached to the word. A great many will name the Soviet Union as an example of socialism in action. Others prefer Red China. Still others, the more democratically inclined, go for the Scandinavian countries or Britain whenever the Labour Party happens to be in control of the government. It is amazing how many Americans were convinced in the elections of 1972 that George McGovern presented a socialist program and either supported him or opposed him because of it.
But when one gets down to bedrock there is nothing very much different from one another in any of these varieties of what is widely believed to be socialism. They all have one common denominator: most of the population must work for wages or salaries in order to live while a minority live more than comfortably without the need of socially useful labor. Even where all industry is owned or controlled by the Government there is a class of bond holders and high officials who reap huge benefits from the sweat and toll of the working people.
Right of Access
Those who have listened to our radio messages and read our literature are aware of a different meaning entirely for the word “socialism." The World Socialist Party does not advocate a system of modified capitalism. We agree with the founders of scientific socialism in the proposition that socialism means the right of access by all mankind to all the wealth that is in and on the earth. This can only signify the end to national sovereignties, even to the sham socialist nations that are spread around the earth and which, like the so-called free enterprise countries, suppress most of their populations and keep millions of their working people in perpetual poverty and insecurity, not to mention turning their populations on the working people of other countries in bloody warfare.
What do we mean by right of access to all wealth? Think a moment. The capitalist class of the West and the bureaucratic parasites of state capitalist nations such as Russia and China enjoy free access, today, because of their ownership and control of the wealth producing facilities. In a world socialist society all mankind will have free access to all wealth because the mines, mills, workshops, land and everything that is needed for producing and distributing wealth will be the common possession of all mankind. Goods and services will be produced only to satisfy human needs and not at all for profit. It will be a world where one gives according to one’s abilities and receives according to one's needs.
You can do something about bringing into being such a world society. You don’t have to continue supporting political parties that advocate one form or another of the wages system. You can help us build such a party into a force that, once having gotten off the ground will swell in size like a snowball rolling down a hill in ski country. The only trick is to get it started and that is really no trick. If you feel concerned enough about this proposal to learn more we urge you to contact us by mail or by the phone number given on this program. Don’t you agree it is time for a meaningful change?
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