In my recent Public Programs survey, the question concerning "Democracy means a government obligation to maintain a certain standard of living and to provide health care, education and housing for all." was inspired by an article written by a college professor. He asked his new class to define democracy. They came up with what is actually a definition of socialism and he stated surprised that millennials would think this way. Do you/did you catch the mislabeling?

Social democracy (some use the term democratic socialism) is a political attitude toward the existing economy. They want to expand the amount of social services the government provides without completely removing the role of the marketplace in the economy. They believe the government has a responsibly to participate in the managing of the economy, but not taking all of the control away from businesses. This includes support for universally accessible public services like education, health care, workers' compensation, child care, Social Security and care for the elderly. This is completely different than socialism and is the system our country has now. Did you know this is what social democracy means?

Socialism - a way of organizing a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government rather than by individual people and companies, a system of society or group living in which there is no private property. Did you know this is what socialism means?

The quote I found - "The community ... was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale ...and they were distributed to each according to need." is from the book of Acts. The definition of Communism is a way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) and there is no privately owned property; a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed. Does the similarity between the two surprise you?

Capitalism - an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.Corporatist system - the wealth and power of individuals and small businesses is dwarfed by the overwhelming dominance of the corporations. Eventually, the corporations end up owning almost everything and they end up dominating nearly every aspect of society, enjoying most of the benefits while most of the rest of the population suffers.Do you think big business and corporations are gaining too much power?