Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders may not have a monopoly on socialism in the democratic primary for 2016’s presidential election. Mises Institute Senior Fellow Mark Thornton argues that his opponent, Hillary Clinton, is still a socialist, just a bit less socialist.
“Bernie is the most socialist but he’s not far off from Hillary,” Thornton told The Daily Caller News Foundation “So whoever gets elected there isn’t much of a difference.”
Socialism in mainly defined as collective or governmental ownership of the economy. There is some debate over whether the control could be limited to just fundamental economic functions or whether it has to expand to the greater economy. Democratic-Socialism adds to the theory that systems should be in place to allow the public to voice how they believe the economy is controlled.
“That’s really what Democratic-Socialism is, they want more government in our lives,” Thornton noted. “Bernie Sanders is just a more honest version of that.”
The views of Clinton and Sanders differ only really in slight nuance. Sanders for instance supports a federal $15 minimum wage while Clinton says it should not exceed $12 an hour, unless the states decide otherwise. She supports making college more affordable, while he wants it to be free.
They both oppose the pacific free-trade deal, which was recently negotiated by President Barack Obama. They also both advocate for putting more regulations on banks and private businesses and say unions needs more power. They also believe social services like retirement benefits should stay in government control. Thornton adds Republicans aren’t much better either.
“No one is talking about addressing the fundamental problem of social security or arguing against the national debt,” Thornton stated. “Its only minor scrimmages.”
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