Socialists Get Newfound Attention

The head of the Committee of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism says suddenly there are more people who want to know what socialism actually is. With a 64% rise in memberships between 2008 and 2009, the Democratic Socialists of America now has 7,000 U.S. members. The Socialist Party USA has 1,000 members. Further interest in socialism has been sparked by the recent banking crisis. The article says while there is no precise definition of socialism, some socialists say they don’t want to destroy markets or nationalize everything, but rather that they want less-stagnant wages, more regulation, and taxes that fund everyone’s health care, education, unemployment insurance and job training.