Capitalism married socialism long ago!
To the Editor:
IF socialism is: “any of various theories or systems of the ownership and operation of the means of production and distribution by society or the community rather than by private individuals, with all members of society or the community sharing in the work and the products”
And capitalism is: “the economic system in which all or most of the means of production and distribution, as land, factories, railroads, etc., are privately owned and operated for profit, originally under fully competitive conditions:”
Then what do you call a major pharmaceutical corporation that has been granted billions of Americans’ taxpayer dollars to speed up the development of a vaccine to prevent Covid-19? Is that corporation still a capitalistic entity? Has the United States government carried out a socialistic transaction?
For those who despise/fear “socialism” do you object to spending taxpayer money to develop a vaccine? Will you refuse to take the vaccine? Do you object to using the United States military (actually a long-established form of socialism) to deliver the vaccine?
Has Covid-19 not proven that all Americans need some form of affordable health care? Has this pandemic not revealed the truth about the symbiotic relationship of socialism and capitalism in America? That truth is: They have been married since 1776. May it continue!
Dave Waldrop
Webster
