Antonio Said:

How, by the following definition, is North Korea socialist/communist [Link to earlier question]?

We Answered:

north Korea is a dictatorship

there is no Kim Jung IL in a socialist model

Diana Said:

What is democratic socialism?

We Answered:

Democratic socialism is a combination of democracy with very strong social welfare systems so that there is little or no poverty. It's more or less the system that's in place in a lot of the European democracies, especially the Scandinavian countries.

The pros are that these countries usually do pretty well by most measurements. They have personal freedom and long life expectancies, high education levels, high levels of general happiness in the population, etc.

On the cons, their taxes are very high, and their military levels wouldn't really be enough to defend their countries without the US carrying most of the burden. Some people claim that the economies are less dynamic than a more capitalist economy like the US, but the evidence for that is questionable.

Maureen Said:

Do people even know the real definition of Socialism?

We Answered:

Good point. Socialism sounds like a good idea, basically, spread the wealth. But as the Soviet Union proved, it doesn't work in the long run because you can't motivate people to work harder for less individual pay.

Andrea Said:

What is a "democratic welfare state?"?

We Answered:

michigan,california are both welfare states.it is like a deficit.where your putting out more for social programs than you are bringing in to cover them.