Delores Said:

What is the democratic candidates position on gitmo?

We Answered:

They want Gitmo shut down.

Teresa Said:

Cons: Are you angry with the political opinion of Bioshock Infinite?

We Answered:

What the game portrays in a negative light is Objectivism, and I'm curious to see how many actual conservatives (fiscal + social conservatives) would consider Objectivism a good ideology to follow, with its hardcore atheism and whatnot.

John Said:

How many countries have a democratic government?

We Answered:

GG,

This site always helps me with those kind of questions. There's a wealth of info and statistics.

http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php

Beverly Said:

What, if anything, is the difference between a democratic socialist and a social democrat?

We Answered:

These are not different names for the same point of view. Both are common in Europe and elsewhere. The democratic socialist tends to stand to the political left of the social democrat.

Social democracy promotes a mixed (socialist and capitalist) economy promoted by a democratic government. It is associated with what has been called the welfare state and in the United States with political liberalism. This is capitalism modified by social reform (not necessarily revolution).

Democratic socialism believes in the "meaningful participation and control of daily life at work and in the community (workers’ and community self-management), with managers (where needed) elected by and responsible to workers and community members." This concept does not allow the private capitalist ownership of big business. Some might say that this is very close to communism.

Freddie Said:

How does a democratic government address the issue of wants and needs?

We Answered:

That would be why you are taking the class or is this a ruse?

Is there a democratic government? In the U.S. we have a representative democracy.

Wants/Needs pertain to demand

The other side is supply.

Those are major questions. It depends.

The U.S. has been able to be successful due to a strong middle class which has been under attack - even by its own members. The middle class is dependent on socialism such as public education.

The public and private sectors have their respective places.

It comes down to a nation's priorities - values to determine which gets public and/or private support.

In South America and Mexico, they don't have public education. If you can't pay then you don't get to send your kids to school. I want an educated general population - preferably beyond the 6th grade.

Education is central to a democracy. Isn't it?

Not all markets will be served by the private sector.

It's a balancing act. That's where the controversy is.

Roberto Said:

Which is really better: a socialist or capitalist economy?

We Answered:

We should do an experiment. What if there was a city that we could divide in half? One side could be a Capitalist economy, and the other could be Socialist. Ideally, it would be right after a war so that both sides had to start from scratch. Being the same city, we could assume that they shared the same culture, background, skills and potential. I wonder which side would do better over the span of say, 40 years. If one side eventually had to build a wall with armed guards in watchtowers to keep their own citizens from fleeing to the other side, you'd have your answer.