I know some of you may be thinking, "I watched this boy grow up. How did he turn into such a sadistic America-hating loon??" or "I lived and shared my testimony with this guy. Why has he forsaken the faith?" and you have the right to think those things (although I can't imagine why you would) because that is the beauty of the freedom we have in this country. However, let me take a few minutes of your day to explain to you why I identify with this political ideology.
Before you get into this article, be sure to read about me. Hopefully I will not offend you and my thoughts will be beneficial to you.
America's Basic Ideals
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." I believe this with all of my heart. I love the early history of the United States. Learning about the challenges those people endured reminds me why freedom is so important and how precious it is to every individual. Remember during the constitutional congress how much James Madison insisted and pleaded with this country's early leaders to accept the bill of rights. That is an important document that made sure the government would not be able to oppress its constituents. In this light, let me alter your perception of democratic socialism. Let's not picture it as a type of government, but a social system. A system who's name literally means "By the people, for the people." The policies that members of the Democratic Socialist party want to introduce ensure fair treatment of all of the United State's citizens. These policies hold life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness at their core. They show care towards the poor, single mother with three kids who works three jobs in order to pay for rent, food, and medical care. They strive to ensure rights for the Christian and the Muslim alike. They want to care for the "least of these" (Matthew 25:40). Granted, these policies do require more from each individual, but the benefits far outweigh the costs in my eyes.
Equality
What if I told you that we aren't really all equal? How would you feel? Would you be appalled at the idea, or would you shrug it off because you don't see it in your own life? What if I told you that America's criminal justice system is broken? Would you believe me? What if I told you that African-American individuals were more likely to be accused of a violent crime than Caucasians? What if I added to that and told you that the rate of violent crime among different racial populations do not significantly differ? The white man across the street is just as likely to commit a violent crime as the Black homeless man downtown. Do you believe me now? (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_crime_in_the_United_States) I understand that prejudice exists regardless of which side of the political spectrum you lie on, and that is the majority of the problem. But some of the problem lies in laws that can be exploited to favor prejudices. Part of the Democratic Socialist party's agenda is to resolve these laws to better protect the rights of the innocent. These new laws are important for the protection of not only the minority group's rights, but also for the protection of majority group's rights. This is emphasized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (my church). Recently, Church leadership has been very focused on protecting the rights that guard religious freedom. Not only the first amendment rights of its own members, but the first amendment rights of the Jew, Muslim, or Atheist (https://www.lds.org/religious-freedom?lang=eng). By ensuring that Muslims, or Jews, or Atheists have the right to practice and believe according to the dictates of their own hearts, we can be assured of our right to do the same.
I hope that I have explained myself adequately and provided some insight into my beliefs. If anyone has any more questions, or is curious to learn more, please reach out to me!
"It's OK to encourage others to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. But if you do, just remember, some people have no boots" -Neil deGrasse Tyson. Let's help get people some boots.