As a high school government and social science teacher, I have a need to respond to the article written by Cliff Dunn on the Problem with Socialism. 

For the vast majority of those of us on the left, we do not have a yearning for socialism; we have a yearning for democratic socialism. There is a huge difference. For example, socialist countries are Cuba, North Korea and now Venezuela. These countries have disastrous economic systems that no sane person would want.   

Democratic Socialist countries include Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, and more European countries. What's the main difference? Democratic socialist governments should not take over private industry. However, in the spirit of fairness, they should manage those areas of society that we consider rights. That would include education (yes, public schools are socialism), public safety (police and fire) and healthcare, etc.  They should also enforce antitrust laws and make sure that the system is fair, such as no tax breaks for billionaires.  

This system melds the positive benefits of democratic freedom and the fairness of maintaining human rights and tax fairness. Capitalism without these guardrails allows the 1% to go unchecked, the middle class to disappear, and the poor class to become more desperate. Sound familiar? 

S. Daniel