Socialism, a political Dirty Word.(Work in Progeass)

Socialism is the 'Dirty word' and unspoken third rail of American politics.  My question is " Should it be?"

Socialism has a bad reputation because of the Nazis, Soviet Russia, Communist China, and all the other Leninist Maoist/Marxist States that have sprung up in the latter half of the 20th century.   However is the experience of THOSE countries/Governments REALLY 'socialist' in nature, or Did those countries/states Hijack 'socialism' as a shield to defend their 'totalitarian' governments?  Is THAT presentation of socialism 'perfect' when you look at other socialist writers like Twain, Helen Keller, James Connelly, etc...

ARE we throwing out the baby with the bathwater?  are WE completely writing off an idea, simply because some people used that idea to gain and maintain power?

I am unapologetic when I state that I have Socialist leanings.
 I believe that the strength of a society(and Economy) is based in the middle class.
 I believe that "a Rising tide lifts ALL ships"
 I believe that the HEALTHIEST economy treats EVERYONE equally... one person might have more money to start off with, and another person has an invention.  FRANKLY, I (personally) would err on the side of the guy with the invention, NOT the guy with the money... but that is just me...
 I think that Working Schlubs are MORE important to the health and sustainability of a society than any 100 'paris hiltons'
I also have seen unendless bad things come from our current system of 'unfettered capitalism'... Mostly because the Reaganite idea of 'trickle down', NEVER trickles down...


Back to Socialism.

When we Americans talk about Socialism, it (barely) starts with Marx, and quickly devolves into Hitler, Lennin, Mao, Stalin, etc...  To me this is Myopic...Tunnel Vision as it were...

I CAN'T disagree that those countries were horrible for their people... however they married the economic system of socialism to the governmental system of totalitariansim, or dictatorship...  That is like marrying an Orthodox Jew to an Orthodox Muslim...marrying an Environmentalist to an oil company, Marrying PETA  to an industrial hog farm...In otherwords, coupling Diametric opposites together.  ONE side ALWAYS comes out on top in those situations... and in the 20th century, it was the Dictator/Totalitarian government that came out on top... With ONE exception.

One GLORIOUS exception.  (well, perhaps not glorious... there ARE problems with it... but even the problems seem pretty good to me...)

That Exception is the Mondragon Cooperative Corporation, the MCC, In 1941 a young Catholic priest  José María Arizmendiarrieta came home to the Basque region of Spain, and began teaching and organising the people, with a common goal in sight...a better life for ALL.  His Legacy is The Mondragon Cooporative Corporation.  A Company which has its roots equally in Socialism, Democracy and Capitalism

The BIG difference is that Capitalism takes a third tier to the other 2 ideas... socialism and democracy..
Now I NEVER say that the MCC model is perfect... however, in the words of the AMerican Founding Fathers I Believe this is a "More Perfect Union".  The Basis of the MCC is of employee ownership... which is NOT to say that the minute you get hired you have COMPLETE voting share... you have to work you r way up... and you take a hit in the pocketbook to earn that vote...however the benifits (which are voted on by the other shareholders) are pretty AWESOME... firstly "unemployment" has a one year limit...  Not like in the US where if you STILL dont have a job, you loose all benifits, but rather if you STILL dont have a job, someone ELSE takes his 1 yr (@70% pay) while you go back to work... OR if your branch needs to downsize, you can transfer to another branch of the company (over 180 branches within the MCC, including banking, education, farming, and manufacturing)

So lets imagine a Kid, just out of HS.  While he was in school he worked at one of the local farms, as a field hand... turning compost piles, planting seeds, picking fruit, maybe he was a 'gearhead' so he worked on the tractors and other engines...so every dollar he earns, he gives 10cents into his "buy in" to the company...  and every skill he learns, he improves his value, not only for his OWN benifit, but the benifit of the company as a whole...

So that kid works for five years on the farm, meanwhile hanging out with his friends, who also have "minimum wage" jobs working at a school, or the meatpacking plant, the local deli, the bank, filing, stocking shelves, customer service, shopkeeper, etc...

so Five kids who all went to school together, get the idea to start a "food truck" operation...bring in some GREAT food to the workers... 1 guy knows the cooking, 1 knows the books, 1 knows the farming, the other 2 are willing to work their butts off and learn EVERYTHING...  the idea is to bring in "home cooked" hot food to the workers at every stop... not microwave burritos or burgers... but REAL food...

Now, in America, they have to go to a faceless "bank" to get a loan... they have no collateral, no cosigners, and barely $1000 dollars to their names... NOT gonna get the loan...

in MONDRAGON, they go to the bank, and ALL of them have their work records on file... and other people willing to speak for them..."yeagh, he busted his butt through HS" or" hey, he suggested an improvement in MY work, that helped me be more profitable, and efficient"
so NOW these kids have the loan... a small space (possibly in one of thier houses) and a couple bikes to deliver their food.  and (frankly)they would probably do pretty good... I have eaten in plenty of "company Cafeterias"  and they mostly SUCK... I would welcome a chance to get a really good meal, prepared by people who LOVE food, not just wage slaves...

so fast forward a couple years... These Five kids have expanded their business into 3 trucks, and their origional "min wage" delivery workers have put it their time to become full partners, so now there are 8 partners, and 15 delivery guys...

(and HERE is teh REAL beauty of the Mondragon system... and YES it is 'socialist)

ok, so these kids are doing good... 25 yrs old, makin 16 bucks an hour, with a bonus at the end of the year (if the year was profitable)   DEPENDING on how much work each put in...

but THIS year, there is an economic crash.  The Workers in other companies (ie thier clients) are bringing their lunch from home, to save money...   In America, that would kill this company... in Mondragon??
The * 'shareholders' get together... and talk about it... there needs to be a downsizing... the BEST place to downsize is at the top...
So One guy goes "im Single, I can just go back to myb job on the farm at $10 an hour

Another guy goes. "well, I am gonna take my 1 year unemployment, and go back to the company school.  learn Bread Baking and grain processing, and farming..."

a third goes" I am just gonna have fun wioth my kids... maybe plant a kitchen garden, or think about another idea."

the fourth goes" we REALLY need to know about finance... so i am gonna go back to school for that."


then, the Bakery school guy starts bringing his samples out around to the job sites... the farmer looks at getting a loan for a couple acres so they can grow SOME of thier own grain...