Bishop Paprocki misses the mark in his latest column (Opinion)

In Springfield, Bishop Paprocki’s latest column shepherding his flock not to cast votes for the "evil" Democrats, he once again uses his legal skills to mislead, misrepresent and misdirect. This time, he builds a straw man argument on the surge of Social Democrats in American politics.

The Sept. 28 column, "A warning from history: Are we forgetting the lessons of the  past?" is an attempt to sound the alarm that we are entering a similar era to what was found in 1930s and '40s Nazi Germany and that the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America is to destroy our government.

The bishop builds his argument using references from right-leaning editorials in Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal. 

I would advise anyone reading the Bishop's column to educate themselves from a variety of sources.

What I found on the Democratic Socialists’ view on the role of government is that it's basically three-fold:

• Public Control: Democratic socialists want the government to run or heavily regulate essential services like healthcare, housing, education and public transit.

• Market Regulation: They support higher taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals to fund universal social programs and reduce economic inequality.

• Democratic Systems: Rather than destroying or shrinking the state, they seek to use democratic political systems and public institutions to shift control of major economic drivers away from private corporations and toward ordinary citizens. 

A further search identifies that the core principles of Democratic Socialism are:

• Regulated Capitalism: Private property and competitive markets remain the basis of the economy, but the government uses taxes and regulations to prevent extreme inequalities.

• Welfare State: The government provides strong social safety nets, including universal healthcare, public education, and support for the unemployed or elderly.

• Democratic Values: Social democracy operates strictly within a multi-party, representative democratic system and rejects violent revolution or totalitarian control.

• Social Justice: Core values include freedom, legal and social equality and solidarity to ensure all citizens have a fair chance at a secure life.

This sounds like a platform everyone in America could support and how anyone would equate the Social Democrats of America to the German Nazi party is beyond me!