The very word brings heated comment and thoughts of communism or radial Socialism.No my idea is not this but in away we have some form of it in Australia now, can we build it to work for us?
I think far too many think it is something for nothing, and maybe sometimes it is.
The Howard rebate, that $600 per child is often gone in grog and poker machines on day one.
But what if we make work for the dole a real job? of value to the community on minimum wages so its not a comfort zone but gives real returns?
Why not make all unemployment a job for awhile with breaks to look for a job?
Why not expand tax breaks on superannuation, but make sure the public purse is not used if not needed?
We now charge near true value for public housing but build less why not more?
Why not means test all welfare, including public housing ?
Then spend the savings on the truly needed things.
Others may have better ideas but we must be able to help those in need not greed and just maybe caring is not anything like first thoughts of some.

belly, smarter men than you can't make socialism work. we grow up in a selfish society, and survival demands reciprocal aggression.

there have been human societies based on communal activities, we are not incapable of it, but warrior societies knocked them over.

you are the slave of just such a selfish warrior society, you call it the 'alp'.

Dear Belly
It is not a question can Democratic Socialism work ?
The obvious reply to that is can Capitalism function ?
When Conservatism has it's backs to the wall as what is happening with the rise of fundamentalism in Islam. Conservatism becomes gradually fascism. Labor Parties are not Democratic Socialist with the influence of the religous right in the Labor Party it is no more than a Social Democratic Party. Kevin Rudd admits that he is not a Democratic Socialist and that he is a Social Democrat. Tony Blair was a Conservative in control of a Labour Party. Unfortunately we have seen the decline in Australia of the disposal as a gift of Alinta Gas, Commonwealth Bank hence bank charges. R&I Bank, SGIO, Government Print, Destruction of Government Education and the National Health Service, selling State Housing so much irrepairable damage to us all. Now we are all suffering the consequences. What other harmful damage can they do to us ARR YES use water as a commodity sell water huge profits there. Sell the railways huge profits there. Sell Uranium dammn the locals they are of no consequence huge profits there. This is money that can finance big American Companies so that they can elect to send young men to their deaths to privatise the Islamic Oil. They can then use the depleted uranium within the cluster bombs to surgically drop onto innocent civilians. This is why Belly Democratic Socialism is an idealism that can never be exterminated the class struggle will always continue unfortunately the opium of the people will always cloud the issues.

If Democratic Socialism worked we would all want to live in China or Russia or Cuba or maybe North Korea....in other words Democratic Socialism is as idealistic and impossible as Communism. It won't work.
This is not about haves and have nots either. It is about the way society has to function - unless we are all going to be clones.

"The Howard rebate, that $600 per child is often gone in grog and poker machines on day one.

Get rid of it. We need less people, not more. It's 6000, not 600

http://www.ozpolitic.com/articles/population-sustainability.html

"But what if we make work for the dole a real job?

Have you ever been in a work for the dole program? If they made it a real job, you would have to get them to do real work. Good luck. If it was a real job it would pay for itself so private business could supply the work anyway. If it doesn't pay for tiself then you should free the workers up. We have a labour shortage.

"Why not expand tax breaks on superannuation, but make sure the public purse is not used if not needed?

Isn't this a contradiction? If you expand tax breaks, you eat into the public purse.

"Why not means test all welfare, including public housing ?

We already do.

"Then spend the savings on the truly needed things.

You don't think we already try to do that?

"It is about the way society has to function - unless we are all
going to be clones."
How does present society function when it is based on a political system mired in treachery, betrayal, murderous wars for resources.
And heading for bigger wars?
What is the state of society when governments implement a wrecking operation against the public hospital system, schools, and unis?
A systen that cannot resolve poverty, inequality, racism, class conflict. A system based on each against all, beggar thy neighbour, every man for himself, me first etc., A system based on every nation fighting for a shrinking market. A system where every form of difference colour, religious, caste, class, national, parochial and even gender politics is actively promoted. A system that uses divisions to divide and conquer, divide and rule, divide and steal.
A system whereby economic relations dominate and take precedence over genuine human relations. Whereby economic relations dominate men. There was no socialism in China, Russia or Cuba. China and Cuba based themselves on the peasants and a national program called Maoism or Castroism. In Russia the power was usurped by a national beauracratic leadership who murdered the genuine socialists in the 1936 Stalin frame up trials. Stalin then instituted a nationalist program which had nothing to do with socialism and eventually led back to capitalism. Genuine Socialism is based on the international unity of workers and an end to innequality. As well, producing goods for societies needs not the holly dollar.