Someone recently commented, "Yeah we get that you don’t like capitalism. If only you had an example of where communism has actually worked, other than Star Trek's utopia."
But here's the problem with their question. This framing treats “capitalism” and “communism” as the only two options, which is exactly the false binary that keeps the conversation stuck.
Nobody advocating for social democracy or economic democracy is calling for a Soviet-style command economy.
The real debate today is about how much democracy we allow in our economic life, and there are plenty of real-world examples where it works.
Worker-owned and cooperative models:
- Mondragon (Spain): Over 80,000 workers, democratically run, profitable for decades.
- Co-op sectors in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region: 30% of the economy is cooperative, with higher wages and more stable employment than surrounding regions.
- Credit unions across the U.S.: There are over 4,000 federally insured, member-owned financial institutions serving over 142 million members.
- REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc) and ACE Hardware in the U.S.: large cooperatives competing successfully in the market.
Public goods that outperform private markets:
- Public healthcare systems (Canada, UK, France, Germany): universal coverage, better outcomes, half the cost of the U.S. system.
- Public energy utilities (Nebraska is 100% publicly owned): lower rates, more reliability.
-Public broadband (Chattanooga, TN): faster and cheaper than any private ISP.
None of these are “communism.”
They’re democratic, mixed economies with markets, public goods, and worker-run enterprises coexisting. And they consistently outperform pure corporate capitalism on equity, stability, and human wellbeing.
The real question isn’t “capitalism or communism.” It’s:
How much democracy do we want in the economy?
We already have plenty of examples showing that more democracy in the economy — not less — produces better outcomes.
