1. Norway is not socialist
What is Democratic socialism?
''Since the term is often misunderstood, it's simplest to start with what Democratic socialism isn't: It is not a political party. It's also not completely interchangeable with the beliefs and practices of socialism.
According to Mark A. Peterson, a professor of public policy, political science, and law at UCLA, Democratic socialism is "a call for the democratically-elected to use the public sector to promote greater equality and opportunity." Those who identify as Democratic socialists believe in giving everyone the chance to find equal economic footing, and see free or low-cost health care, tuition-free public education, and universal child care as means to that end.
"Democratic socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically—to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few," the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) website states. The DSA stands for restructuring our government and the U.S. economy "so that ordinary Americans can participate in the many decisions that affect our lives."
Doesn’t socialism mean that the government will own and run everything?
''Democratic socialists do not want to create an all-powerful government bureaucracy. But we do not want big corporate bureaucracies to control our society either. Rather, we believe that social and economic decisions should be made by those whom they most affect.
Today, corporate executives who answer only to themselves and a few wealthy stockholders make basic economic decisions affecting millions of people. Resources are used to make money for capitalists rather than to meet human needs. We believe that the workers and consumers who are affected by economic institutions should own and control them.
Social ownership could take many forms, such as worker-owned cooperatives or publicly owned enterprises managed by workers and consumer representatives. Democratic socialists favor as much decentralization as possible. While the large concentrations of capital in industries such as energy and steel may necessitate some form of state ownership, many consumer-goods industries might be best run as cooperatives.
Democratic socialists have long rejected the belief that the whole economy should be centrally planned. While we believe that democratic planning can shape major social investments like mass transit, housing, and energy, market mechanisms are needed to determine the demand for many consumer goods.''