To the Journal editor:

Stephen Moore, a self-described Trump advisor, published an op-ed column posted in The Mining Journal on June 30 entitled “England a good lesson in pitfalls of ‘democratic socialism’ but the only lesson it teaches is that Mr. Moore lacks any understanding of either democratic socialism or current events. He attributes the economic doldrums being experienced by England these days to democratic socialism, but the overwhelming majority of economists explain that those woes, which are real, are the direct consequence of Brexit, England’s foolish decision to break from the European Union which clearly resulted from anti-immigration hysteria.

Like many right-wing pundits, Mr. Moore is also poorly acquainted with the meaning of the word “socialism.” Currently, in the US, we have Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public schools, police, fire, public transportation, national defense, road construction and maintenance and subsidized housing for poor and elderly people. These are just some of the things which are part of democratic socialism. Which of these institutions does Mr. Moore want to abolish?

The US is recognized by all economic experts as a “mixed economy,” neither fully capitalist nor fully socialist. We try to use the best tools available to solve our problems and issues, sometimes taking the socialist approach and sometimes the market approach. I don’t want the government telling me which brand of automobile I should buy, but I do want it to insist that whatever I buy has seat belts.

Mr. Moore ends his column with “We need a socialism vaccine in America.” Actually, Mr. Moore, vaccines are a hybrid of market and socialist approaches. But we could use a vaccine against stupidity.