When Chris Matthews totally lost what little common sense he has left and went on a Trumpian tiraid against Bernie Sanders and socialism - going so far as to imagine political executions in NYC's Central Park if Bernie becomes POTUS - I recalled this quote from Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr
The problem is that we all [too ] often have socialism for the rich and rugged free enterprise capitalism for the poor. That’s the problem.
“The Minister to the Valley,” February 23, 1968, From the archives of the SCLC.
But as powerful as this quote is, it's just the "wrap":
Whenever the government provides opportunities in privileges for white people and rich people they call it “subsidized” when they do it for Negro and poor people they call it “welfare.” The fact is that everybody in this country lives on welfare. Suburbia was built with federally subsidized credit. And highways that take our white brothers out to the suburbs were built with federally subsidized money to the tune of 90 percent. Everybody is on welfare in this country. The problem is that we all [too] often have socialism for the rich and rugged free enterprise capitalism for the poor. That’s the problem.
King often spoke about democratic socialism and capitalism. CommonDreams has compiled 11 quotes from King that explore his pro-socialist beliefs. Here are 3 of them:
"I imagine you already know that I am much more socialistic in my economic theory than capitalistic… [Capitalism] started out with a noble and high motive… but like most human systems it fell victim to the very thing it was revolting against. So today capitalism has out-lived its usefulness"
Letter to Coretta Scott, July 18, 1952.
“Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God’s children.”
– Speech to the Negro American Labor Council, 1961.
“[W]e are saying that something is wrong … with capitalism…. There must be better distribution of wealth and maybe America must move toward a democratic socialism.”
– Speech to his staff, 1966
Least we forget, the official title of the historic 1963 Washington DC demonstration was The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and that King was assassinated in Memphis, TN, on Aoril 4, 1968 while taking part in a labor dispute involving the city's predominantly African-American sanitation workers union.
Though limiting King to his "civil rights" activism fits the severe whitewashing of his legacy, King was acutely aware of the complex interplay of racism and economic justice. He saw democratic socialism as the best system for solving America's myriad social ills. I only hope that Matthews feels a thrill go up his leg when he learns this...