The campaign of one now nationally famous Bernie Sanders ignited a topic that had been buried in the American subconscious with the downfall of the McCarthy witch-hunt of the 1950s: socialism. Or communism. To the vast majority of politically-disengaged Americans, there really isn’t much difference.

I hope in this article to explain not only why I’m a proud self-proclaimed socialist, but also what that means, especially in the context of this political climate.

1. I believe in universal healthcare

This was a hot-button issue of the Sanders campaign, and remains something that President Obama will long be remembered for initiating through the Affordable Care Act. The support of universal healthcare comes from the belief that healthcare is a right, not something you can only get if you can afford it.

I want to go on record saying that, while I am thrilled that Obama took the first steps towards a more comprehensive healthcare system, it is not nearly enough. The main issue with “Obamacare” is that the health insurance companies continue to dictate prices of and access to medical care of all kinds. When this happens, financial interests become more important than protecting people’s lives.

Ultimately, the healthcare debate comes down to one of a few key questions: what do we want our priority to be as a nation? What is more important, to make money or to value American’s health?

There is a certain point at which we must recognize that the conservative idea of “personal responsibility” only stretches so far; some financial and medical circumstances are beyond our control. We cannot, and should not, force people to suffer the consequences of things that are out of their hands.

2. I believe in big government

Before you click that exit button, please let me explain. When I say I believe in “big government,” I don’t mean handing my personal information over to the NSA or constructing some real-life Orwellian dystopia.

What I believe, instead is that our government and its officials should fulfill their title of “public service.” Government is the one system that can use its power to guarantee all citizens certain rights and privileges. To quote Marvel’s blockbuster hit Spider-Man, “with great power comes great responsibility.” Please forgive me.

My point is, I think that our government should use the power we have granted it as voters and citizens to constantly improve our society, both nationally and internationally. Whether that be through creating responsible trade deals, rebuilding national infrastructure, or providing basic healthcare to all citizens.

Government should do whatever it can to make our lives easier and more enjoyable. And while conservatives feel the best way is for it to shrink, I see more potential in guiding a bigger government through a more compassionate path.

3. I believe in taxation

With more government programs comes more taxes, this is true. Some of the highest tax rates exist in Northern Europe and Western Europe, something you’re bound to hear whenever you bring up socialism in conservative America. But what many leave out is that with those higher taxes comes free universal healthcare, a shorter workweek, a much higher minimum wage, tuition-free public universities, paid parental leave and vacation time, widespread functioning public transportation, etc.

The real issue lies not in how much we pay in taxes, but what our government does with that money. We currently spend more on military and weapons than the next 25 countries combined, and both the extremely wealthy and their big corporations pay almost nothing in taxes through a mixture of lobbied tax-breaks and outsourced jobs and funds.

In all honesty, we already have a good portion of the funds that we’d need to create the programs I listed above; we’re just not routing the money to the right places because a greedy few at the top have developed a system which only benefits them.

So, when working class blue-collar Americans oppose higher taxes, they’re missing the bigger picture: why should our taxes go up when there are wealthy people not paying their fair share? Why should we pay more when the money is going towards things against our best interests?

The system has been designed to create division and anger between lower rungs of the economic ladder, in order to divert attention from the actions of those at the top. The sooner we realize taxation itself is not the issue, the sooner we can do something about where are money is going.

4. I believe there are more important things than money

This final belief is sort of a catch-all, and you can find it in everything I’ve said thus far, but I feel this is important enough to pay more attention to.

Our current economic system is founded on, and encourages greed. Greed is what pulled the economy into the Great Depression. Greed is what pulled the economy into the Great Recession. And if we keep going the way we’ve been going post-2008, it won’t be long before our greed catches up to us again.

We as a society value money above all else, whether we want to admit it or not. We’re always looking for ways to make money, save money, spend money, and win money.

I don’t say this to place blame on anyone; it makes sense that we would take actions to improve our lives given the opportunity. Some would call it a part of “human nature.” Because we are predisposed to be self-indulgent and greedy, we need a system in place that contains these desires so that they do not negatively impact others.

Here is where big government comes in. Through laws and regulations, we are able to structure and enforce our priorities. Government can use legal power to ensure that greed and profit never overshadow compassion and community.

Is this all idealistic? Without a doubt (as people love to tell me). But why is idealism a bad thing? Everything that we have, everything that we are, was at one point no more than an idealistic concept. What draws the line between idealism and “reality” is not some objective value system, but rather the value we collectively attribute to an idea. We have the power to change and to demand change, we only need to recognize that power.