Hey, is democratic socialism the right path for America?

In average life expectancy, the U.S. is behind more than 30 countries. Spain, which boasts one of the best health care systems in the world, has a single-payer universal health care model. Switzerland, France, Norway, Sweden and Finland — which have government-funded universal health care — also rank higher than the U.S.

In the U.S., the average CEO makes 354 times more money than the average worker. In Germany, one of the world’s leading economies, CEOs make only 147 times more than workers — which is still a lot, but less than double the rate in the U.S. Why is Germany less unequal? Because labor representatives and workers sit on corporate boards. That means when issues of pay come up, there are people in positions of power to speak up for workers’ salaries and not just CEO and shareholder interests. It’s no wonder that the average worker income in Germany is 16% greater than the average income in the U.S.

When you learn the details, democratic socialism looks pretty good, doesn’t it?

Sally Kohn is an activist, columnist and television commentator.