This is in response to the letter cautioning readers that living in a socialist country is a lot different than you think. “Just ask them,” she says.

Well, The World Happiness Report does that every year. Here is a list of the top 10 happiest nations in the world: Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand, Luxembourg and Austria.

Notice what most of them have in common? And notice that the U.S. is never on it?

The writer believes socialism is innately like the dictatorships who call themselves socialist, like China, Cuba and North Korea. This is simply wrong. Socialism is entirely different in democracies.

The list above speaks for itself. The “happiest places in the world” are democratic socialists.

RODNEY MERRILL

Astoria