Quote:
Originally Posted by WildcatVet
Anyone else ever lived in a socialist society? You'll find out why there have been so many emigrants arriving from countries that are.
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Are you mistaking the word socialism for communism? There is a difference. As for living in a country that has some socialized systems, then yes. The United States of America. Think Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. These are systems that most all Americans not only benefit from, but would NOT want to do without. That includes most Americans who vote for Republicans. But are there other highly desirable socialized systems most would like and benefit from that the US doesn't have? Yes, universal health care. Though we do have Obama Care (Affordable Care Act), that is not a fully universal healthcare system. It's a shame. I think the US should eventually adopt one. I know that even the average Republican would end up preferring it. Why don't they? Because right-wing propaganda misleads them into thinking it's bad and something it really isn't. That's called false education. Meanwhile, most of Europe, Canada, and many other nations in the world have it, or something much closer to it than the US, and they like it. If you asked them if they'd want what the US has, most all would say "Heck no!"
Universal health care is a big reason why my husband and I are moving to Czech Republic soon. Czech Republic has it. I am still happy that the election in the US went as it did, but even with Biden, fully universal health care isn't yet on the horizon. Biden is a generally conservative Democrat. Plus, Republicans fight like hell against universal health care. Not because it would be bad for citizens, but because they much rather prefer to support the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries because such
for profit industries fund their campaigns. These industries want power. They do similar for some conservative democrats, as well. That is why misinformation about universal health care is spread. Money/profit. Not with any real concern or interest in the health of the American people.
Propaganda equates socialized systems to autocracy. That's false. Again, the US has had some well-liked socialized systems for a long time. Franklin D. Roosevelt created some to get the US out of a depression and support Americans. He was a well-liked president.
A reason many are happy with the result of the US election this week is because the current president has strong autocratic leanings. Even fascist type, to a degree. That's anti-democracy and frightening to those who really understand what's been happening these past almost four years.
One can easily have socialized systems (like the US Social security system) and be highly democratic. In fact, not having some socialized systems can be undemocratic and frankly, cruel. Supporting one another (love thy neighbor) is a good thing and one some religions preach. If all work to support one another, it is akin to one huge family. Also, in the end, it becomes less expensive for the vast majority. Right now, an extremely small percentage of the US population has a disproportionately large amount of money, and are not taxed suffiently. That reflects a capitalist system, which isn't a totally bad thing, but it has been unchecked for a long while. The gap is only increasing. Rich getting richer, middle class smaller, number of poor rising. Rich have indeed been getting more and more powerful. So powerful that the system is less and less democratic. In Russia, an equivalency to the ultra powerful rich are the numbers of oligarchs there. Meanwhile, in most western and Central European countries (and select others) wealth is much more evenly distributed. There are real numbers to back this up. The facts are facts.