@Adam — reasonable people can disagree on how to solve the healthcare crisis. What irks me is the people who reflexively stomp their feet and yell “NOOOO!” and do not suggest alternatives.

I agree that cost is the root issue — but I tend to think that a big part of the problem is that we have a bunch of for-profit companies essentially running healthcare in the USA. Their incentive is to not help people get care, it’s to collect as much money as possible and pay out as little as possible. Giving people help in paying premiums doesn’t IMO solve the root issue of misaligned incentives.

@JD — bear in mind that I am a Democrat and a capitalist, I am not myself a Socialist. That said I think there are aspects of Socialism that are appealing in how it approaches some of the inequities in Capitalism. A number of governments today struggle with the issue of how to balance incentive & social support. We can learn from them.

What I’m really trying to say is that stereotyping Fox News viewers as ignorant or misinformed is really doing a disservice to your arguments. Much like calling Bush ‘stupid’ was. It comes off as very juvenile and even throwing occasional insults towards your opponents forces them to disregard everything else you say.

Anyway.. socialism is very scary to a lot people. If someone has a phobia, rational arguments about why they shouldn’t have a phobia doesn’t usually work. So… people are afraid of Socialism. This is just a sad fact. Lets not forget that Americans are so afraid that they fought WORLD WARS to prevent it’s spread. Whether you like it or not, when the government gets directly involved in it citizen’s health, socialism alarm bells ring.

The overall goal is noble. Getting sick shouldn’t lead to bankruptcy. I don’t think anyone could disagree with that goal. The issue the country is conflicted over is the solution. I personally believe the root cause is the _cost_ of healthcare.

So rather than using taxpayer money to provide expensive healthcare, why don’t we focus on driving down the costs? or even simpler, why not just give every qualifying citizen a credit for healthcare? Why do we need to setup a government-run healthcare system? When faced with mass hunger, we didn’t create a government-run grocery store… we created a food-stamps program. Why is this so different?

I must admit, I’m a bit jaded here as I spent several years working for the federal government. Our government may be the best in the world, but they are the most incompetent organization in existence. The very _last_ organization I’d trust with my health. Sure, it sounds great when Obama is in charge, but what happens when someone you don’t agree with is in charge. Imagine if Hilary-care happened back in the 90s. That would have meant Bush was controlling your health for 8 years… scary, right?

We always tend to think things can only get better, but given our current financial crisis (9 trillion in debt), I have to think things are just going to get worse. Sorry to end on a downer, but thats what most concerns me about the current plan… it doesn’t seem fiscally possible.

But that shouldn’t prevent others from observing the actual historical effects of political structures trying to enact socialist policies, right?

iow, I heard you saying “I know a nice person who ‘was a socialist’”. But that doesn’t directly counter “High-achieving people historically try to avoid ‘socialist’ types of societies, which usually promote their own types of sorrowful inequalities, and which inevitably implode from their absence of meaningful market signals.”

Or, more briefly, your grandfather may not have hurt people, but socialists definitely have, and this topic should not be hidden away.

Two issues, true? Should critical speech be banned (I hope not)?

jd

PS: I don’t know whose speech annoyed you.

So, I don’t know the difference between Socialism & Communism because I have right-leaning views? That doesn’t seem like a much stronger argument than the folks who overreact (like Phillip did – although I do appreciate the mellowing comment at the end ) to what’s going on in the first place.

It’s my belief that it’s our inability for one side to seriously put a foot toward the other when it makes sense that gets us all wrapped up around all these issues.

I want health care that works (I personally don’t believe the current proposals or the current situation are sufficient), a government that helps but knows where to draw the line and most of all for individuals and families to stand up and take personal responsibility to strengthen their communities and those around them (through education, morale obligations, etc.).

@Philip – China = Communist.

Contrary to what Fox News et all will have you beliefe, Socialism is not Communism. The sooner the Right learsns the difference, the sooner we have a chance at turning the hatred into debate.

Just for grins – Nazis and Communists are on opposite sides. If you believe the extreme right perceptiosns, you are agreeing with Nazis.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/04/16/daily-show-fox-knowledge/

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/19/fox-news-viewers-misinformed/

Fair and Balanced… and misinformed.

I admit I am bias on a few aspects of life…

I will agree to read more Paul Krugman, if you all agree to watch a bit more FoxNews.

Peace Out. Nice blog’n with you all.

This is a preference in our life. We either select being alone and finding an escape only for us, or making the solutions more global and organizing a global solution for all others.

We just need to decide our position on this question. Either I don’t care for others and I can find a way for myself, or I am a modern human brain and I care for whole humanity in the world.

I do not care whatever the names are as socialist, communist etc. I just care my position about this main question and I prefer being a responsible citizen who cares about everything in the world.

Yes, in this case, I am a socialist!

Clearly you don’t condone the use of public library, medicare, public schools, public roads, fire department, police department, post office, etc.