Americans are already Socialist.

Socialism is such a bad word in the Unites States of America.

I recently watched the Michael Moore Documentary 'Sicko' and I have started to realise a few things...

Americans are already Socialist.

Like the documentary points out, the Police, Fire Services and Schools are all government funded. They are not private, they make no profit. Why?

Is it because they are 'essential' services, perhaps?

• Are the Police essential to our everyday lives?
  
• Do we really need a Fire Service?
  
• And why bother to allow people to go to school for free?

Yes, I think we can all agree, Right Wing, Left Wing and every single person in the middle, these services are 'essential'.

So, lets assume that Fire, Police and Schools are indeed essential.

• You have a right to be safe from fire.
  
• You have a right to be protected from crime.
  
• You have a right to be Educated.
• Do you have a right to be healthy?
  

The USA is the only western country in the world without universal healthcare for its citizens. it is the only country that demands that a citizen must place their trust in a private profit making company to look after their healthcare. But that's the only option I guess, because the mere mention of making the system go public attracts cries of "Socialism!".

I grew up in Scotland, UK. I have lived in Australia and I now live in New Zealand. All these countries share a common belief:
Freedom requires that you as a human being have a right to access primary essential services..

• Police
• Fire Services
• Education
• Free Heathcare.

Listing these services as 'essential' does not make a country is socialist in any way shape or form. The UK, Germany, France and Japan (to name a few) are among the worlds largest capitalist economies. Yes they may have what you could call 'social' elements to their structure, but they are free, democratic and capitalist nations anyway.

• Making profit is not evil.
• Socialised health care is not evil.
  

So why do Americans fear the 'S' word?

Would you prefer to receive a bill the next time the police chase a rapist from your neighbourhood? or would you stand up to keep it FREE?

NASA is another example of a fully funded United States organisation and is respected world-wide for its amazing achievements in space exploration and science, but if you want to, you could call it a Socialist organisation. Does that make NASA bad? Does that mean that the NASA logo should be replaced with a Hammer and Sickle?

The Cold War is over and just because the the USSR was communist and socialist doesn't mean that there must be fear of public healthcare.

As a side note I'd also like to mention that after NASA's space shuttles were grounded the only vehicle left to fly into space for manned missions was the Soviet era Soyuz. A craft built with no private money whatsoever. Ironic?

Muzzerino

Dear American, Socialism is NOT a Bad Word

Socialists mainly share the belief that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth into a small section of society who control capital, and creates an unequal society.

All socialists advocate the creation of an egalitarian society, in which wealth and power are distributed more evenly, although there is considerable disagreement among socialists over how, and to what extent this could be achieved.

To me, the greatest reason why I would ever become a Socialist is health care.

100% Free health care. (tax funded of course)

Maybe I am crazy but as far as I am concrned, health care is a Right, not a Privilege which only a certain percentage of society should have access to.

Every human being should have access to free and high quality health care without being asked for a Credit Card or Insurance Certificate, Surely even the most staunch Capitalist would agree that this "basic" human right should be met.

What amazes me about the American system of health care, is the large number of people who seem to have been brainwashed into accepting that any kind of 'free' system is bad because..

Free healthcare = socialism and socialism is a bad word.

Many people in the United States seem happy to pay for medical insurance cover and also seem to believe that it will provide in their darkest hour of need, the cover which it proclaims. I would have serious doubts over trusting a private company to pay for my medical bills, especially after watching the movie 'Sicko' where it was revealed that these companies actually employ people to deliberatly look for reasons to 'deny' your cover and often find one, no matter how small and insignificant that reason is.

I would much prefer to trust the government with my health care. Why? because I believe in democracy, I believe that for the most part, my government (in this case NZ and UK) can be trusted to look after the people. They do not seek profit and therefore are highly unlikely to deny my rights for medical care.

Does this make me A Socialist?

further reading >

• Thread on American Socialism
• Socialism shouldn't be considered a bad word
• NHS Support Federation
  

P.s. If you are against free health care and don't mind paying for cover, that's fine, but what about Police, Schools, Fire service? Should you get a bill from the Police when they arrest a criminal on your property? should you fork out a few thousand dollars for the fire dept who successfully extinguish your burning home?

Muzzerino.

Keep Our NHS Public!