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Don't vote for socialism

I for one get sick of conservatives who think they are entitled to a war they won't sacrifice to pay for! Look at President Bush. Socialized medicine hasn't hurt him any.

It's conservatives who have whined about the liberal media not giving fair exposure to conservative ideas. With a fairness doctrine this problem would vanish. Why are conservatives against a fairness doctrine? They like to control the media like Fuax News.

Senator Clinton, and other Democrats, don't want to limit talk radio. They just want to ensure that the slander and lies voiced by the right-wing authoritarian commentators gets answered with the facts. (Note also that the Democrats' proposals would also give people on the right wing the ability to answer left-wing commentators). Sounds fair to me.

The free market is a dandy idea, but when it doesn't work -- such as when Detroit continues to produce cars that Americans don't want due to escalating gas prices (due to oligopolies driving oil prices from oil producing nations)... or when electricity is produced by monopolies (such as Rocky Mountain Power or your municipal utility) and consumers have no choice but to take the decisions of utility executives regarding what kind of electricity (e.g., dirty coal or expensive natural gas-powered electricity) and price your pay... or when insurance companies pick and chose which "profitable" customers to cover to avoid paying out medical costs -- then government has to step in. The problem with capitalism is that it often results in a few powerful businesses/interests that come to control critical commodities (e.g., Coca-Cola's control of water in some regions of India or Shell Oil's control of oil in Nigeria) with few rewards going to locals. We're beholden to multinational oil companies and anti-American (and terrorist-producing) oil-rich nations because our government has done little to change the game. Government programs to provide a safety net or create incentives for alternative fuels is one of the few ways to enact change.

Russell, I agree. I'm afraid that we are approaching the point where a majority of citizens are willing to be sheep if they are promised all of their needs are met by someone else. It does not matter that the someone else cannot, and will not, meet those needs. All that matters is that the promise was made. Half plus one of the country are willing to be sheep and all of us get sheared.

I agree When Free Markets Don't Work. I own a Japanese car. Why? It is better in every way from the American counterparts. It gets better mileage, it is safer, and it is more reliable. It drives better. It holds its value (not that this isn't related to the other factors). It was also cheaper than anything that met most of the same safety standards but was American (and they didn't surpass the standards as my car does).
Those who believe that markets can control themselves (e.g. Ron Paul) without regulation are naive. They haven't looked at history and they don't understand economics. They've bought a line sold to them by Ronald Regan. The free market can regulate itself in many ways but it fails to incorporate costs that can be externalized such as pollution and harm to consumers (and non-consumers) that can be denied using lawyer more cheaply than they can be paid for. Business is not moral. Sometimes we have to regulate it both for the good of the people and the good of the economy.

Ooh, "Socialism" gonna get ya. You use the word like you actually know what it means. You might look at the old study of Pavlov and his dogs. Some blowhard on the radio rings a bell and a thousand Utahns run around yelling "socialism".

socialized medicine is only for Cheney and Bush and the Utah legislature -- really makes sense but can't have the people paying the taxes getting something for their taxes besides corrupt greedy politicians. Schools are socialized and in Utah, you can tell it by the one size fits all mentality and limited education about the world outside of Utah.

Socialism, the dirty word, is bandied about by so many who are paranoid of their own society. It's all evil, I guess, even the socialised law enforcement, water distribution, national defence, garbage pick up, and so on.
For many of us, a national health system makes sense. Doing things like this for the collective good is government at its' best.

It's only 7:30 a.m. and already this thread is full of whining and whimpering. Don't make us responsible for our own lives! Don't make us take care of our own families! Don't make us pay our own doctor! Don't let mean Rush and mean Sean talk on the radio because they hurt our feelings! Don't make life so hard on us when it would be so easy for our rich neighbor to pay for everything!

What are we, a bunch of children playing house? When are we going to be real Americans and realize that we have strong hands and strong shoulders and strong backs that can carry a lot of responsibility. When are we going to realize that WE are the rich neighbor that can and should be helping the less fortunate. When are WE going to get up out of our easy chair and do more than complain? We're already a bunch of socialized wimps that can't get our collective heads out of the public trough.

The role of government is to create a level playing field. Unfortunately, the way our "free market" is running now does not create a level playing field. Any changes to do so, many call it "socialism" when it really may be just regulation into a level playing field.

Yet another letter that implies socialism being a synonym for communism.

I see Rush Limbaugh must be demonizing a new word.
Instead of the usual non-stop attacks on liberals - he's now focusing on socialism as the newest dirty word.
And his flakey Utah fans are eating it up.

I think you miss the mark on free markets. The rather good comment from 5:35 AM, the problem is that what you are describing is not free markets. Detroit pushing products the market doesn't want is just poor planning on their part. I would add that Ford becomes a bit of a dinosaur when their labor pool is so unionized. They find it hard to not only keep up with the market but stay ahead. And I haven't look into the issue but wouldn't be surprised if they receive subsidies in many forms. Hence, not a true free market example.

And of course, power has long been a monopoly, which is not a hall mark of free markets either.

We should not confuse corporte America pushing for government subsidies and intervention and think that is "free market" or capitalism because corporate America says it is. It is the economic school of "Public Choice." It's government using the power of regulation to decide who wins.

Corporate America loves to talk about free markets but loves even more for Government to regulate. It defeats their competitors. Predatory Capitalism.

The failure of this does not mean socialism works. It never does.

The so-called "socialized medicine". My goodness, we have to improve! There are nearing 50 million without health insurance and many more without adequate insurance. This means they pay large amounts for services. We also have many that have their claims denied for "pre-existing conditions" or exclusions. The goal of universal coverage is for all to be able to choose their own plan (but for the insurance companies to do away with the hurtful "rules" that defeat the purpose of health insurance!)
Study it up and you will see that the proposals don't have much in common with "socialied medicine" except that everyone would be able to get some kind of coverage!

I bet Russell expects a socialized fire department to respond to a fire at his house.

And when those without education and those without health care turn to crime to get by, I bet Russell expects a socialized police department to keep order.

If you want to call a single payer health care system socialism, then I am all for it.
We have seen what wont work in health care and that is the current GREED based system.

The favored quote: "Qu'ils mangent les brioches!"

Socialism is the bread, and capitalism is the cake. The people are angry because they have no bread. So let them eat cake.


Statistics from the Economist magazine shows the decline in nineteen nations of male preventable deaths in the last few years. According to these statistics, the rate of preventable deaths declined by 25% in Austria and Ireland, about 23% in Norway, 21.5% in Britain, and 21% in Australia. These were the top five. At the very foot of the list if the nineteen nations was the United States. The rate of male preventable deaths in the United States has only declined by 4% in the last few years.

Is it not ironic that people in America are so scared of socialized medicine that they can't face the facts? The nations with socialized medicine have the best health care. Out of all these 1st world countires on the list, the United States, with its CAPITALIST ideals, has the worst health care.

Please face up to reality. Socialized medicine works, but this ridiculous capitalist system does not work anywhere near as well.

Then let's not cash our checks the government is going to be handing out in a few months. Even those who don't pay taxes will be getting their checks, if that's not socialism I don't know what is.
And this brand of socialism comes straight from the repubs...go figure.
Also, what's the difference between socialism and the law of consecration? There is no difference, it provides for each indiviual to get equal shares.

Don't want socialism? Then you don't want the public to gurantee that all children have the opportunity to attend school. Without which our country would be much less prosperious. Without socialism, we wouldn't have a socialized military to defend us all, we wouldn't have many roads, because land owners would be able to not sell a portion of their land to build a road. Without socialism, you wouldn't have Social Security, and many poor people would have a very poor retirement. I could go on and on.

Socialism isn't a dirty word, it can be overdone just as capitialism can be overdone. What we need is a mix. As usual the truth lies somewhere in the center, not at either of the extremes.

I wonder if the writer has a "Support the Troops" bumper sticker on his car.

Socialism is what government is all about. If we were to go back to the world that conservative espouse, we would be living in a jungle where the only rule would be the survival of the fitest. It is the working together that has made civilization possible.