A European's Perspective on socialism and why Americans reject it

reply to post by TheAnuraOne


Hey now. let's not descend into hate. I could start bringing up the fact that your banks held gold stolen from the Jews during WWII and never divulged this until a decade ago. Did that help your economy any? But that wouldn't be fair of me...

reply to post by TheAnuraOne

I have a few more things to add after re-reading your blog. You don't have many people on welfare because you don't have millions of people entering your country illegally. If I showed up in your country and asked for a job so I could live there would you let me stay? I agree that Sweden and the U.S. are two different animals. The reason many Americans see socialism as a freeloader state is that our social programs have enabled people to sit and wait for a program to fix their problems instead of relying on themselves. this culture has been institutionalized here and is pervasive in many urban areas.

Macman Wrote: "It is nice that you went to a College here. Great and fantastic. It still doesn't truly instill what America is about. Since I visited Mexico, or some other country does not give me any more information to banter on about how their country needs to change and become more like this or that.
With your background, and statements, you set up the idea that if i come and live in your country for a period of time, it gives me grounds to start into you about how you fear Democracy and so on. It, in fact does not."
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I wish that you could live in his/her country for awhile. It might open your eyes to some hard truths.
The whole idea that folks from other countries are not allowed to criticise the USA is foolish beyond words. These forums are for debate and expression, and the whole "shut up about the USA" attitude runs contrary to that.

Macman Wrote: "This thread is starting to become a sales pitch. You are coming across as our friendly door to door salesman offering Socialism instead of vacums."
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I didn't see it as a sales pitch at all. I saw the original post as an effort to aid in understanding between two different cultures.
What the USA needs, and I speak as an American here, is a conversation that goes beyond the usual talking points and misinformation perpetuated by people who have a lot of money to gain if we dismantle government. As an example, half my family lives in Canada and they, including my elderly aunt and uncle, absolutely love the healthcare system there. They wouldn't trade it for the world. However, when I turn on the TV here in the USA, all I hear is "death panels" and "terrible long lines for care - you'll die while you wait for that bypass surgery"! When I see this split between reality and propaganda I have to think that something is wrong.

Macman Wrote: "The US does not need it, and for the most part we do not want it. We need to go back to our roots of our creation as a nation."
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The Constitution was written back in the days when, if you got sick, you went to the barber and paid him with a chicken to bleed you. This country needs to come to terms with new realities created by tremendous scientific advances that have happened since that time. You would like, perhaps, for the poor to resort to the 1700's treatment for their sickness as I just described? Because that is what you would be bringing us back to.

This whole idea that every American should really strive to be some autonomous 'maverick' as opposed to a citizen of our country doesn't hold water with me. The companies and wealthy individuals who want lower taxes conveniently forget that the institutions and infrastructure that provide them with the opportunity to become so wealthy can only exist within a stable and functional society. In order to have one of these, there needs to be some provision made to provide for the 'common good': a means to educate children, to build and maintain necessary infrastructure, to encourage/force citizens to honor individuals' property rights, to head off plagues, to deal with natural disasters, to enter into treaties and negotiations with other nations, and the list is endless. It all requires a government, which requires taxation. If you feel the government is not doing a good enough job, change the people in power but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. That would be like abolishing the police force because you find that some policemen are corrupt.
Whatever you do, don't elect people to govern who claim that the government can't do anything right. Doesn't anybody else out there see the lunacy of that?

Question for TheAnuraOne: Why would Swedish-style socialism only work for smaller countries and not larger ones?
Also, the USA is made up of fifty states. I've often thought that the "USA is too big for that solution" argument could be overcome if each state had more autonomy to take taxes and adminster services.