You Socialist!

Socialism-various theories of economic organization advocating state, public or common worker ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and a society characterized by equal access to resources for all individuals with a more egalitarian method of compensation.

Are we a socialist nation? Absolutely not. Should we embrace elements of socialism? Absolutely. For example the "equal access to resources for all individuals" is a great concept. It is a must to counteract the elitism that is still alive and well in the US.
I understand that socialism is one of those "great on paper" ideas that will only work in theory, but that does not mean that we cannot embrace and apply some of its aspects that will go a long way to benefiting our country.

Let's take healthcare, for example, since it's a hot topic. Many Americans are against it, and this scares me for two reasons: 1) people actually do listen to whoever talks the loudest and 2) people really don't care about their fellow man.

First point: Many Republicans are saying that the President's healthcare plan will not work and the American people are listening to all of their yelling and doing some of their own as evident by the townhall meetings. I have no problem with anyone disagreeing with a particular plan; I actually think that is the best way to come up with the best solution. I do have a problem when misinformation is being fed to the people. For instance, saying that Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the President's advisors, is a "deadly doctor" and wants to limit healthcare for the disabled and the elderly. This is what people are being told, and people are getting scared. What they aren't being told is that this logic is being taken completely out of context from research papers that the doctor has published over the years. Nevertheless, the thought is in their heads and their fears have been awaken...the loud talk worked! Reversing this will be an uphill battle.

Second point: what is true about this new healthcare reform plan is that those of us who are comfortably insured could end up footing the bill for those who are not, and possibly end up paying more. I have a problem with the fact that this bothers and fuels a lot of the opponents of the healthcare reform. And not to mention, you will be able to keep your current plan if you're happy with it? Ridiculous. Personally, if I know that my paying extra will benefit my fellow man and help him to afforded the same level of care that I receive, I have no problem with it. I'm all for affording equal opportunities to all resources to ALL Americans. It's our Christian as well as our civic duty to help those who are unable to help themselves, or at least give them the same opportunities that we have been afforded. If wanting this makes me a socialist, then call me Karl Marx.

Cheers to (proper) healthcare,

JIP