The TRUTH about "Socialism."

I'm really tired of hearing statements about the evils of Socialism and then finding out that most people have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. They keep bringing up Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, but those were not really Socialist in the sense of the word, they were Fascist. And actually they were more Corporatist Fascist states and if any nation currently in the world is moving toward that type of system, it's the United States.

So, I happened to be reading some comments about how we'll soon be taxed to death by Socialism, how the Democrats will destroy us, the Liberals will eat our young, etc. and so on. And I found someone living in a Socialized nation and he pegged it, so I present his statement as my "you are SO wrong" to the anti-Socialism way of thinking. Note that this was in response to a statement that we will be paying an outrageous tax "like Europe" for Universal Healthcare and other social programs being discussed in Congress.

JUNE 8, 2010 7:07 AM

As I happen to live in Europe in a country (Belgium) which has always had relatively high taxes, let me point out a few other “facts”.

Everyone here has health coverage. For my wife and I the cost is about $2340 per year for hospitalization for full coverage anywhere in the European Union for both of us. This is full coverage for doctors, hospital room, surgery, medicines, etc., in a country ranked 21st out of 190 for medical care. Most of the countries in the top 25 are in Europe. USA ranks 37. France is no. 1. http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html

For insurance for occasional visits to the doctor we pay about $280 per year for two people. A doctor’s visit costs around $30. As there is a big emphasis on preventive medicine a yearly medical costs me about $15. I have a colonoscopy every five years. The last one cost me about $18. By the way, most medical coverage in Europe is not nationalized. It’s private. The only national system I know of exists in the UK with the NHS.

Never save money to buy a car? It’s interesting that the gross savings in Belgium is one of the highest in the world. https://econ365.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/gross-savings-rate.pdf That’s quite different from the credit card living typical of many families in the USA.

Never buy a house? At 65%, the percentage of home ownership happens to be exactly the same in the USA as in Belgium. And when people here do buy a house they aren’t likely to lose it. Did you happen to notice that the subprime problem with home ownership was mainly in the USA? http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_hom_own-people-home-ownership

And when I do buy that house I’m probably going to be able to keep it. My house in Belgium is worth around $700,000. I got the tax bill a few days ago for next year. The yearly taxes are $1430. That is quite different from USA where many retired people are forced to move out of their homes by rising real estate taxes. The only other property tax we pay is about $97 per year for garbage collection.

Never be able to buy a car? When were you last in Europe? The cars on the streets here make USA look like a junk yard. It’s rare to see a car more than ten years old on the streets, with a high percentage of BMWs and Mercedes around, not to speak of the Porsches.

Never send your children to college? Why not? Except for some minor fees for things like insurance, the universities are free. It’s quite a different system where university entrance depends on ability rather than ability to pay.

Yes, our taxes are higher, but you get what you pay for. We also pay a lot more tax on gasoline. That should happen in USA as well. Nothing would stimulate the development of alternative energy sources faster than gasoline at $6.00 per gallon.

Poverty? My wife and I spend a fair amount of time in USA and we are always struck by the poverty we see. Food banks? Most people here don’t even understand the concept of a food bank. So, if the changes underway will make life in the USA “exactly like life in Europe” as your article states, many people have much to look forward to.

A resident of Europe