Why Are Many Americans Scared Of Socialism?

Peter Parka said:
No that's not my opinion, it's a fact, even the BNP support the national health service.
Click to expand...

I'm not really interested in who supports national health care. I care about how it will affect America. I don't believe it will be a good thing, and I believe it's a step towards socialism, and it leads to big government.

You thinking I'm wrong for having my opinion is your opinion, and you're welcome to it.

And telling me I'm wrong by saying your political parties support it is quite a weak argument regardless.
 
Peter Parka said:
Why can't you have both? That sounds more of a choice than your current system.
Click to expand...

Because if a national health plan were to be instated many business, mostly medium to small, who struggle to pay their insurance premiums would stop providing health plans. With the added taxes, it would be very hard to pay for a plan on your own. Your average middle class person would then be forced to use the national health plan. Health insurance companies will then lose revenue, and will cutback on staff, causing more people to lose their jobs. More and more people will be forced to use the national health plan, forcing many doctors to either accept what the government deems they should be paid or go out of business. More and more doctors will close their practices, which will result in more job loss, and lack of doctors, increasing the time it takes to even see a doctor.

The end result is a massive loss of jobs, increased wait times to see a doctor, a much longer wait for medical procedures (for instance my gall bladder surgery would have taken years to get instead of the 2 months it took), and a decrease in the service you get at a doctor's office. Not to mention the fact that our government has proven it's completely inept at managing anything on a large scale. Take one look at medicare or social security. Both complete disasters.
 
Accountable said:
Odd that the people most interested in us getting government-run healthcare don't live here.
Click to expand...
Like I said before I really don't care what your country does with it's medical system but when I read posts such as the one by satinbutterfly I can see the anti-reform movement has really done its job.

In particular I find this quite amusing and would really like to know how she came up with the notion it would take years to get her gallbladder surgery. I really would.

satinbutterfly said:
increased wait times to see a doctor, a much longer wait for medical procedures (for instance my gall bladder surgery would have taken years to get instead of the 2 months it took),
Click to expand...

As you know we have socialized medicine in Canada and my gallbladder issue was solved within two weeks. ie: saw doctor, scheduled for tests, diagnosed, waited for a call from hospital, got call from hospital, went to hospital, had gallbladder removed, ate shitty food for one night, sent home the next day. All in less than two weeks with no cost whatsoever to me.
 
satinbutterfly said:
Because if a national health plan were to be instated many business, mostly medium to small, who struggle to pay their insurance premiums would stop providing health plans. With the added taxes, it would be very hard to pay for a plan on your own. Your average middle class person would then be forced to use the national health plan. Health insurance companies will then lose revenue, and will cutback on staff, causing more people to lose their jobs. More and more people will be forced to use the national health plan, forcing many doctors to either accept what the government deems they should be paid or go out of business. More and more doctors will close their practices, which will result in more job loss, and lack of doctors, increasing the time it takes to even see a doctor.

The end result is a massive loss of jobs, increased wait times to see a doctor, a much longer wait for medical procedures (for instance my gall bladder surgery would have taken years to get instead of the 2 months it took), and a decrease in the service you get at a doctor's office. Not to mention the fact that our government has proven it's completely inept at managing anything on a large scale. Take one look at medicare or social security. Both complete disasters.
Click to expand...

Well, I was under the assumption that the US military was the best in the world..

I suppose not then.
 
satinbutterfly said:
Many Americans disagree, and feel that national health care is a step in that direction, hence the worry. Our health care choices will no longer be our own, they will be the government's. Socialism is exactly that... taking away the individual choices for the good of the whole.
Click to expand...

Like it has been said before, there isn't a Capitalist economy on the planet, that does not incorporate at least some forms of Socialism into their economy.

Take police and educational services for example, you don't hear people crying "the educational choices I make for my child are no longer my own!". That simply doesn't happen, you can pretty much send your child to any school you want.

I don't see how this will be any different for healthcare, most of the discussion about "My freedoms are being taken away!", is simply empty rhetoric. I'm not sure why it makes sense for people to have their healthcare choices dominated by an unaccountable corporation, who's only obligation is to make their shareholders more and more money.

As opposed to a government, who, in theory is supposed to look out for your interests.
 
Meirionnydd said:
Like it has been said before, there isn't a Capitalist economy on the planet, that does not incorporate at least some forms of Socialism into their economy.
Click to expand...
Agreed, but that doesn't mean that's best, good, or right; only that it's true.
Meirionnydd said:
Take police and educational services for example, you don't hear people crying "the educational choices I make for my child are no longer my own!". That simply doesn't happen, you can pretty much send your child to any school you want.
Click to expand...
Police service si not a social program.
YOU don't hear people complaining about the education system. It certainly does happen here; please stop assuming our country is just like yours. Parents cannot send their children to any school they want, pretty much or otherwise.
Meirionnydd said:
I don't see how this will be any different for healthcare, most of the discussion about "My freedoms are being taken away!", is simply empty rhetoric. I'm not sure why it makes sense for people to have their healthcare choices dominated by an unaccountable corporation, who's only obligation is to make their shareholders more and more money.
Click to expand...
Of course you don't. Different people have tried explaining it many times in OTZ. I don't see any benefit to trying anymore.
Meirionnydd said:
As opposed to a government, who, in theory is supposed to look out for your interests.
Click to expand...
YOUR government is supposed to look out for your interests. MY government is supposed to look out for my enemies and leave me the hell alone. A foreign concept for you, I'm sure. Take it as a cultural curiosity.
 
To me it's simple, and I so hate these debates because you just can't win. However, our system was built on the premise that you can be what you want, build an empire, or choose not to. Over the years since the inception of the United States, the government has continually crept in, and taken small bites of our control over our collective destiny, which totally flies in the face of the original intent OF the United States to begin with, why would we have spent untold fortunes, and countless lives of soldiers opposing communism, simply to one day give up and become them. Some folks overseas live in countries that stifle imagination, or ambition. If you have a Queen/King controlling everything, what's the use in getting up and going to work? In some of the places I have been there has been only two classes, the rich and poor, and to be rich you have to be born rich. Here there's hope
 
Back
Top