Socialism in the US; Is America (At Least Partly) Socialist? And Is Socialism '"Bad?"

NOTE: This is an unpublished blog from last year.

So many Americans seem to be up in arms about that ever present enemy, "socialism." Woooooo, "socialism." Scary word down there in the US these days, a word made ever increasingly more hateful by the day courtesy of our friends over at Fox News Channel (and Fox affiliate radio programs, of course. Don't worry Rush Limbaugh, I didn't forget your hateful, lying ass). And yet, this ever increasingly hated enemy is nothing but smoke and mirrors. In fact, the U.S, along with every other developed nation, thrives on semi socialist policies.



Here is a short list of Socialist policies and programs in the US (taken from a forum post over at IMDB.com by a user named TheGuyWithTheThing. TGWTT, if you ever happen to read this, thank you for putting so many of the services down in one place, it was very useful, as I am not American and would not have thought of the less obvious ones (to a Canadian, at least) such as OSHA standards):  

-Army - A taxpayer-funded government volunteer service that receives government health care

-Navy - A taxpayer-funded government volunteer service that receives government health care

-National Guard - A taxpayer-funded government volunteer service that receives government health care

-Air Force - A taxpayer-funded government volunteer service that receives government health care

-Firefighters - Even people who adhere to fire safety standards are forced to pay for careless peoples' protection.

-Departments of Transportation - The government owns the streets, and takes money from people to pay for maintenance on roads they don't even use.

-Departments of Sanitation - The government filters water, eliminates trash, recycles, and disposes of sewage. They use everybody's tax money to do this, regardless of how sanitary your own home may be.

-Child Labor Laws - Government interfering into the free market.

-Disability Insurance - Government ensuring the survival of those who are physically unable to work.

-Police - Even if you intentionally live in a low-crime area, your money pays for police to work in other neighborhoods.

-Prisons - Even if you weren't a victim of any crime, or disagree with imprisonment, the government controls this industry.

-Electrical grid - Government taking money from the wealthy and making sure the poor have electricity, even in remote areas.

-FEMA - Government-funded disaster relief. My house wasn't flooded, why do I pay those taxes?

-OSHA standards - Again, government telling businesses what they can and cannot do.

-Anti-discrimination laws - Again, government telling businesses what they can and cannot do.

All of these are paid for with taxpayer money, regardless of whether you use it or not. And, you'll recall that one form of socialism encompasses public ownership and administration of the means of production and allocation of resources.

Means of production and allocation of resources.....public ownership......okay, let's see if I can figure out if any of these services or policies fit one of the two criteria for a socialist policy/system. Of course, these could get a bit tricky, not even being American and all. Some may not fit, while some may actually fit both but I'll give it the ol' College try!

Means of Production

-Electrical grid - Government taking money from the wealthy and making sure the poor have electricity, even in remote areas.

-Departments of Transportation - The government owns the streets, and takes money from people to pay for maintenance on roads they don't even use.


-Departments of Sanitation - The government filters water, eliminates trash, recycles, and disposes of sewage. They use everybody's tax money to do this, regardless of how sanitary your own home may be.

-Child Labor Laws - Government interfering into the free market.

-Prisons - Even if you weren't a victim of any crime, or disagree with imprisonment, the government controls this industry.


-OSHA standards - Again, government telling businesses what they can and cannot do.


-Anti-discrimination laws - Again, government telling businesses what they can and cannot do.

Allocation of Resources

-Army - A taxpayer-funded government volunteer service that receives government health care

-Navy - A taxpayer-funded government volunteer service that receives government health care

-National Guard - A taxpayer-funded government volunteer service that receives government health care

-Air Force - A taxpayer-funded government volunteer service that receives government health care

-Firefighters - Even people who adhere to fire safety standards are forced to pay for careless peoples' protection.

-Disability Insurance - Government ensuring the survival of those who are physically unable to work.

-Police - Even if you intentionally live in a low-crime area, your money pays for police to work in other neighborhoods.

-FEMA - Government-funded disaster relief. My house wasn't flooded, why do I pay those taxes?

Well, how'd I do? I think I did okay, bu I am sure that someone could easily contest some (hopefully not all, that would certainly be embarrassing!) of my choices. The main issue here though, is whether or not the United States of America employs socialist programs, and whether or not the nation employs these socialist programs, policies, and principles, to its betterment.

I'd have to say yes. America is partly socialist, and that's a good thing, if you ask me. There are certain services that you do NOT want in the hands of a private entity. Imagine calling 9-11 in the case of a fore and being told that you failed to pay your bill the month prior, so you're on your own (aka, tough shit)?

Or, much less extreme an example, imagine a truly free market. A market in which the private entities are in full control. Now imagine what happens to things like, oh, I don't know, labor laws and consumer protections when the government, which is (at least in theory) run by, and for, the people, is taken out of the picture, and control is given to the private entities, which I like to call the money interests.

With their only motivating factor being the bottom line, they, the money interests, will try to get away with paying as little as possible for as much work as that little amount of money will buy. Without regulation, they will take risks. You thought the recent financial crisis was bad? Ha! That took place in a system that includes regulation (however minuscule in reality, despite more lofty outward appear aces to appease us, the peasants, it was still some) , now imagine a system without regulation.

It's a very crude analogy, but imagine what happens when Billy and Jimmy, both 16, upon returning home from school on a lovely Friday afternoon, find a letter which informs them that their parents are gone out for the night and will not be returning home until the early morning. Now, let's say that on a normal night, with their parents somewhere in the house up above them, Billy and Jimmy usually have 2 or 3 friends over, and, sitting in the basemet, listening for any sound that approximates a set of footsteps approaching the staircase that leads down to the basement, they quietly crack open the beers that one of their friends' invariably brings,  and drink 2 or 3 each.

So, on this particular Friday, our fun loving, adventurous brothers, Billy, 16, and Jimmy, also 16, rather than invite the usual 2 or 3 friends, which is the maxiumum they are allowed under a regulated system, decide to invite over 10 friends. They invite Renny, Carl and Mike, like they usually do, but then they decide to also invite Susie, Angelica, LeeAnne, Amanda, Stacey, Sabrina, and Lisa. The boys tell each of the women to bring hard liquor, and the three boys are instucted to bring beer, as usual, bit this time more of it.

And so, on this unregulated Friday evening, Billy and Jimmy Inc. consume 8 beers each, as well as 5 shots of hard liquor, and they both end up in bed with a few of the girls that were there that evening, as well as one or two of the guys. The normally reserved, quiet, get away with what we can under the noses of the regulators evening at home turns into a wild party filled with drunken sex and vomiting. And even sex with vomiting, because, hey, what the hell, when the regulators are away, Billy and Jimmy Inc. will play.

And so, in one unregulated evening, Billy and Jimmy Inc. mange to contract 7 STD's between the two of them, impregnate 5 women, completely destroy an expensive carpet by puking all over it and then smushing it in by walking, running, and shagging all over it (yes, they were so inebriated that they shagged in their own puke).

And to whom did Billy and Jimmy Inc. turn when they woke up the next morning with very bad hangovers and the realization of what had transpired the evening before dawning in their heads? The regulators, of course!

"Help us!" they cried in unison, heads bowed in shame (real or contrived, it was hard to tell over the glare of their $3000 suits and $45 hair gel).

"Sure, no problem, how much do you need?" came the response.

And that, my friends, is the story of Billy and Jimmy Inc.'s one and only night playing in an unregulated environment.