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But that's socialism, and the USA will never tolerate socialism.

smcl 10y ago
Who knows, if someone pitches this to Donald Trump and calls it "TrumpCare" he may be vain enough to push it all the way :)
- kccqzy 10y ago
  It always makes me think, perhaps due to the ignorance of Trump, he will be more receptive towards progressive lobbying too. Most of us know so little about Trump's actual policies that maybe anything is possible after all.
EliRivers 10y ago
But only if it's called socialism. If it can be called something else, then it will be accepted. In my experience, US citizens (not all, obviously; I'm massively generalising) have been conditioned to be against things labelled socialism, but the level of economic and political knowledge amongst the general public is such that if you don't call something socialism, it is judged on its own merits without people realising.
- CarolineW 10y ago
  Opponents will hang that label on it, and then it doesn't matter whether or not the general populace would recognise it. It's interesting that my comment is somehow controversial, because it's been down to -2, is now back to -1. I wonder whether they are objecting to my calling "universal healthcare funded by taxes on the general populace" socialism, or whether they are objecting to the claim that the USA populace would ever accept a socialist policy. Indeed, while I've been editing this comment it's gone back down to -2. Interesting to watch, and I really do wonder what it is that's provoking people into downvoting it. ... and now back to -1. Fascinating!
  - woofyman 10y ago
    You're absolutely correct. Conservatives will label it "socialized medicine".
- vacri 10y ago
  Ironically, they're all up for small-scale socialism, aka 'insurance'.
- eeZah7Ux 10y ago
  The US finances private research, technology development and more using public money more than any other country by calling it "military budged". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_... ...but maybe that doesn't count as "socialism" because most of the profits ends up in the hands of private companies?
mkl 10y ago
It's not socialism, it's the normal way to do healthcare in a first world democratic society. Most first world countries are not socialist, but have a proper health system like this.

smcl 10y ago

Who knows, if someone pitches this to Donald Trump and calls it "TrumpCare" he may be vain enough to push it all the way :)

kccqzy 10y ago
It always makes me think, perhaps due to the ignorance of Trump, he will be more receptive towards progressive lobbying too. Most of us know so little about Trump's actual policies that maybe anything is possible after all.

EliRivers 10y ago

But only if it's called socialism. If it can be called something else, then it will be accepted. In my experience, US citizens (not all, obviously; I'm massively generalising) have been conditioned to be against things labelled socialism, but the level of economic and political knowledge amongst the general public is such that if you don't call something socialism, it is judged on its own merits without people realising.

CarolineW 10y ago
Opponents will hang that label on it, and then it doesn't matter whether or not the general populace would recognise it. It's interesting that my comment is somehow controversial, because it's been down to -2, is now back to -1. I wonder whether they are objecting to my calling "universal healthcare funded by taxes on the general populace" socialism, or whether they are objecting to the claim that the USA populace would ever accept a socialist policy. Indeed, while I've been editing this comment it's gone back down to -2. Interesting to watch, and I really do wonder what it is that's provoking people into downvoting it. ... and now back to -1. Fascinating!
- woofyman 10y ago
  You're absolutely correct. Conservatives will label it "socialized medicine".
vacri 10y ago
Ironically, they're all up for small-scale socialism, aka 'insurance'.
eeZah7Ux 10y ago
The US finances private research, technology development and more using public money more than any other country by calling it "military budged". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_... ...but maybe that doesn't count as "socialism" because most of the profits ends up in the hands of private companies?

mkl 10y ago

It's not socialism, it's the normal way to do healthcare in a first world democratic society. Most first world countries are not socialist, but have a proper health system like this.