Public swimming pools can also be found in most european countries, and western europe is not exactly a collection of failed communist states. There is a nice

Public swimming pools can also be found in most european countries, and western europe is not exactly a collection of failed communist states. There is a nice ring to the ideology of freedom, but practicality beats purity, and when it comes to the social cost vs reward of public institutions, the cursor in the US is way off. If swimming pools are out of the question for you, free education and health care are an easier starting point.