No Uncle J, socialism will not kill you

[so_jang]

My uncles think Big Brother is coming for their guns OH MY GOD. According to them, and I used to think they were reasonable, rational individuals, life as they know it has just come to an end.

Dear Uncle J,

No one is going to take your hunting rifles. It's in the constitution. It's safe.
Social policy changes ARE NOT socialism.
Health care, better education, better social programs that are funded by taxes ARE NOT socialist redistribution of the wealth. They're public services. It's a way to help your fellow Americans. (Which is the Christian/Muslim/Jewish/Hindu/Secular Humanist thing to do!)

We're not going to become China, Cuba or North Korea.

If anything, stronger social policy makes us more like Sweden, Norway, Finland, Canada (*hugs the canada*) Australia, France and the UK. The Scandinavian countries are some of the safest, cleanest, most economically successful (Sweden has one of the strongest, most stable pension plans in the world) countries out there.

Why shouldn't we be like that? Why shouldn't your children go to better schools and universities, drive on better roads and actually be able to afford health care?

Go here read and learn

The key to sustainable foreign relations isn't having better guns. Dictators and terrorists come out of poverty and desperate situations. If you and I live equitable lives, I have very little reason to hate you.

Yes, I'll admit I was depressed when George Bush won. I was worried my tuition would go up. (It did) Gay rights would be damaged and life I as know it would loose something.

Let me enjoy the same legal protection as everyone else when I get married and I'll let you bring a gun to the wedding.

I love you very much, even though I don't understand you.
Opal

Comments

[peterlme.livejournal.com]

Well said.I never understand why so many people in the US foam at the mouth at the mention of the word social.

[alyssa22.livejournal.com]

A lot of Americans seem to be scared of any policy that'll help those "below" them. It's bizarre.

I actually saw something online about how countries like mine aren't free, because we have universal healthcare, etc, etc. Um, we're free to not go bankrupt when we get sick. We're free to be able to have support from the government if we're out of work/disabled through no fault of our own.

Tiia and I were robbed on a train from DC to NYC a couple of years ago, and when we eventually arrived in Montreal and spoke to a detective, once we'd got the business out of the way and she'd found out what I do for a living, she wanted to tell me about all the homeless in that city who are Vietnam vets or are disabled physically or mentally, who have no financial support from anyone and have nowhere to go.

You don't see masses of homeless on our streets. You don't have people losing their homes and businesses if they get sick. If that's "Not being free", I'm fine with that.

[lanna-kitty.livejournal.com]

Your icon is kinda hot.

To the subject of the post: *eyeroll*

My one uncle is in the same mindset I think. not about guns but ZOMG everything else.


My grandmother is unhappy because she doesn't like socialized healthcare, and she expounded with great vitrol over christmas morning dinner...complete with table slapping which I have *never* seen before. Ever. Grandma is not given to such bursts and while she's getting old, shes not into senility. So I have no reason to disbelieve her first hand account, nor that she is convinced she is correct. Her experience with it in the UK was not happy.

However, her experience with it was more than a decade ago, possibly more than two decades ago. So it is entirely possible that things have changed since she was there and used the public healthcare system. Specifically she was in London and they had to go to the hospital. she said it was filthy, the service was poor, the facilities were horrid, there was no privacy to speak of, and she thought the doctor was a quack. If she wanted facilities like they had in the states at the time they needed to go to a private hospital, which I believe they ended up doing because she found the place she was at to be that sketchy.

Personally on that issue, I'd prefer more updated info from someone who's actually been there more recently and has a better idea of what conditions are like recently. Edit: but you know, this is grandma, and contradicting her didn't seem like a good idea to anyone but little brother...who then got into it with her about communism (hes a communist *eyeroll*) and then I had to loudly ask "So how's that local sports team! they have that guy now. He does that thing thats awesome, huh?" because it was headed to a very BAD place, omg little brother is an idiot.

That's also the UK. I've only heard lovely things about the healthcare in Scandanavian countries. they might not have perfect systems either, but it looks like They're Doing It Right to some extent.