Socialism: "It Depends on What the Meaning of Is Is."

In my last blog, Terrence Couglin of Albany, New York, questioned whether socialism had anything to do with health reform. I replied I thought it did. Here is an afterthought.

P.S.: Re: "Socialism," to quote President Bill Clinton, "It depends on what the meaning of is is." The best shorthand definition of "socialism" I know is how much of a nation's total spending goes to its GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Before Obama, the U.S. ranked 9th among major nations in total government spending as a percentage of GDP in this order: Sweden 57.0%, France 54.0%, Italy 48.6%, Germany 47.5, Netherlands 47.1%, United Kingdom 43.7%, Canada 40.1%, Japan 37.5%, and the U.S. 36.4% (Source: Forbes). Today, after 9 months of Obama, we have moved up to 3rd at 49.4%. Progressives will call this "progress": convervatives will call this "scary." Whatever you call it, it may well change the very nature of American culture and American health care.