RE:Bog: I think there is a significant difference between “Canada and the USA re socialism as shown with healthcare but also with education”
Although unable to speak on Canadian history, politics, or taxation due to a lack of education or experience, I am interested in how members of that “socialist” country view themselves.
When I look to a definition of socialism the definition invariably includes the requirement that
- “that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.”
And/or
- “economic philosophy encompassing a range of economic and social systems characterized by social ownership of the means of production and democratic control, such as workers' self-management of enterprises.”
And the control of production, distribution, and exchange of commerce in both countries, to the best of my knowledge is relativity free and ruled by capitalistic instinct. That public health and education which are universally required by the public and are not issues of the means of production, distribution, or exchange are also called socialism is obvious an attempt to discourage such services.
We do have “socialized” education in our public schools in so far as the public controls the production and distribution of education through democratic means by the election the leaders of our school systems, and have had mandatory school attendance for over a century.
Americans know vaguely how the Canadian system appears to work, but how do Canadians themselves feel about higher taxes, lower education costs, and guaranteed health care? C’est bon or sucks big time?
b.