To the editor:

As the 2020 election campaign cycle revs up, I have been disappointed by the predictably strident and angry cries of “socialism” made by individuals who often have little idea as to what the term actually means. Strictly speaking, socialism implies that industries are owned and overseen by the community as a whole and not by stockholders and investors. With the exception of tax-exempt not-for-profit organizations, all for-profit industries in the U.S. are privately or publicly held by individuals or investors.

(1) comment

Sally Wally

Dr., nothing you mentioned other than social security is close to socialism. Henry Ford came up with the idea of health insurance. it was paid for by members, not government. Social security is a good idea and members pay into it, making it not so socialist. Except over the decades, folks started treating it as if it were a retirement (my dad included) instead of a safety net to keep from starving in old age. That's what FDR proposed. A safety net. Not a retirement fund. The average american has no retirement savings. Shameful. Shameful.
Medicare is going to bankrupt the country along with social security unless participants put in WAY MORE in contributions. Way more.

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