Greetings from Madrid!! Just a quick note while waiting impatiently to leave the hotel after 9pm for dinner. Can’t be the first ones out there on a Monday night, you know?
I recently mentioned to a friend in Brussels that this website has had over 20,000 hits in the past year, which I can’t tell is normal or surprising. She said that even if it is my mom hitting up the site 20,000 times (hi mom!), I should use the medium for educational purposes.
Wasn’t I doing this by explaining filet americain, or Ryan Air charges, or the sad state of Belgium? I thought so. But since I have this soapbox, I thought I’d take a few minutes to rant about a hot topic — scary scary socialism. I have issues with many tenets of socialism. Especially since I am currently in Europe, the place where socialism reigns in all of its vain gluttonous glory. And before anyone calls me a socialist, which I have heard is the biggest insult these days, let me state that the only thing separating me from the gun toting town hall crazies is an AK 47. Hmmm…actually maybe we are a little more different than just a gun. How about this — I gauge season by the flavors of Starbucks drinks.
Socialism is:
- 50 days of vacation and 35 hour work weeks
- Maternity leave that begins two months before you deliver and up to 11 months after you give birth
- Even if you are not working, the government will give you money for having a child
- Child care for children is subsidized
- Mandatory health insurance that is cost friendly — for example, a week in the hospital with pneumonia will cost a 70 year old about 20 euros — including medication.
- Unlimited unemployment money as long as you are jobless (and searching)
- Cheap education systems — University can cost less than 500 euros a year
- Taxes for everyone on everything. LOTS and LOTS of taxes.
Socialism is not:
Universal health care. That is just good common sense. I know, I know, no one wants to pay for more insurance. But think of it like car insurance, you HATE the monthly bills, but after an accident, you are glad you are covered. I know it is more complicated than that, but I promise you it is a good thing.
Socialism is not:
The President of the United States making a video encouraging kids to stay in school.
Hope that clears it up. Now I am off for dinner of Iberian ham and lots of fried goodies, in Madrid, in Spain, a Catholic country whose socialist government recently allowed the definition of marriage to include homosexual relationships. Crazy socialists.
If all what you say is correct, all Europe must be a haven for the unwilling to work people or the people who prefer that more responsible people work and pay taxes for their well being while they just hang in there. No wonder that the unemployment rate of 14% or the below poverty rate of 20% is very normal. Visit some back streets of Madrid if you could and see the living status of common people there too. While I admire many many aspects of the socialist systems and love to see some of them are applied in USA, but neither you or I can be a socialist. Love your story and writing anyway. Keep on good work of enlightening your readers.
No offence but to me, socialism = care a bit less about yourself and share for the common good. I don’t care paying lots of taxes if it allows sick/poor/jobless people (and myself if I ever get sick/poor/jobless) to get medical care or just some money to buy food. And if a minority of people exploit that system, well, I don’t care as long as it still makes life a bit less harder for the majority.
I meant a bit less hard of course…see, my English is getting worse since you’ve been gone
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Well said! And definitely needed. Been reading for only a couple of weeks now, but I love your blog!
Hi Mike! Good to see you on here. Never said I’d become a socialist — that is blasphemy. Just trying to show that there are a few positive sides of countries with socialist governments (some negative aspects are definitely a sense of apathy for achievement and taking advantage of aid)
Hey B! For medical care, I totally agree!!
Hi Quid. Thanks for reading the blog. I appreciate your comment!