Elegantly crafted passages from the NYT's Timothy Egan (which is no surprise) on a certain word's misperception, and, quite possibly, its passing stigma:
Once you label something socialist, it brings to mind dour Soviet types trotting out dreary worker clothing for the spring fashion line. Or, here at home, those insufferable parlor room Marxists who think it would be utopia if only we nationalized every Starbucks. In that sense, the worst thing about socialism is the socialists….
So we don’t like "them." But we do like many of their ideas. We can thank Senator Bernie Sanders, self-proclaimed democratic socialist, for this healthy debate.
And what, pray tell, could be wrong with becoming another Denmark?
[It] has a slightly higher tax load on its citizens than the United States. But it also has budget surpluses, universal health care, shorter working hours, and was recently rated by Forbes magazine as the best country in the world for business.
The other night I heard Chris Matthews fret about who would pay for universal Medicare. No one on his panel pointed out that Americans pay more for privatized insurance; that is, they're already paying for a costlier form of non-universal healthcare. Their financial obligations — rerouted through the tax system — would actually be lower under single-payer.
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By the way, there's a good chance my daughter will spend her high-school senior year abroad; there's also a chance she'll spend it in Denmark. I hope it works out. She has contracted my unfortunate fixation on politics and is pondering a career in same. A year in politically sane, socialist Denmark could only enhance her political wisdom, which was born, of course, of her most right "politically correct" father.