We cherish the ideals of self-determinism. Whereas we love the American community and come together when necessary, we are a people that loves going our own way and not depending on others for handouts.

We valued our individual freedom. Millions of Americans have fought and died for liberty and freedom. I once thought as a whole we would never give it up, but it seems with the recent move to the left and the number of people willing to give up their freedom for the empty promise of government taking care of them cradle to grave apparantly the majority no longer embrace what their countrymen have fought and died for, and are perfectly willing to throw it away. If Hillary or Obama are elected your question will be falsely premised. It will mean the majority of Americans embrace Socialism and reject the ideals the nation was founded on.

they don't hate it,it's just that our system is leaning more on the democracy side.if anything,the socialists are the ones who dislike our system.

America has had many Democratic Presidents who are as far left as a lot of Socialists. If they elect another Democrat this year they will certainly be voting for some very socialist ideals.

Hmm, I'm an American and i don't hate socialism..i think in some ways its a really good idea.

Everyone agrees that sharing is the right thing to do, but nobody wants their piece of the pie to be shared.

How are you defining socialism? I've heard Canada defined as Socialist..because we care for our sick and our poor? I find that refreshing. In most areas though you wouldn't see too much difference between Canada and the US..The US already has some socialism going on in it.

Because we're smart. Socialism, while it might look good on paper, always fails in the implementation. America is all about YOU as an INDIVIDUAL striving to be the best you can be. It's about personal dreams and goals and working hard to achieve them. It's about being self-reliant and self-assured. It's about being self-made and self-actualized.

i hope it's a minority, systems are systems, people are people

I say, why not just help ALL the world some and kill all Humans...Yup, WE are the ones messing things up-NOT the animals or plants, ect. I am for nuke war because in the end we will die-But then again...

Because it assumes that the one implementing the handouts is all-knowing and not corruptible. Given that we are all humans, this is impossible. Every single one of us is free to indulge in as much Socialism as we like. All we have to do is work harder than we want to and give the excess money to the poor. But under Socialism, we are not free to choose to have a bit of capitalism. You work harder and produce more when you are excited about something. It's alot easier to get excited about spoiling yourself than it is to get excited about spoiling everyone else, who may or may not deserve it ( or maybe the extra production is simply wasted and does no one any good ).

If the goose gets to sell the golden egg, the goose will remember to buy some more food for itself. The farmer, on the other hand, might get so caught up in the celebrations that he forgets where all the money came from.

Our Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence to insure our freedom for all time. Thousands have died fighting for this freedom, why should we give it up and choose to live under Socialism?

Mabey because they have brains...

Because it does'nt work,also they've become the world's only super power by following capitalism so it's not suppriseing that they dont support socialism.

The Americian mentality is individualistic. I can't relate, though. People want to go their own way, at the cost of kindness and friendships. Our sense of community is falling apart.

We have been close to socialism after we started food stamps and welfare.

it doesn't agree with freedom..that is what America stands for and why it came to be.

Maybe because most do not understand what socialism is.It is associated with communism which it does not represent at all.There could be some jealousy for most of Europe ,South America,England, and other countries have a complete social system where all are taken care of from cradle to grave,with socialized medicine,welfare,and other important things that give dignity to all the citizens.

I have read the whole thread, I feel sad to say that unfortunately the lack of knowledge on the principal Schools of Thought is absolutely appalling. I will not explain anything; I will rather leave several videos that explain each School of Thought. Most of the enclosed videos are by Noam Chomsky, do you happen to know who he is? Allow me to introduce this lecturer. He is an American linguist, philosopher, political activist, author, and lecturer. He is an Institute Professor emeritus and professor emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Chomsky is well-known in the academic and scientific community as the father of modern linguistics. Since the 1960s, he has become known more widely as a libertarian socialist intellectual. YouTube site: 1]Noam Chomsky - Is Capitalism Just? (Longer Edition) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_sgpq1P_iA&feature=related 2]Noam Chomsky - America is not a Democracy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmJv_wf91W8&feature=related 3]What Is Globalization? - Noam Chomsky http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=RdYwAXZh0ME 4]What is Socialism? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Px38QScJM0 5]Noam Chomsky - Libertarian Socialism: Contradicting terms? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugq86q9KyPE&feature=relate Socialism: Is a democracy of the people, by the people and for the people.

Makes it real difficult for the rich to get richer! ;-)

As commonly defined, Socialism is a system where all means of producing and distributing goods are controled and owned by the gov. This goes agaimst everything the US was founded on and really why we have flourished like no other country in history. Most of the worlds advances have come from here. It is precicly that people here had the ability and means to follow their ideas and drems. Build a better mousetrap......Their imaginations were free, the common man man could rise above the rest. Socialism stiffles dreams and imagination.

This is a bit drawn out, but here is my answer (keep in mind that, honestly, I am very poor. So, I'm not just a rich guy supporting policies that support the rich.) "The main vice of capitalism is the uneven distribution of prosperity. The main vice of socialism is the even distribution of misery."--Winston Churchill --Freedom (or liberty) is always competing with tyranny. --Ann Rand: “Socialism is the doctrine that man has no right to exist for his own sake. That his life and his work do not belong to him, but belong to society. That the only justification of his existence is his service to society. And that society may dispose of him in any way it pleases for the sake of whatever it deems to it’s own tribal collective good.” --The essential characteristic of socialism is the denial of individual property rights. - In other words, all things belong to the collective society - also known as The State. --Can human rights exist without property rights? --Tyranny doesn’t come at once in a democracy - it comes in pieces. (The idea that bad things come first as small “friendly” ideas wrapped up as: the children, the elderly, the environment, health care, etc.) --I want to point out here that Conservatism (not to be confused with “The Republican Party”) is about taking power away from the state and giving it to individuals, essentially - localizing it. This is the opposite of socialism. --We shouldn’t be relying on the government to provide for our needs. Show me a successful socialist country, and I'll say socialism isn't all bad. Consider this: When has the government ever done anything right? Most people would answer never (citing instances of Hurricane Katrina among many other poor government responses). Why would anyone want the government to have more power? Does anyone want to have Katrina Health care? In general I would be willing to bet that in one way or another, most people feel that the American government is broken and/or failing in many ways. Try topics such as: Energy Independence, Border Security, Education, Welfare Reform, Social Security, etc… So here’s the ten million dollar question: Why do we want more government? Why do we think that giving more money to government and expanding or creating huge new government bureaucracies would fix these problems? And this isn’t something necessarily exclusive to Barack Obama. President Bush’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ policy is a classic example of a crappy one-size-fits-all big government fail. Many of McCain’s ideas (especially concerning environmental issues) are also thinly veiled ’government solutions’. What evidence do we have that positively support big government solutions? The government is supposed to serve the people. In what other instance would we think more money would fix crappy service? Situation one - You go to a restaurant and you get terrible service: the waiter is rude, they don’t bring you what you ordered, and then an hour later when they do it’s cold and soggy - is it logical to leave a huge tip and decide to come back to that restaurant more often? Situation two -You take your car in to be serviced and it takes twice as long for them to fix it as they first quoted you, and they charged you twice the price even though they don’t really fix the problem - Should you agree to pay twice your promised price? Should you return to that business with a larger problem or recommend it to friends?!? That crappy restaurant you went to…oh well, the community has decided that that’s where you are going to eat and spend your money. Those jerks that screwed your car over…too bad, the votes are in and that’s where the collective has decided you will be required to take your car… Don’t be fooled - big government solutions are what Socialism is all about. The government takes a huge amount of your hard earned money so the elected few can decide how and were to waste it. (Note who has the deciding power there.) Whose judgement on how to spend your own money would you prefer: Yours, or Washington’s? Would you rather take money from your own wallet and choose how to spend it - or be forced to pay into the collective and let the community vote how you should spend it? The latter is exactly what you will get with Socialism. Also, in my opinion, it is important to remember that just because you are fed up with the current government, this does not mean anything new would be better. I find this to be the huge problem with Sen. Obama’s campaign on ‘change’. Again, what change? Is increasing taxes so we can throw more money into the morass of government bureaucracy a good change from the current government? Is that really a change at all? To me, this is a major concern in this years election. Which candidate is promoting the most government based solutions (aka: Socialism or Epic FAIL) to problems? Not to mention - the very idea of taxing ‘the wealthy’ is essentially class based Marxism. The same bull-crap lies behind ideas like ‘windfall taxes.’ How does it promote liberty to grant The State the power to decide when a person, or business has made too much profit - and then to seize that profit by force? People want to tax the crap out of businesses - and then they turn and whine about them sending jobs outside the states? The wealthy and businesses are the job creators and investors. They make more jobs possible. Take for instance where I work: The small company I work for was recently purchased by a large parent investment company. That investment company saw value in the product we were developing and decided to invest in us. This then, provides us with the funding required expand our staff and create the product we are working on effectively. Their investment is paying the salaries of many many people, as well providing the funding for our technological requirements. Our business could not function without the parent company’s investment. Laying a massive tax burden on our parent company would clearly have a direct negative impact on my own middle class livelihood - as well as on the customers purchasing the service we provide. How people don’t see this direct correlation, to me - is mind boggling. Of course - it only follows when you have the media demonizing businesses 24 hours a day, telling you that ‘they’ are the ones holding you down - you should envy ‘them’ - you should vote to destroy ‘them’ - ‘they’ deserve it. Before you vote for something like that - better find out who ‘they’ are. ‘They’ might be ‘you.’ With government programs, it’s an even more absurd situation. Once a government program is in place YOU ARE FORCED TO PAY THEM more money through taxation for FAIL-tacular service. Taking from the successful and giving to the unsuccessful is just stupid. It's the equivalent of taking a massive sledgehammer and crushing those on the top of the economic ladder down to the same level as those on the bottom. Also consider that the top 1% of America pays 40% of the entire income tax bill of the entire country. This number only got so high after the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts that moved more people into higher tax brackets, effectively doubling the number of millionaires in America. Like 45% of America doesn't even pay income taxes. How about seriously trying to pull everyone up. Make the rich richer, and the poor rich. Instead of deciding that someone who worked hard should have to give up their money for someone else. I mean, there must be some reason that Western Europe (Strongly socialist as it is) has high unemployment rates, massive bloated government programs, extremely high taxes, and spiraling birth rates. Some nations in Europe, especially Russia, will be halving their populations every so many years. Welfare fraud is rampant in many areas. A man in France lived in the same apartment as his dead mother's decaying corpse for five years to continue to receive her welfare. That's just disgusting. Socialism has repeatedly failed throughout history and many if not all of Karl Marx's theories have been discredited. Some aspects of socialism are present in American society, but they aren't to the point where people rely on the government instead of themselves. In Conclusion: Socialism is Crap. Try capitalism, it works.

Hey Guys.... I am ptoud to say I was part of that record breaking, most aswome debate in the history of AB. I think alot of what was said could easily transfer to this conversation, especialy when it comes to what not only the governments role is here, but also the responsibility of the citizen and what they must do to make the system work. What too many people believe to be "rights" are more responsibilities. We dont have a "right" to free "health-care", We have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and our children.

The reason that Amercian people hate Socialism is because they have been reading statistics and information that are all full of lies and misinformation. Most European countries that have socialism are living longer than the people in the US. Capitalism has and will never work since it devides the country and it makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. It has also made the US the most arrogant and selfish country in the world. It's all about me, me, me and not about sharing or helping other people. The US is ranked 37th place fore health care because of all of the infant deaths and other things. The US is all about greed, wealth and power. The Amercian people only care about themselves and not the other people who are poor and dying. This is why the US has so many problems today.

Also you Americans think that the people who don't work are lazy. That is a bunch of crap. Most people who can't work are either disabled or are in financial crises. It is not always their fault that they can't afford health insurance and can't work. You Americans expect people to get a good job and be able to pay for their own health care. Well I got news for you, it's hard to find a decent job with a decent pay when most of the good jobs are almost taken. You can't expect everybody to be able to be self-reliant and be able to take care of themselves. Health care insurance has caused more problems than solutions.

I've previously suggested a few books that are nice introductions to this subject. One is George Bernard Shaw's "An Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism"; another gentle introduction is "Proposed Roads to Freedom: Socialism, Anarchism and Syndicalism," by Bertrand Russell. - But to get closer to the application of the general principles discussed in these two books I recommend two additional books both by G. William Domhoff. First, "Who Rules America," (latest edition); second, "The Power Elite and the State: How Policy is Made in America." All of these are nice introductions to the book that I believe most closely addresses the question above: This book is "The Capitalist State and the Politics of Class," by Albert Szymanski. I agree with Maine Moody that it is unlikely that any of you will take the time and energy to read any of these books.

people hat ehwat they do not understand. Americans have many socialized things (schools, fire dpts, welfare etc) but they still are brainwashed into thinking those aren't products of socialism, they associate socialism with communism which is carried over from the cold war mentality their parents and grand parents fostered. Most confusing to me is people claiming to be patriots and all american god fearing people but they want socialized medicine.....strange. I think a lot of people don't have a clear understanding of what socialism really is.

The whole concept of America is freedom. Fredom to follow our dreams, our religion, our own path so to speak. Goverment is suppose to aid in our ability to do that mostly by getting out of our way! When someone falls we give them a hand up, we do not carry them as long as they have legs to carry themselves. When you carry someone long enough you take away their ability to walk on their own ie(Mr. Obamas plan for spreading the wealth around.)There is no incentive to work hard to better yourself if someone gets to grab your sucess away from you to give to someone who put neither time nor effort into doing for themselves.

Many don't... just look at all the support Obama's getting... I don't because it would give government more power and deminish the dollar even moreso.

Because Stalin & Hilter & LeDece the leader of Italy taught us it was the path to failure as well as Spain also it does not reward hard work which oppisite of the teaching if most religions. Pretty simple really You will earn "YOUR" keep by the sweet of your brow.

because "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have" ~ Gerald Ford it's a matter of personal responsibility and personal liberties, people in a democratic republic (like the US) have more control of their government and it's policies than people in a socialist society. and socialism is one coup away from communism.

Im really kind of stuck in the middle here, on one hand i believe we should help our fellow Americans (Citizens) when they are having hard times. But on the other i dont think its fair for the Government to take what so many of us work so hard for and give it to some one that doesn't. Doesn't this kind or ruin the whole American dream thing?

And why would we like socialism???? Having the government run my life??? Are you joking??? The heart of America is the free market, and to take it away in a spread the wealth atmostphere is against what we believe. Americans can achieve anything as long as they work for it. Is it fair to say that anyone can acheve the American dream and then when you reach it, it is taken away??? and in a socialistic society, you DO pay for your insurance through your huger taxes. And you do not give privately to donations OF YOUR CHOICE, because in your taxes you are automatically giving to social programs of the governments choices...private donations are larger in america than anywhere in the world. Yes, there will alwyts be a bit of corporate greed, but rather that than no businesses here at all because of government punishing them with even hgiher taxes.. already 5% of the people are paying 80% of the taxes.....what makes America strong IS our freemarket....and YOU tell me what country is thriving economically in a SOCIALIST environment??!!! Is russia? is Cuba? is Venezuala??

It's not JUST Americans. There is a series of faults with socialism, TWO IN PARTICULAR. Starting at the ground level, the most basic faults with socialism are... (1) (P)eople (C)ontrol or "PC". (2) Elitism. People control also known as socialism/communalism, had it's recorded introduction during the times of the so called Egyptian empire. The idea, originally promulgated by the self appointed elite within said hierarchy, was NOT equal wealth distribution amongst the citizenry, but rather an attempt to RETAIN power by a peaceful means. This was successful to an extent as a peaceful empire is by far more productive AND much simpler to retain control over. The major hurdle for the elite to navigate over was "class envy". As more of the citizenry wanted the posh life of their rulers, rebellion became of major concern regarding the elite ruling class. The garnering of the Hebrew slaves was an attempt by the elites to retain the "illusion" that their socialistic/communal form of government was indeed, working for the rank & file as well. The rank & file now had a class of "workers" under them, & gave the citizenry a feeling of "class superiority" over their Hebrew charges. While NOT equal with the "elite" class they were not at the bottom either. The Egyptian citizenry were the first society to have a middle class. Of course this attempt at maintaining the illusion of socialistic/communistic government came at a COLOSSAL cost in Hebrew lives, some estimates range in the hundreds of thousands. Germany's attempt at discarding democracy in 1933 for socialism was a CLOSE parallel to the Egyptian model, save for the word "Communism" was discarded for the title of "National Socialism". Again, this experiment with socialism ended up in catastrophic loss off human life, but this time world wide. During the mid nineteen eighties sociologists started to differ in opinion with the psychology field about weather mankind was a herd creature. Historical sociologists viewed mankind's bloody past as proof that man was not a herd creature. The failure of our modern "information society" to curb both war & general violence, led to a new view on the subject. Sociologists are quick to point out that they view man as NOT a herd creature, but rather a "social" creature. Sociologists have also discovered that when man operates in a society that offers less restrictions on individual lives, & a society that promotes individualism, crime, poverty & discontentment declines. Sociologists have deemed that "individualism, while not perfect, does enhance personal achievement, productivity, overall quality of life & a stronger bond regarding community enhancement. In a nutshell... people are individuals. People, at least of adult maturity, are not designed to function under the authority of other people, as this builds resentment(eg: Hebrew slaves). Socialism is built on the presumption of a ruling class(elite) & has never failed to fail through out history. Socialism has had many different titles that it has been referred to, but the end results so far have ALL ended up in catastrophic loss of human life. America was doing fine until socialism was introduced into American culture. Check out the difference in meaning between the following two words...Libertarianism...Socialism. As a note...the two previous words harbor two distinct ideologies that are NOT reconcilable regarding those of the socialistic mentality, & those of Libertarian philosophy. I do hope my answer has somewhat alleviated your bafflement to why Americans, on the most part have rejected socialism/communalism.

We were programmed by political/media propaganda to hate socialism. The hatred of socialism is based on fear, ignorance, and xenophobia. It is possible that the education system may be guilty of perpetuating this hatred of socialism, but it has been my experience that good teachers, even though they are instructed to belittle socialism and praise capitalism, will give you the facts and let you decide for yourself. Institutions of higher learning (colleges and universities) are rampant with professors and students who freely (and covertly) espouse the virtues of socialism. Many who are unhappy with the way things are, spontaneously offer socialist solutions to society's ills, without knowing that their solutions are socialistic in nature. The educated tend to base their decisions on facts, and tend to dismiss media propaganda and rantings of manipulative politicians for what they are.

With Obama winning, I would think they don't!

Freeloading Americans love it

Because when you work hard for something, take care of it and value it, you hate to give it to someone who doesn't deserve it, is unwilling to work for it and then whines you didn't give them enough.

Americans are well read and have seen how socialism works. Is there somthing to like about socialism? source

Americans hate socialism Because, last time I checked, America is a democracy.

I think socialism is a good idea. america was built on slavery or capitalism. That is why we support communist china. we exploit other people economies. I'm told that europe is a socialist continent. America will not become socialist because it like to exploit minorities.

They are mostly brainwashed sheep who can't think for themselves.

That is a generalization. A big one. I think that those who disapprove of socialism are very aware that it would have to be paid for by someone. That would be them and they are already paying for a lot.

Because someone else invented it.

One reason might be that the countries identified as socialist, for example Soviet Russia, seemed like crappy places to live. I don't think we trust the government very much (and often for good reasons). So having them decide economic policy is a lot scarier than the idea of a free market where our wants and desires drive success. Plus, while it's not directly traceable to the philosophy, socialism has always needed secret police forces to keep itself going. This is also true of fascism. Large state-run societies seem to have a greater need to threaten death than market driven ones. Well, except for "Schenck v. US," McCarthyism, the Patriot Act...wait a minute.

Communist is wrong. Our Lady of Fatima: Protectress of the Culture of Life Part II: communism’s Legacy Father Andrew Apostoll, C.F.R. It can be said that much of the Culture of Death we experience in the world today is the residual legacy of the Evils of Communism. The cornerstone of Communism, as we know, is atheism. Once God was rejected by Karl Marx and his followers, then all authority for law and morality ended up in the hands of those who seized the power of control, and they imposed this power ruthlessly. In his great encyclical, The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II points out the consequences of what he calls “the eclipse of God:” In seeking the deepest roots of the struggle between the “Culture of life” and the “Culture of death”…we have to go to the heart of the tragedy being experienced by modem man: the eclipse of the sense of God and of man, typical of a social and cultural climate dominated by secularism, which, with its ubiquitous tentacles, succeeds at times in putting Christian communities themselves to the test. Those who allow themselves to be influenced by this climate easily fall into a sad, vicious circle: when the sense of God is lost, there is also a tendency to lose the sense of man, of his dignity and his life; in turn, the systematic violation of the moral law, especially in the serious matter of respect for human life and its dignity, produces a kind of progressive darkening of the capacity to discern God’s living and saving presence. (The Gospel of Life, pp 37-38, par 21, Vatican City Edition, March 25, 1995) Editor’s Note: With this Issue we will conclude an in-depth two-part series on how the Message of Fatima relates to sanctity of life issues that plague society. In Part One, Father Andrew Apostoli examined the origins of the “Culture of Death” and it’s effects. In part two, he explores how Communism led the way to a “Culture of Death.” A second important link between the Message of Our lady of Fatima and the Culture of Life can be seen in her warning about the evil that was beginning in Russia which would spread throughout the world. This disregard of the sanctity of human life under Communism is clearly seen in its leaders. Under Joseph Stalin, it is estimated that some 85 million people were killed by war, political purges, Siberian labor camps, and the ruthless seizure and collectivization of private property, especially in the Ukraine. In China, Mao Tse Tung once said regarding the possibility of a nuclear war,”You can kill 500 million of us, and there will still be 500 million more! Communist Goal I: Destroy Human Life The evils against life spread by Communism can be divided into three categories: (1) The destruction of life; (2) The undermining of the family, and (3) The collapse of the moral fiber of society. Regarding the destruction of human life, it must be remembered that Russia, under Vladimir Lenin, was the first civilized nation to legalize abortion, When God has been eliminated, the safeguard of life as sacred is removed. Under Communism, people’s worth was only gauged in terms of their value to the State. We see this evil of abortion today in Communist China’s policy of “one child only.” Countless millions of unborn children haven been destroyed. Similar liberal abortion policies were spread to all countries under Communist control. Communist Goal II: Destroy the family The communists made deliberate attacks on the family. Since the family is the fundamental unit of both the Church and the civil society, the Communists wanted to weaken and even destroy the family in non-Communist countries as a way of weakening their moral strength. In Russia itself, children were forcibly removed from their families and sent to live in collective institutions where they would be removed from the natural and healthy influence of parents and grandparents, especially with regard to religious and moral values. Instead, these children were subjected to Communist indoctrination. In terms of the propaganda Russia was exporting, we find in a report made in the Congressional Record under the title, “Communist Goals” (1963) certain declared goals of the Communist Party. Two of them are very important here. First, goal #40 reads: “Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.” We can easily recognize how divorce, infidelity and pre-marital sexual unions have eroded the foundation of the family in our society. Second, goal #41 reads, “Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks, and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.” This attitude is rampant today, as seen in our liberal schools and the negative influence of the media on our young. Communist Goal III: Destroy religion and morality The Communists were, above all intent, on eroding the moral and religious foundation of non-communist nations. In another set of goals known as the “Communist Rules for Revolution,” dating back to a Communist meeting in Düsseldorf, Germany, in May, 191, the Communists made no attempt to hide their stated goals. Let us look at three of these goals which deal with religion and morality. Rule A states unabashedly: “Corrupt the young; get them away from religion. Get them interested in sex. Make them superficial; destroy their ruggedness.” The Communists understood how the flesh and the spirit are directly opposed. By getting youth to focus on the flesh in sexually active lives and addictions to pornography, these youth will not seek higher values. When the young become self-absorbed, they will not care about anyone or anything beyond their self-gratification. Rule B extends this point, applying it to everyone, not just the young: “Get peoples’ minds off of government by focusing their attention on athletics, sexy books, plays and other trivialities.” This kind of trend began to emerge as early as the “Roaring Twenties.” No doubt, to counter this trend in our time, Pope john Paul II began to reach out to the young with his wonderful World youth Days of Prayer, which haven been continued by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI. Another goal under Rule B read: “By specious argument, cause the breakdown of the old moral virtues: honesty, sobriety, self-restraint, faith in the pledged word, ruggedness.” Communication, cooperation and trust break down when the natural virtues like truth, respect and self-sacrifice are lost. The consequence of this situation is that people will lack the moral fiber to resist the promiscuous lifestyle that brings out the Culture of Death. Promiscuity, abortion, euthanasia, and the like will quickly spread. Our Lady: Mother of Life at Fatima Our Lady of Fatima warned us against these ills when she said “Russia will spread her errors (evils) throughout the world.” In Part One I mentioned that Mary came at Fatima as a mother. True motherhood demands that a mother be protective of her children. In everyday life this begins with the mother protecting the child within her womb nourishing a new life to birth. Once the child is born a mother’s love never ceases; proverbially it endures unto death. The Blessed Virgin Mary was Mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God become Man. Carrying Him in her womb for nine months and then giving Him birth at Bethlehem. Her love already began to encompass all those who would become members of His Mystical Body, the Church. Her motherly love, reinforced at the foot of the Cross when she heard Jesus say, “Woman, behold your Son,” cannot cease to care for and protect all her children in this valley of tears until the end of time. Therefore, she will always be a mother – giving life, protecting life, and proclaiming the sanctity of all human life that comes from God – beginning with the life that is carried within the womb and ending with natural death. Our Lady of Fatima clearly proclaims the Message of the Culture of Life. God bless and loves you.

Simple answer: Propaganda. It helps to understand it in terms of class. The business class or the elite, very powerful in U.S. society relative to other western nations, hates socialism -- at least for the poor. It has so far been the only worthy rival to capitalism that enables them to profit unfettered, frequently at the expense of the working class and poor. In a "free" society, one doesn't necessarily dictate values and beliefs; instead, they are incorporated into every-day life through television, educational facilities, etc. -- simply presented as "the norm," thus making it easily adopted, hard to defy by the masses. This is a lesson that was learned by the business class and applied with great enthusiasm since at least World War II. Hence, the threat of socialism -- i.e., the threat of loss of profit (and power) -- was beaten back vigorously with propaganda. The Cold War brought this rivalry to the forefront. The threat of nuclear warfare allowed for easy propagandizing through fear. With the fall of the Soviet Union, it seemed socialism was dead. Western Europe, however, has had a fairly strong socialist tendency. Recently, several South American nations, namely Venezuela (with Chavez), Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Ecuador, among others, have embraced a socialist policy, much to the chagrin of the business class that is, once again, vigorously attempting to beat back this threat of socialism in their once very tamed backyard of exploitation. (I'm sure everyone is familiar with Chavez the dictator who won a democratic election, certified so by all monitoring agencies, and survived a recall referendum on his presidency, something that can't even be done in the U.S.) Returning to the U.S., there is one (unscientific) way to see that the general population does not hate socialism, no matter how irrational their reaction to the term itself might be. Just ask your friends and neighbors about social services such as Medicare/Medicaid, Public Education, Infrastructure, Unemployment Benefits, Welfare, etc. and most will unlikely call for their abolition. In fact, most will probably call for the abolition of a different type of socialism, albeit a very limited type, that the elite love (corporate welfare, military spending) in favor of social spending. (Incidentally, this sentiment is reflected in public opinion polls going way back.) So the accompanying question should be asked, why don't Americans hate capitalism, essentially socialism for the rich, free markets (no massive government bailouts) for the poor? You'll find the answer is the same: Propaganda.

Simple answer capitalism can't prosper, less financial freedom.

To make an explanation real short .. and I've lived under socialism most of my life ... you have no motivation to work hard because you make little money that is barely enough for basic living. At least it was like this when we lived there, about 30 years ago. LOL

Why do Hyenas piss on the animal carcasses they can't finish eating? Same difference.

Most of us like the social provision we get ourselves; we just don't like the social provision that others get.

You are.... ....."A glittering jewel of colossal ignorance". ...............................--Rush Limbaugh--

To many believe whatever they hear. Their told Capitalism is reform and Socialism is welfare. They just can't see that they are being taken for a ride. They pay for great health care for our leaders yet are told universal health care is wrong. I don't see the Senators and Congressmen turning it down. They give themselves thousands of dollars raise You ever hear of a Republican giving you a dollar raise? In the past how many years have the Republicans put any money into this country? Now that the Democrats want to invest in this country not one Republican voted for it. Same old garbage.

In theory Americans hate Socialism but our actions indicate otherwise. Look at what the current administration is doing to our country. Soon we will have government controlled morgages, banks, auto industry and healthcare. Anyone out there waiting for their share of the government bailout, and that's a lot of people, is pro socialism.

Because we are ment to be people who do not need government to take care of us...besides look at England.

People cannot understand it. They are told it's wrong and they accept it at that.

we use all systems, in every country not just one. china has capitalism, america has fascism, etc..,

I think lots of Americans automatically associate Socialism with Communism and are too lazy to really look into it. For those who do not like what is taking place in our government currently . . . come up with a better solution and email to everyone you can think of who is in a position to make a difference. That's what I did. Haven't heard one measly word back, but I sent it to Barbara Boxer, Wachovia, Bank of America, Robert Rubin (Board President, CitiGroup), Charlie Rose, KNX 1070, Maxine Waters, Sheila Bair (Chair, FDIC). At least I've made the effort.

americans fear the unknown, which is everything to them.

Because we love freedom

It takes away freedom and that is what this country stands for.

Most Americans have no problem with Socialism, provided it takes care of those who cannot take care of themselves. It's only the Rich people who hate Socialism. As they view it as a waste of money that would be better spent, going into their own pockets instead. After all, look what they've been trying to do to "Social" Security for years.

Fine......call it "socialism" I just call it "good government".

It is purely ideological. It has no standing basis in reality. It does not heed the love relationship. Its' idealism only cares for itself, for power and control over others. It exists only in its' own hypocricy in that there still needs to be an elite to overlook the very social structure it is supposed to be even with by its' own definition.

God, Ala, etc... etc...gave us Freedom. Governments are designed to "Protect" rights, not issue them. Under socialism, a government is empowered to issue and takes "rights" as it sees fit. Also, a free market allows one to independently grow responsibly and financially, why would a person choose to turn this "growth or development" over to a government? I make good decisions and I make really stupid decisions but the main thing is: they are "My" decisions.

I am an American and I don't hate socialism, but many Americans do primarily because it's a European form of government and America was founded on trying to distinguish itself from Europe. You'll find that this reactionary tendency pops up in the oddest places. For instance, many Americans prefer beer over wine because early colonists drank beer in order to separate themselves from the British and other Europeans who preferred wine. Many people in America today still make fun of wine drinkers, but if you asked why, they wouldn't be able to tell you. They'd just say, "Wine is for sissies." In a similar fashion, many Americans can't come up with convincing arguments against socialism. They just prefer capitalism because it goes hand in hand with our chest-pounding, macho stance of "We are not like the Europeans. Everything they do is wrong; everything we do is right." It's a product of dichotomous thinking.

Because our nation was founded primarily because the previous government had over-stepped itself. We adhere to the policy (or at least at our inception) that that government which governs least, governs best. Socialism is the opposite of that. The whole nanny-state idea is abhorrent to many Americans, particularly the ones who choose to take advantage of the opportunities available to us rather than to live off the exertions of others.

I can give you this American's reasons for hating socialism. To make a general assertion, I hate socialism because it violates the God-given rights of the individual, which I believe are is a pillar of our Constitution for the guidance of the legislative body in US government. To be more specific, man has a strong tendency to want to prosper at the expense of others by seizing and consuming the fruitsn of their labor. When property is taken from its owner without his consent, and transferred to another solely for the benefit the recipient, then property rights have been violated and an act of plunder has been committed. I hate socialism because it involves centralized (state) ownership and control of the means of production and distribution of all goods and services within a society based on 2 fundamental assumptions: 1. The total inertness of mankind. Man needs the state to order his social life and is incapable of organizing his own life without the overreaching hand of government elitists. 2. The infallibility of the state and its legislators. Under socialism, the state is by definition always right and can never be wrong. This means that when something goes wrong, a scapegoat must be created. A popular fallacy of our times is that it is not considered sufficient that the law should be just -- it must be philanthropic. Nor is it sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the free and inoffensive use of his faculities for physical, intellectual and moral self-improvement. Instead it is demanded that the law should directly extend welfare, education and morality throughout the nation. I hate socialism because it produces poverty and ultimate social disorder. The goverment is continually forced to spend more money and grant more concessions to more and more people. More money is spent for public education, public housing, public transporation, public amenities, etc. As one group gains something, other groups are unhappy unless they get at least as much or more, and they leapfrog their way up the handout ladder. The final end of such selfish econimic madness is inevitable. A socialistic society must and will collapse under the weight of its accummulated debt and the increasing moral decay that accompanies such greed and selfishness. I hate socialism because I love America and do not want to see her destroyed.

BELOW IS AN ANSWER TO ANOTHER ANSWER BY "HELPER." I see, so "man has a strong tendency to want to prosper at the expense of others," and this is his "God given right." So that's what God wants. - "When property is taken from its owner without his consent, and transferred to another solely for the benefit the recipient, then property rights have been violated and an act of plunder has been committed." In this case I suppose you are referring to the money that taxes take from citizens. --Strange, I thought we had elections and that the people choose the representatives that establish these taxes. - When you refer to "recipients" above are you referring to old ladies in nursing homes who turn their social security checks over to the corporations who are taking care of them. Are you referring to school lunch programs that are responsible for keeping millions of children from hunger? Or are you referring to the reverse taxes (also known as tax breaks) given to major corporations like Exxon? - As to: "The total inertness of mankind. Man needs the state to order his social life and is incapable of organizing his own life without the overreaching hand of government elitists." This is not even near the case in Sweden or Norway, and there are no "overreaching hands of government elitists." Instead there are well housed, well educated, citizens with adequate health insurance. But, speaking of "overreaching hands" what do you call the bureaucrat-administrators of private health plans in the US who decide which prescriptions to fill and which operations to perform on the 80% of the population who actually have any insurance? And then, "The infallibility of the state and its legislators. Under socialism, the state is by definition always right and can never be wrong. This means that when something goes wrong, a scapegoat must be created." - The kind of socialism referred to here is the kind that Hitler created under National Socialism. No one in the US is talking about any kind of socialism, no less Nazism. Or, "A popular fallacy of our times is that it is not considered sufficient that the law should be just -- it must be philanthropic. Nor is it sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the free and inoffensive use of his faculties for physical, intellectual and moral self-improvement. Instead it is demanded that the law should directly extend welfare, education and morality throughout the nation." - Let's take welfare to start. It's a pretty good idea not to allow people to starve or sleep in the streets. Is that welfare? Before, you brought God into the argument--does God prefer that people sleep in the streets? - Education: Do you actually believe that education of the entire population regardless of ability to pay, destroys the state? I'm shaking my head in disbelief. --We need more free education in order to further strengthen our country. Without it we're headed for the dump. China & India are already nipping at our heels. They're not afraid of education. "...and morality throughout the nation." - This country has always legislated morality and there are people who wish to legislate more morality. They don't live in the left. - Who has kept marijuana away from freedom loving citizens--no less hospitals and hospices? Leftists? Who is agitating for anti-abortion laws. What about selling liquor on Sundays? The left? Why are doctors afraid to prescribe heavy does of narcotics to cancer patients in pain? A socialist government already in Washington? - I am running out of steam--but I can say this at last: If Jesus were here he would be a true socialist and would be caring for every child and ever oldster in the nation. He would be working toward a single-payer universal health plan. He would demand that every person have the food he needs to live a healthy strong life. He would fight for a progressive tax system (render under Caesar)that would ensure that the poor would be able to live full lives. - With Jesus as our guide greed and rapaciousness would wither and disappear--and would not be considered virtues.

The only successful socialist society to date, China, has had to adopt capitalism to grow financially. Achievers should not be punished for striving and loosers should not be rewarded for laziness. Furthermore, If people are working for their own benefit by creating goods and services others desire and fitting other like minded people with employment in the process, the economy grows. But if people are forced to do things they could care less about for people they have no intent in pleasing... how can that economy be a success? When was the last time you settled for mediocrity when something much better was half a block away? That's capitalism.

I want to thank you for your comment to me. I believe it is quite important to dialogue regarding this issue we all face as Americans. Relative to your first paragraph, yes, I do believe this is what God wants, to give rights to the individual. As an individual, are you really comfortable letting others make important decisions for you? Today I called for an auto quote to try and save some money on car insurance. I found that I am charged $36.00 more annually if I wish to pay by check, but will be able to save that amount if I allow this insurance company to electronically withdraw it from my checking account. What is behind this? Environmentalists who want the country to go green. I believe this is unconstitutional. Of course, I can decide not to do business with this company, but their policy in short does not take into account my belief that our enviromental problems will not be solved in this way, but may lead to worse problems of another kind in the future. I am being penalized monetarily because I do not agree with the environmentalist beliefs. I am making inquiry regarding the constitutionality of this. Again, when it comes right down to it, we need those rights as individuals and yes, I do believe they are God given as I believe our Founding Fathers had great insight into what would be a form of government that would promote the well-being and happiness of man. We are straying from this as I see things now. Yes, I am referring to taxes taken from citizens. This is MY hard-earned money. You are so right, we do have elections and those elected representatives establish those laws, yes. I know in the Socialism/Capitalism debate, the socialist side has a great deal of animosity towards corporations and probably for good reason. I do NOT want corporations taking care of old ladies in nursing homes. I want these old ladies to be empowered as individuals themselves or a trusted family member to be able to make the best decisions about what to do with the Social Security checks, but also NOT some government bureaucrat, okay? School lunch programs would not be needed if parents would take care of their children the way God wants them to instead of giving the responsiblity to the government run schools which public schools are now. Thus fewer taxes would be needed for those programs. I am glad to hear that things are going so well in Sweden and Norway economically. Morally, I would say otherwise, but that may be another topic to you. It is not to me. Would you say this is because those in power in those countries are benevolent and without greed for money themselves? My concern would be having someone in power who would NOT be so. I do not know what documents guide those countries. Please, if you would be so kind, enlighten me regarding the bureaucratic-administrators of private health plans in the US. My goal is to support a government system that would protect the patient/doctor relationship. Right now, it seems it is controlled by the insurance companies who get their information from the AMA, scientific studies, various statistics, etc. I am very concerned with how decisions are made and why they are being made in order to help people get the best health care possible at the lowest cost possible to individual citizen. No, of course, God does NOT want people to sleep in the streets, what an affront to a loving God that He is. Those who are true Christians and know God, are well aware of who He is and what His desires are for mankind. From what I know about the effects of marijuana, it id not good even for those in pain and with cancer. I do believe the left does promote abortion in the name of freedom. As for heavy narcotic use for people in pain, I do agree this is not a good idea, but at this time, I do not know what the answer is to help those people. Wish I did. I will say, if a patient is in the end stages of dying and this is evident to the doctor and family, I think it can be from a selfish, litigation driven motive if a doctor does not prescribe a narcotic to help the dying patient. The reason they do not do this, in my point of view, is they know it could very possibly cause the patient's death and if they do not trust the family in this area, they would prefer to protect themselves than show compassion to a hurting, dying patient. That is unacceptable. I agree, Jesus cares for every child and oldster, and you are so right, he would be working toward a system that would best care for all people, young, middle-aged, old. When you say, Jesus would demand, I see a protective instinct in you which I so admire and of which the men in this world must have to protect society. I totally agree with you, greed and rapaciousness are not virtues. Remember, in Jesus's day, those things did exist and His walking on this earth and trying to enlighten the hearts and minds of man did NOT stop those evils. I love socialists. One of my good friends is a socialist, but I have yet to be convinced, based on how this country was founded and what I believe is possible for the good of helping make America strong and its people happy, that socialism is the best economic system to achieve the goals of Jesus Christ, the One who cares about this world and its people more than you or I ever will. With respect to you, religion may NOT play a role in any of this for you. If so, we do disagree as I believe everyone is religious, whether he identifies himself with any so-called religion or not. But in your eyes, that may be another subject.

Americans hate socialism because theyre greedy and dont want to help people who need it. If u give a poor person a home they will take a bath,they will feel successful,then they will get a job,then the economy fixes itself. Americans think socialism is communism,no, socialism is the idea that if someone else is suffering you have the responsibility to help them,just like the christian democrats. I mean come on,ive been to canada and britian,theyre pretty much socialist and everyone there is happy,capitalism keep corporate CEO's fat and wealthy and people of lower class in theyre place. Why shouldnt everyone have the right to the best healthcare? americans are just greedy.

Because is a inhumane system that denies political and economic liberty to its citizens and promotes government coercion and slavery to a totalitarian state.

Not ALL Americans hate it. We democrats just LOVE it! It makes it easier to buy votes and keep the masses in control. GO Socialism!

Because Americans (the real ones anyway) hate all Statist regimes and systems, and are viscerally opposed to all forms of collectivism. Essentially, we believe in self-government, and when it comes to acts of charity and compassion, they're only charitable and compassionate when done individually. Socialism is the idea that an elitist cartel and their pet bureaucrats can spend and give away the citizens' money better than the citizens can. Invariably, it simply it's simply typical corrupt government hiding behind different rhetoric and liberated from all bounds practicing (now without restraint) what those in government have always done: robbing from their enemies and giving to their friends.

well , this is quite late in the game...its not so much socialism at this point as it is "socializing with the enemy"...u cannot do it...i actually respect some of the reformations(but government will NEVER allow it,as it is a capitalist org.) just nort our Commander in Cheifs military tactics...giving over top secret is TREASON and not the way we or an officer deals with the enemy...he wants to be unconventional...as none other has ,whats wrong with strong and FIRM..? nothing ,i think America will realize he is too SOCIAL!!!but too late:)

Some don't hate socialism - I don't for example. But as a general rule - people fear the unknown - and additionally there has been a concerted propaganda program against socialism in this nation for years.

Americans dont hate socialism They just dont like their government being called anything but democracy Americans speak of themselves as a democracy although it is far from it A pure democracy, everyone votes on everything Instead, it is a democratic-republic Even so, many socialist ideas are incorporated into government funded programs

because they don't know what socialism is. cold war ideation is the only reference for most. scary soviets=socialism. I guess they never think of Thomas Paine, John Stuart Mill, François Mitterrand, or Gerhard Schröder. but why think for you self when the GOP has plenty of one-liners to choose from? sendschie

They like it when they don't have to pay for it.

It destroys incentive all around. Just think of moving it into a classroom. A greaser who puts in homework every night, all during vacations and even during the summer gets his right answers taken away and spread around the half dozen schmucks who drink till the bars close. Next test he won't bother studying, and probably neither will they.

Who wants to held as a slave by your non productive neighbor? Its cause its hateful, thats why

Hey, we elected Obama, didn't we yo?...

If you say socialism does not bother you, then you really dont understand what it means to live in a socialistic government. It has never worked anywhere and never will.

They hate it because the capitalists have taught them from a cild on up to hate it, not to understand it.The greed of the capitalists will destroy capitalism. We have a revolution coming in the future I think.

Because many of us cherish our freedom of choice and have not bought into the "evil corporation" BS.

Primarily, it is a failed governing system. In the history of social evolution (regardless as to how far back you wish to examine) you will be hard pressed to find a single example where socialism or communism has proven to be beneficial to the governed. Socialism erodes man’s inherent desire to exceed or produce beyond an established curve. If living in a cesspool is you concept of utopia, by all means, vote to bring it in to this country. Having said that, for those of us that actually enjoy the advancement of our society, we will fight against it.

Primarily, it is a failed governing system. In the history of social evolution (regardless as to how far back you wish to examine) you will be hard pressed to find a single example where socialism or communism has proven to be beneficial to the governed. Socialism erodes man’s inherent desire to exceed or produce beyond an established curve. If living in a cesspool is you concept of utopia, by all means, vote to bring it in to this country. Having said that, for those of us that actually enjoy the advancement of our society, we will fight against it.

Primarily, it is a failed governing system. In the history of social evolution (regardless as to how far back you wish to examine) you will be hard pressed to find a single example where socialism or communism has proven to be beneficial to the governed. Socialism erodes man’s inherent desire to exceed or produce beyond an established curve. If living in a cesspool is you concept of utopia, by all means, vote to bring it in to this country. Having said that, for those of us that actually enjoy the advancement of our society, we will fight against it.

Primarily, it is a failed governing system. In the history of social evolution (regardless as to how far back you wish to examine) you will be hard pressed to find a single example where socialism or communism has proven to be beneficial to the governed. Socialism erodes man’s inherent desire to exceed or produce beyond an established curve. If living in a cesspool is you concept of utopia, by all means, vote to bring it in to this country. Having said that, for those of us that actually enjoy the advancement of our society, we will fight against it.

In simple words, it takes your freedom away.

Because they don't understand it and don't realize just how much "socialism" we have had for ever.

Americans have no idea what socialism is. What they erroneously refer to as "Socialism" is any form of government resembling that which exists today in western Europe. There are no socialist governments in the EU. They are a federation of states (much like the US is a federation of states) made up of fairly wealthy democracies that operate within the capitalist system, but which do not allow the corporation to dominate their governments as they do here. Their parliamentary representatives actually represent the people that vote them into office, not the corporations that fund their campaigns. A corporation operates at the behest and cooperation of the governments or they are sent packing. So far, no corporation has left any EU country because they felt the working environment was too unfair to operate in. Basically, this is accomplished by not allowing corporations to be involved in any way with the election process, such as the funding of individual election campaigns. They also would never allow the corporate lobbying process that they have in the US. Socialism, on the other hand, is the tyrannical form of government that operated in the East Bloc for 70 years beginning, in what became the USSR, in 1918 and the soviet satellite nations from 1945 onward. The standard of living was very low and rights were few. Very few Europeans ever want to see that again.

Because they fear what they do not know.

Many Americans have seen how socialism has kept people in other countries oppressed by the governments of those socialist countries. The very nature of socialism does not allow for individual opportunities, ownership or encourage individualism. It keeps its citizens oppressed by making them look to the government for every need. Often (and always) these governments fall very short in taking "care" of their citizens for the governments are corrupt at every level. Americans do not want that for America. We have choice, we have freedom to choose what we will do in our lives, for our families and in our careers. We can own property (or not), we have individual liberties that one is not allowed to have in a socialistic society. I believe these are very worthy and adequate reasons for Americans to not only hate socialism in other parts of the world for their fellow man, but never want it here in America.

most don't know what it is and only listen to equally as uninformed people. fearing or hating the unknown is a sign of stupidity in my opinion.

The right of a parent to bestow upon his children is as primary as the right a parent has to raise his child as he sees fit

It's simply a scare word that has intruded itself on productive debate about government. It has become the new boogeyman word that conjures up old cold-war lunacy with the pretense that the word itself is a rational debate. In American politics, "socialism" means nothing other than fear of government. After years of international antagonism, a stagnant economy, and the specter of terrorism, Americans are just throwing a brief temper tantrum, forgetting that every part of government is, in most respect, "socialism".

The vast majority of Americans couldn't tell you what Socialism is! That's because for decades now, they have4 been conditioned by Republican mischaracterization and slander: anything they oppose is somehow "socialist". I doubt most Americans could name a socialist country, and I would also say that most conservatives view the Nazis as "liberals". Pretty hilarious! But after all, this kind of rhetoric is coming from a party that believes that a civil war would be good for the economy, and that (despite all the evidence) Barack Obama is a "secret Muslim". Oh, these morons also believe that Sarah Palin is "smart".