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I just saw this story, so I thought I'd fire off a hot opinion I've held for quite a while: America is, to a great percentage, socialist.
Start with this premise: The economy is nothing more than people having money and then spending that money. That's true. Well, the government forces this to happen all the time. Whether it be federal income tax, state sales tax, state property tax, or a car emission fee, that money is collected by government by force and then (wait for it) put in the hands of others.
It does that by taking those funds and buying things or employing people who will then go and buy things.
I'm just thinking about the courthouse: Those offices spend tons of money that goes into the private sector (office supplies, phones, computers, cars, etc.) And there are a bunch of government employees (prosecutors, judges, clerks, probation officers, and their staffs) who are going to take their paychecks and run down to Walmart, David's Western Wear, or Lowes and spend it.
Simply put, our government forces citizens to hand over money and then turns around and dumps that money into the hands of others. We think of socialism as the government taking money from someone productive and putting it in the hands of a bum, but it's actually taking that money and employing your neighbor.
Heck, the government indirectly employs me! My entire paycheck is government produced: The government takes your money, spends it on criminal justice, those employed in criminal justice arrest and prosecute people, and some of those people come to me and hire me. I, in turn, spend that money at Walmart, David's Western Wear, or Lowes.
But whether it be criminal justice, schools, fire protection, the military, health services, or road construction, (the list is mind blowing) the government is a major player in the economy. Think about all the people you know who work in some form or fashion for the government. We complain about Big Government, but I'm not sure our economy wouldn't collapse if is wasn't so big. I'm not saying it should be that way, I'm saying that's the way it is.
