Many have noted how all the cries about how America is turning Socialist and how that will be the end of our free society are a pretty hypocritical stance for a nation dependent on Social Security, Medicare, public schools, and a host of other government programs.

Recently I’ve been inundated with offers from companies trying to sell me extended warranties on just about everything I own. It’s also that season where all my various insurance policies come up for renewal. And it occurs to me that as a nation, we are already pretty addicted to the basic tenants of Socialism. Granted, Socialism is technically about the government providing social services to its citizens, but more fundamentally, the idea of Socialism is the spreading of financial risk. I pay money now which in part buys me a financial safety net. But many of these nets are nets I hope to never need. I don’t want to be sued, have my transmission die, or require a major medical procedure. But someone will, and we are hedging our bets by spreading the cost/risk across many people to prevent an undue burden on the small percentage who fall into the net.

As a nation, we seems to be very comfortable with the idea of insurance. I want insurance that I won’t be hit with large medical bills, repair bills, school tuition, etc. We seem to like the idea of paying for things over time rather than being hit with big bills when the cost is incurred. We take out credit for all manner of things. And all these actions are essentially Socialistic. Now ironically, it is largely companies who sell us these financial products, and they are motivated by sheer Capitalism. But if you think about it, Capitalism is just capitalizing on our inherent Socialist tendencies.

So apparently the takeaway is that America is really fine with Socialism, as long as someone is making a profit from it. Stores are good. Co-Ops are unpatriotic.