Why do people despise social democracies so much?

[Pat Smith]

The principles:

The government should:

1. Hold free and fair elections for its citizens to decide who should govern them, with a system of multiparty democracy so a variety of ideals can be put into practice.

2. Have a mixed economy consisting of both private enterprise and publicly owned or subsidized programs of education, health care, child care and related social services for all citizens.

3. Have an extensive system of social security (although not to the extent advocated by socialists), with the stated goal of counteracting the effects of poverty and insuring the citizens against loss of income following illness, unemployment or retirement.

4. Have government bodies that regulate private enterprise in the interests of workers and consumers by ensuring labor rights, consumer protections, and fair market competition.

5. Promote environmentalism and enforce environmental protection laws designed to combat global warming.

6. Have a value-added/progressive taxation system to fund government expenditures.

7. Have a secular and socially progressive policy.

8. Promote immigration and multiculturalism.

9. Advocate for fair trade over free trade.

10. Have a foreign policy supporting the idea of democracy, the protection of human rights and, where possible, effective multilateralism.

11. Encourage its citizens to have a strong sense of international solidarity and tolerance.

12. Advocate for social justice, human rights, social rights, civil rights and civil liberties.

Most countries do these, and yet if you talk to them about a social democracy or a welfare state they'll scream socialism and "freedom". I just don't get it.
Yeah, I said social democracy, not socialism. Democratic socialist and social democrat is not the same thing.

Look at Sweden. I don't see it being a dictatorship or anything. It's one of the most successful countries in the World. Highest rate of higher education, great health care, strong government, and taxes aren't too high. They're only 4 to 5% higher than in the US. The thing is, they don't send their army everywhere to fight, so they save money over there and can provide for their citizens. Anyway, I'm not saying that other ways of thinking are wrong, I'm just saying that it doesn't make sense to scream socialism and "freedom".

[Just Peachy]

I don't despise them, i just don't want it in my country.

[adobeprincess]

People do not want it because programs increase the amount of money from their pay that goes to taxes. I do not think that way. I think healthcare is a right and so is an education. We are really backwards when compared to other industrialized countries.

[Dan T]

Socialism doesn't work and was the cause of many Nation's economic downfall. Including Soviet Russia, and the French Empire.

The problem is it is impossible to fund socialism, because as the population grows so does the deficit.

Socialism is also unconstitutional and the founders disapproved of such a irresponsible system, in which the state spends it's self into oblivion.

Socialism also increases the size of government, which the founders warned against. This is why every dictator since socialism's conception had some form of socialist system. Hitler even provided nationalized healthcare for 'Aryan" citizens.

[davidgardner32]

Sounds good, but rather hard to actually put into practice.
A few problems:
1. Would love to see "muli-party" elections, but elected officials become so addicted to holding power that they do everything they can to limit competition as much as possible.
2. Excellent plan, but...as always...the devil is in the details. Exactly WHAT is going to be private enterprise, and what is going to be government-run?
3. Again, a nice plan...but awfully expensive, and you have to define who's eligible? Everybody, even people who have never worked, never paid in, etc?
4. Exactly...but there must be a balance between the rights of corporations and the rights of workers. Everything the workers want is not necessarily selfish, and everything the corporations want is not automatically unfair.
5. True, but again...we need absolute and fair research (conducted WITHOUT predetermined goals in mind) to know what is best. The same people arguing about global warming today are the same ones who were predicting coming ice-ages in the early 1980's.
6. Agreed, though again...devil in the details. What's the most anyone should ever have to pay (personally, I think no one should ever have to pay more the 25% of their total income)...and who should get a free ride? (Currently, 48% of the workers pay absolutely nothing.) I actually think a national sales tax is best...that way the people who spend the most (aka the rich) end up PAYING the most.
7. Depends on exactly WHAT your notion of "socially progressive" policy is, of course.
8. Granted, but the RIGHT kind of immigration...aka "LEGAL". Also, multiculturalism is a good thing, usually...but as un-PC as it is to state, some cultures are inferior to others and do not DESERVE promotion or accomodation. Should religious fundamentalists (of ANY religion) be allowed to treat women like cattle, or kill their daughters because they DARE to have conversation with male friends?
9. Indeed...any country that prohibits the importations of our goods should not be allowed to export THEIR goods into this country.
10. Agreed, but as wonderful as democracy is, it is not worth the life of a single U.S. soldier or a single nickel of taxpayer dollars to try and impose it on a country that has never had it and does not act like it wants it.
11. Yes...we're all travelers on Planet Earth. Though some things should NOT be tolerated.
12. Agreed, but again...that means PURE social justice, human rights, civil rights, etc. In some situations, "justice" means that people suffer from their own actions, and "civil rights" must be equal for ALL...not just based on preferences so that "the numbers work".

[truckman]

the reason social democracy's,i.e. europe succeed for a short time,is they don`t have to really worry about defending themselves.what social democracy champions refuse to accept is,that the U.S. military has been providing the security needed for social democracy's to mature for a short time(as we have all been seeing social democracy's in europe are collapsing),and the natural course of social democracy's will be exposed...laziness,lack of ambition,lack of personal responsibility,and complete dependence on government,and the system collapse of it`s own weight.