Of course, there are many reasons why socialism is an anathema for many Americans....mostly in the right wing political sphere.
First, we are a nation that spews the rhetoric that we "love peace", but the reality is that we are neo-colonists (the euphemistic term for regime changers) we spend an inordinate amount of tax dollars on defense/offense (just listen to Carly Fiorina's speeches) and any country that has succeeded with socialism seldom indulges in war.
Second, we are so multicultural and multi-ethnical that most middle class (and poorer class) white skinned folks openly state, "I will NEVER be willing to give my hard earned money to those mooching darkies.)
But most of all, we could never easily become "socialists" (although many morons on the right think that Obama has already made us such)...because the term is hugely misunderstood by the uneducated masses who would willingly pay huge amounts of money to some private entity for a particular service, and ***** and moan when taxed by the federal government for that same service.
Not just Obama but every progressive since T. Roosevelt.
We have become a Welfare State which is a form of Socialism.
This guy really explains it very well.
The Welfare State Is Really Socialism in Disguise
This topic reminds me of the story about the national politician who campaigned on a party platform promoting the Welfare State. His stump speech was filled with promises of all the government services that he would fight for, if the voters would just elect him to Congress. He promised to meet all of the people’s needs relating to childcare, education, nutrition, housing, transportation, healthcare, pensions, and good-paying jobs for every citizen. Finally, at one town hall meeting, a boy raised his hand and asked, “Why would we need jobs?”
Yes, just as when we were children, everyone wants to ride in the wagon, but nobody wants to pull the wagon! It’s a principle which is so simple that even a child can understand it.
The newly invented rights wipe out real rights — and turn the people who actually create the goods and services into servants of the State. It’s the same as if the federal government were to proclaim a universal right to a car, or a computer, or a cell phone: not that you are free to earn those things by your own effort, but that you have some moral claim to be given those things free of charge, with no action on your part, simply as handouts from a benevolent Welfare State.
Socialism is clearly evident in this process. The Welfare State is not hard-core Socialism per se, because it does not necessarily require the total elimination of private ownership of the means of production and distribution. But enormous bureaucracies have been created to tax, subsidize, and regulate businesses, and the federal government owns 34 percent of our nation’s total land area. Furthermore, two-thirds of the federal budget is devoted to programs that are engaged in wealth redistribution.
Hence, it would not be inaccurate to claim that the Welfare State is Socialism in disguise. In any case, we can be absolutely certain of this: the Welfare State is not Americanism in disguise!