In Utah, the dirtiest word isn’t four letters and is rarely spoken in Sunday school: socialism. I can scarcely log in to social media without reading a post about the terrible ills of socialism. What happened to pictures of your kids? Of course, the post was made over the internet (developed through government research) and probably sent from a car (government bailout of the auto industry) speeding down the freeway (government, again) with no heed for human life.
I find this especially intriguing, as the predominant religion in the state holds as its ideal form of government a theocratic, socialist society where people have all things in common.
Americans value individualism above all else, but the truth is we rarely practice what we preach. Old folks love their Social Security and Medicare, poor folks love their Medicaid and TANF, and everyone else loves well-maintained roads, food in the grocery store, public libraries and parks, to list a few of a slew of services we take for granted.
It’s time we embrace socialism and the benefits it brings to society, rather than constantly maligning it.
Boyd Madsen, West Valley City
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