[andrewstuart]

The key thing here is that Americans see all the stuff in the left hand column as “socialism”.

The author sees the relationship between the government providing all those services and a healthy functioning society. Americans do not… again, they see provision of community/common good social services as socialism.

Americans don’t see a direct line relationship between “socialism” and tent cities of homeless (though it’s true there is also a drug problem there).

In short, all the stuff that many other social democracies see as core to functioning society, the Americans…. speaking generally…. don’t want.

[xboxnolifes]

And many who may want it, do not believe that giving our government more money or power will wnd up with the desired outcome.

[thephyber]

It’s worth looking at why the UK (and Germany and Japan) were able to provide these services at a reasonable cost while the US can’t.

All of those countries rebuilt their social contracts after WW2 ended. The US built the New Deal (which has mostly been dismantled and/or sabotaged since), but we haven’t really changed the social contract or updated most of our welfare / safety net systems for the modern age.

People who want those things simply don’t see how they fit into the current US social contract.

[Ancalagon]

I’m in this boat. Living in California and seeing how far our tax dollars go (or rather don’t) us not inspiring

[thephyber]

The problem isn’t California. It’s lobbying (which is protected by the 1A).

California foolishly tries to throw money at the problems without first addressing the reason the sieve is so leaky.