What I would socialize...

Socialism is not an either/or proposition. Being socialist, I do not think that EVERY business would be better run by the government. Of course not. What I believe is that people are dependent upon certain industries which are capable of gross abuse of power which must have government control in order to be ethical. These are the industries which I think could be better run by the government:

Medicine - This is the most obvious and while I'm pretty much required to make a post about it sooner or later, let me just say that opponents to socialized medicine are selfish idiots. Every other first world country has universal health care. It is not, in anyway, controversial to those who have it. By offering universal health care to everyone who needs it, we can more efficiently protect ourselves from outbreaks, have a stronger work force, prevent the spread of STDs, and start cutting off pharmaceutical companies who are pushing their products into doctor's offices to supplement their income. We've needed this for a long time and the only reason we don't have it is Republican propaganda and fear mongering.


Banking - I know of no industry that is so restrictive, manipulative, and necessary for average Americans. They sneak in additional charges and restructure plans to exploit the ignorance of their customers. They make money off of our investments and pay back an extremely small percentage. They are inefficient and most often provide poor service. There is nothing to be lost by nationalizing the banking system and a whole lot to be gained. Imagine if your credit and loan payments could be deducted from your taxes? Maybe not the whole thing, but if you are swamped with debt, wouldn't it be nice to know that money was going to possibly help improve roads or pay for schools instead of just going to a bunch of rich guys? What about school loans? I pay to a company called Direct Loans... which I know nothing about. When I took out a federal student loan, it defaulted to this private business. I know nothing about the politics of this business which obviously has an fiscal interest in higher education rates and less scholarships and grants. If I were paying directly to a government institution, they might not spend it wisely, but at least they would be accountable.

Insurance - As far as I'm concerned, insurance is a scam. I will talk about auto insurance since this is the only kind I have. The first problem with it is that you are legally required to have insurance if you have a car. While I understand the necessity, part of the reason is to make sure that others are covered for medical damage which wouldn't be an issue if medical coverage was provided by the state. But the insurance companies can discriminate against you based on information that no other businesses would be able to including age and marital status. They are able to do this because they have convinced married adults that their rates will go down if they don't have to pay for the statistically higher damages associated with young, single people. Well, fuck you. We have anti-discrimination laws to prevent judgments based on these kinds of gross generalities, but you think that just because it isn't racial or sexist, it's okay? Or what about neighborhoods? Sure, different neighborhoods have more traffic accidents, but this policy discriminates against people who live in poor, inner city environments leading to more uninsured drivers and more hit-and-runs. But insurance companies don't take the same risks that we do. They have statistical experts (not unlike casinos) who can assure them that the gains are greater than the losses. While we take the risk, they just cash the check. Maybe that is how it needs to be, but let's make it a government institution so that (A) their discriminatory practices can be held to scrutiny and accountability, and (B) those profits can go to the government and not the rich business owners who don't have to do anything to earn it.

Energy - Energy is not a private concern. It is a public concern and private businesses have abused their power far too often. In the wake of eight years of scandals, it can be easy to forget the California energy crisis of 2000 and the abusive manipulation of the Enron corporation. Small businesses went under because they couldn't afford rising energy prices. Millions of Californians were paying increased rates based on manipulation of energy production. Many people suffered so few could benefit. The failure was laid at the feet of California Governor Gray Davis leading to his impeachment and the election of Republican puppet Arnold Schwarzenegger. I often hear companies say that coal and nuclear power produce so much more energy than solar, but solar is clean and infinitely renewable. What they really want is the most energy for the least expense. And if you have ever driven along I-5, you know that there is no shortage of empty land to build solar plants on. Our energy concerns should be placed in the hands of the people who have to deal with the long-term reprecussions of our environmental policies. Businesses look at the bottom line and the short-term needs of their investors.

Communications - The communications industry is another big capitalist scam. Their rates are entirely determined by one another and bear absolutely no relation to their actual spending cost. Cell phones, cable, and internet were a fantastic market to try to instigate new business practices which had already been rejected by their parent land-line telephone services and broadcast television. AOL charged (and still charges, as far as I know) internet services per hour. Cell phones give you packaged plans, yearly commitments, free text for people under certain conditions. It's all bullshit and they get away with it because they can. Communications are vital to the public health and public interest which is why I think this industry should be nationalized under a single, low annual payment for all calls in the US and Canada including cell calls, text messages, and land-lines. Private businesses can market their own hardware including cell phones and modems, but these hyper-inflated plans need to go away.

So there you have it. Five industries which I believe should be nationalized for the good of the people and the strength of the government. Am I worried that nationalization could make these industries as frustrating to deal with as the DMV or USPS? Absolutely, but let's face it, are they any better now? These are incredibly powerful businesses who have consistently demonstrated a selfish abuse of their power over the citizens. By nationalizing these businesses, we would not only help to defend ourselves from present and future monopolistic practices, but enable us to dictate responsible future growth while providing desperately needed income on the federal, state, and local level which could, amongst other things, be used to supplement tax income and lower overall rates.

When I have time to do more research, I will analyze the reasons for and benefits of nationalization for each of these industries in greater detail in a later post.

In the meantime, are there any industries which you would nationalize? Why or why not? What about the opposite? Is there anything that you would privatize? I would like to know.