Socialism in action

I guess I need a bit of explanation on my last post and why I feel the way I do. Many of you who read this have heard me talk about it, but I lived for two years in Australia, which is highly socialized. Government health care, redistribution of wealth, etc.

Let's star with work ethic. The majority of people I met in Oz were on "The Dole" (free government money). Most stores were open 8-5 Mon-Wed, 8-9 Thurs, and 8-3 Sat-Sun. Why late on Thursday? That's government check day. Seriously.

In America, we typically ask someone "What do you do?" In Australia, they ask "Do you work?" It isn't rude, so many don't work that it is a common question. Many Australians struggle with the idea of a 40-hour work week, and thought I was exaggerating about it. One girl was shocked when I told her "If you don't work, you don't eat". (which was a bit of an exaggeration, but not a lot)

I knew a single mother who was trying to make a better life for herself and two children. She worked two jobs and was as frugal as she could be. After a few months of this, she did the math and figured out that with 2 kids, she'd make more money on the Dole than she was working two jobs, so she quit them both. (she wasn't eligible if she was working)

So here we have a system that rewards laziness and punishes work ethic. To me, that's just painful to think about.

How about health care?

As most of you know, I worked with the deaf in Oz. There was one lady, Joyce, who was deaf and blind in her mid-70's (I believe). When Joyce got sick (with a common cold), she was sent to the hospital. We'd go visit her often in the 2 weeks she was there. (Yeah, 2 weeks for a cold) The conditions were terrible. The hospital seemed clean enough, but Joyce got more sick because she was put in a room with 5 other people (with different ailments) and they all made each other more sick. The medical staff was so busy that Joyce got a 15-minute checkup each day by a nurse and otherwise was just left alone, rather than being treated. In my opinion, she would have been better off staying at home if she had someone to help, but she was living in a government-run assisted living center, and they required she be sent to the hospital, since they didn't have the staff to help her stay in her room.

We volunteered at the Red Cross at that hospital (which was one of the main hospitals in the capital city of the state I was in). It was hot (no air conditioning or climate control other than ceiling fans), it was smelly, and I was always glad to get out of there, even though being there usually meant a few hours to just relax.

This is what socialism gets us. This is what happens when the government tries to "take care of us". Me? I'd rather be independent. We need to quit worrying about how to make sure everyone gets a fish and worry about teaching them to fish instead. If they choose not to fish, too bad for them. Get a job and make your own damn pie.