My employer sent me to a socialist country this week, and I have been terrified from the moment that my plane landed on this evil soil. I can tell these Germans are all evil socialists--they look too healthy to be living in a capitalist country that lacks adequate healthcare.
Not to mention, every taxi driver says "danke" after I pay him/her, which I'm sure must be a socialist code word, like "auf wiedershien." They say that a lot, too.
I also see "Apothecere" shops on nearly every street, where they go to get their socialized medicine. The socialists file in and out of there all day.
I'm pretty sure the television is affected by socialism; this 13-year-old boy named Justin appears on nearly every channel singing some song to screaming socialist adolescent girls in what can only be a government mandate. In fact, the only English-language programming I have seen is a seemingly old season of "America's Top Model," CNBC, BBC News (more SOCIALIZED programming!), Conan O'Brien, Brian Williams, and interviews with Bill Clinton and Timothy Geithner.
Sarcasm aside, I am wracking my brains trying to determine what conservatives fear so much about "socialism." Everyone here is dressed decently, they can afford dinner at the numerous outdoor cafes, they have lots of taxicabs, buses, and a subway (just like New York), and nothing outwardly suggests this country differs substantially from the United States--except for a seeming lack of McDonald's and Starbucks (at least in Berlin).
Germany has Internet, hotels, grocery stores (ok, the grocery stores are MUCH smaller and have far more fruits/vegetables and much less meat), public transportation, polizei (police), apartment buildings, automobiles, traffic lights, and dogs. They even have political ads on sign posts (though not as many as one sees in the US). Most of the people I have run into even speak English, except the one weiner vendor who was unfamiliar with the word "mustard." They even have cigarettes and beer in the vending machines (though I am a nonsmoker/nondrinker), something you won't find in the US (another example of less government restriction).
I did notice that they rarely have bumper stickers on their cars, as though they do not feel this urge to shove their opinions in others' faces. I wonder if that is what conservatives fear--social pressure not to affix bumper stickers. They also have less water in the toilets, but the toilets are very powerful. My advice: Do not sit on the toilet while flushing; it kind of creates a vacuum.
I also noticed substantially fewer obese people, though nobody looks emaciated. Maybe it is because they don't eat a bunch of flavorless white bread made with bleached flour or have cheap fast food restaurants on every corner.
It is clear that socialized medicine has not bankrupted the citizens of Berlin nor has it destroyed their businesses, large or small. As I ride the taxis through the streets, I see far fewer "Going out of Business" or "Store Closing" or "For Lease" signs than I do in New Jersey these days.
I can't quite figure out what ills socialism has caused over here, but I am still searching. About the only negative differences I have seen in comparing my capitalist country with their evil socialized country is less access for the handicapped here (suggesting LESS government interference), more expensive vending machine products (2.8 Euro for a bottle of water? Come on!), and none of those signs telling drivers to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. I swear I am going to get killed one of these days as I cross the street. There's also a lot more billboard nudity but somehow it seems less risque than the Clavin Klein threesome billboards in New York. Oh, and there is less deoderant use. That is definitely one thing I would want fixed if I were to live in a socialized country. Couple that with less air conditioning use, and it is not good.
I do find it funny to visit my favorite liberal blogs and see all the German ads up top (that I can't read).
I wonder if Glenn Beck has ever left the country? Maybe we should start a fundraising effort to sponsor a conservative to visit a socialist country for a week so they can learn there is nothing to be afraid of from socialists or government sponsored healthcare.