Bill Maher Wrong about Socialism: Big Difference Between Government Assistance and Control

On last Friday’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman warned that socialism has moved from slur to badge of honor among some Democrats, and that some candidates now go as far as to speak positively about communism — a political and economic system responsible for some 100 million deaths in the last century. Maher’s glib reply was that America, like other Western democracies, is already “quasi-socialist,” because of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

That answer sounds moderate. It is actually a category error.

About the Author

Marian L. Tupy

Marian L. Tupy is the founder and editor of HumanProgress.org and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity.

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On last Friday’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman warned that socialism has moved from slur to badge of honor among some Democrats, and that some candidates now go as far as to speak positively about communism — a political and economic system responsible for some 100 million deaths in the last century. Maher’s glib reply was that America, like other Western democracies, is already “quasi-socialist,” because of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

That answer sounds moderate. It is actually a category error.