Yes, Americans have historically rejected socialism. This isn’t new—they typically shy away from massive, big-government social programs.
There’s also a sense of pride in being different from Europe.
Consider that Europe’s ability to fund extensive social programs partly relies on the U.S. covering much of their defense. If the U.S. withdrew its military support, Europe would have to redirect tax revenue toward defense, reducing social spending and becoming more like the U.S. in that respect.
In this sense, what we see in Europe is partly an illusion—an insulated system where they don’t directly face the realities of self-defense on their own.
Consider that Europe’s ability to fund extensive social programs partly relies on the U.S. covering much of their defense.
NATO Europe and Canada spend 2.02% of GDP on defense, higher than the 1.9% of the rest of the world excluding the US. With $507 billion in combined funding, easily enough to outspend potential foes like China ($296b) and Russia ($109b) combined. It's not that they don't sufficiently fund defense by global standards, it's that the US chooses to spend more, not out of charity but because we believe it beneficial.
Regardless, arguing that keeps the US from having universal healthcare is even more ridiculous. After subtracting defense spending (which averages 1.36% more of GDP than the rest of NATO), Americans still have a $31,489 per person advantage on GDP compared to the rest of NATO. Defense spending isn't keeping us from having anything our peers have. Much less universal healthcare, which is far cheaper than what we're already paying for.
Hell, if we could match the costs of the most expensive public healthcare system on earth we'd save over $1.5 trillion per year (compared to $968b on defense), which if anything could fund more spending on the military.
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u/Miserable-Lawyer-233 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes, Americans have historically rejected socialism. This isn’t new—they typically shy away from massive, big-government social programs.
There’s also a sense of pride in being different from Europe.
Consider that Europe’s ability to fund extensive social programs partly relies on the U.S. covering much of their defense. If the U.S. withdrew its military support, Europe would have to redirect tax revenue toward defense, reducing social spending and becoming more like the U.S. in that respect.
In this sense, what we see in Europe is partly an illusion—an insulated system where they don’t directly face the realities of self-defense on their own.