Somehow, each new decades seems to bring a brand-new crop of nations that have decided to try socialism/collectivism just one more time. Do you wonder why I use Venezuela as an example so often?

As for not "going all the way," where would you draw the line? At what point would you say the government has no business controlling a particular economic activity?

How about controls on the amount of profit an oil company should be allowed to make? Or any corporation? Price controls on gasoline? Maximum compensation limits for CEOs? Is mortgage lending too important to be left to the private sector? What should the maximum tax rate be? Should there be limits on how much wealth one can accumulate? How much property is too much for one person? These and many other ideas are taken very seriously in many quarters, including our own Congress. You'd turn pale if you saw some of the stuff that the congressional progressives come up with every year, and thank God, never get through the process. But there's more progressives every year, and fewer limited-government conservatives.

Most liberals don't think the U.S. is anywhere near as socialist as it ought to be. Obviously a lot of people here think socialized health care would be swell, so as far as I'm concerned, the line has already moved too far. As for being willing to accept collectivism, I'm sorry to say that far too many people would quickly sell their individual freedom for the promise of cradle-to-grave economic security. I don't think you're one of them, but that still leaves quite a few.