Why The U.S. Is Headed Toward More Social Policies

A trend toward socialism in the United States is inevitable for more than one reason. First, this is evident in a Harvard Business School study that found Americans prefer Sweden in terms of income distribution. There are reasons that underlie this socialist sentiment, and they include systemic economic weakness, unsustainable government spending, redirection of tax policy and cultural values.

Economic considerations regarding the effects of tax policy indicate at least a willingness to consider more social tax policies. For example, Economics Professor, Christina D. Roma via the New York Times illustrates how the benefits of conservative tax policy are not quite so clear, and how national debt and income inequality are getting worse; the Occupy movement would probably agree.

Unsustainable health-care spending among other things adds another dimension to why the United States is headed toward socialism. Moreover, Business Insider claims the U.S. health care system is a statistical outlier in terms of health-care spending as a percent of GDP. However, this week the U.S. Supreme Court will evaluate Obama Care per the Los Angeles Times, which also states Socio-care a la Europe and Canada isn't necessarily the right solution. For more on that perspective, an assessment of universal health care might be of use.

The trend to socialism is not just evident in wealth distribution survey results and health-care, it is also evident in our culture. American history demonstrates an unwillingness to bend to the will of aristocracy just because they win the money game, this time it's inter-cultural. To illustrate, the Washington Post and the New York Times publish substantially liberal perspectives on employment and government policy,  consumer sentiment is near 30 year lows, the Center for American Progress exists, and the merits of money-centrism are questioned via the Occupy Movement and publications like Alter Net. 

The economic playing field has changed, new generations of Americans are finding it difficult to outperform their parents financial successes. No longer does post WWII GDP bonanza drive the economy effortlessly, and U.S. global economic dominance has waned along with massive innovation to the economic scale of satellite communications infrastructure, the Internet and corresponding information technology. If the U.S. is to stay economically viable or competitive something has to change, and that could quite possibly lead to policies that enable a wider population to compete.