...the more invisible it becomes. Ever hear anybody rail against the "Socialist Street Department" in his town? Or the "Socialist Fire Department"?

The reality is that every country in the world that has been even vaguely successful is a mix of public and private activities. People who use "socialist" as a swear word are just doing argle-bargle.

It is, and was, maddening how myopic fellow military were when it came to this. So many of them complained about their taxes going to this, that, and the other thing, blissfully ignorant of the irony. They were against government run healthcare, but happily taking advantage of the base clinic and its personnel, and Tricare. Of course most of them swallowed the 'Republicans fund the military and Democrats want to cut it' hook, line, and sinker.