DISQUS

jchko · 3 months ago

Before Hitler started killing he turned the country int a socialist regime. Obama has been compared to Hitler for a long time because of socialism that is what people are referring to

Noah R. Bombard · 3 months ago

Thanks for the comment, jchko. I think discussion about the benefits, pitfalls and dangers of socialism is a valid discussion. What I personally find objectionable about the Hitler comparison is that Nazi Germany was not a classic example of socialism. It was a fascist regime that centered around an ideal of racial superiority and absolute power centered in the government. Beyond the fact that it offered government-run health care, there is virtually no valid comparison between the U.S. and Nazi Germany -- or between Nazi Germany and virtually any real modern day socialist country. To me, that makes the use of Hitler and Nazis in the health care debate absurd.

As far as icons go, Hitler is in our world akin to the devil. It's the name we throw around when we want to conjure up the worst of the worst. I think such comparisons steer the debate away from the real issue of health care (such as can govt. provide good health care, should it and at what cost?).