Socialism always SOUNDS good because the idea of having everything your need SOUNDS good. The idea that others will have everything they need SOUNDS good. The speed with which the listener can apply common sense to the concept is what divides us. Common sense tells us that most people want to earn what they have and enjoy the journey through the American Dream.
My misguided DH is fond of quoting Arthur Clarke, who supposedly said that eventually the government will realize it is cheaper and easier to pick up the slack for the poor than to try to get everyone to pull his weight.
What he won’t acknowledge is that the ranks of those who can’t or won’t work will continue to grow and those of the working people will continue to shrink if the former are rewarded and the latter are punished. Why is that so hard for people to understand?