I really enjoy your writing and perspective on the world, Umair.

This is a much-needed article to dispel some of the stupidity around how people use the word “socialism” in the U.S.

For all those defending the US system, I wonder:

1) How are you doing in that system? (My guess is many defenders either were born into money, believe they will make money even though they haven’t, or maybe they have managed to do well in the system. I’d also suspect they view things from a narrow “what’s in it for me” perspective, so are unable to see the various problems of capitalism in America circa 2018).

2) Do you at least admit that the US military budget, conservatively reported at 610 BILLION per year, more than 3 Times China’s (175 billion), is socialism in action?

And last, it seems a reflection of your comment about the poor US education system that supposedly well-educated Americans have trouble discussing these topics with nuance, thinking you have to be 100 percent for or 100 percent against what a person is saying in an article like this. Personally, I think most of what is written here reflects my perspective but there are a few things I’d say differently or maybe even disagree with, YET I can still say it’s a great article. Thanks again for writing it!