Letter: Voters must know details behind ideas

Mike Huckabee believes in the "fair tax" as a replacement for the current tax system but fails to give examples of how it works.

More controversial is Bernie Sanders as a self-proclaimed "socialist democrat" who wants our health care system copied to that of Sweden or Norway.

The problem is his proposal is far different than the Swedish model. The factor of confusion lies in not knowing the true definition of socialism. Karl Marx established its meaning. Socialism is the complete ownership, by the government, of an industry or service. It controls the complete production and distribution of the product or service.

Sweden meets the definition. All doctors, nurses and other employees are government workers. The hospitals and land they sit on are government-owned. There is no part of their health care system that is private. What Sanders is proposing has little resemblance to that.

Bernie proposes the public option that will replace the private health care insurers. It follows our Medicare system that is totally different from Sweden. The private doctors and hospitals will stay private. There is nothing in his rhetoric that says the government will "nationalize" the system to that of the Swedish model.

Whether his proposal is better or more cost-effective than our current system is open for debate, but the public should understand the meaning of socialism, what Sweden has, and what Sanders wants to do.

Jim Hinkle

This story was originally published January 31, 2016 at 8:51 PM with the headline "Letter: Voters must know details behind ideas."