A comment that sparked a post

My loyal reader base posted a question as to whether or not I was becoming a budding socialist.  Something fun, something to take my mind off the intricacies of the postal service (should that be inanities?).  Such a question, life is bursting to full with such questions, questions which are much better answered with a paragraph or three rather than a word.  Questions which allow me to sing the word question over and over questionably while preparing to answer the initial question, which I am aware that I haven't answered.  Perhaps another question is posited, such as why haven't you answered the first question?  Answering that initial question really does require that one question what the reader base means when they ask the question, particularly what is meant by that tricky little socialist word.  From experience, I know the questioner did not confound socialist with communist, though his question almost prompted a resurrection of my photo with the red hammer and sickle coated unicorn of the yellow horn.  Remembering for myself the importance of this distinction, I refrained from posting that picture as a response to the question, because it would only befuddle the reader and the reader base's understanding of my answer to this question.  

Now then, after I finish dinner, I will post my response to this question, as only on a full stomach do I think I can gratify the reader base with a response appropriate to the inquiry.

Dinner being complete... Hot Pockets Calzone aren't as bad as they could be, I turn my attention to the question that prompted this foray into my dining habits, that question as to whether or not I am a budding socialist.  The answer is as confusing as the definition of socialism.  Because of government's ability to mess anything up, as a form of government regulating to all aspects of life: no, I am not a socialist.  Business best does the right thing when they are rewarded for doing the right thing by increased sales and stock prices.  If sales aren't driven on price alone and stock prices aren't based strictly on profit, but rather sales & stock prices both reflect to some degree the company's investment in society.  If I were to belong to a warehouse store, I would choose Costco over Sam's because Costco traditionally has paid fair wages and offered benefits while providing competitive prices.  My inherent problem with warehouse stores is that I am a family of one, and I don't need to buy 36 rolls of toilet paper or 8 pounds of salmon at one go.  Even considering the reduced packaging benefits of that much at one go, it doesn't make sense for me.  Costco would win my hypothetical business based on their business practices.  When the press latches onto something unpleasant in industry and broadcasts it, especially if it reflects poorly on one company in particular, recent history has that industry cleaning up, lest another skeleton be found.  The press isn't perfect, knocking Nike sells more papers than knocking a middleman meat packager, even though the latter is perhaps more pertinent to people's health, so the Nike story is likely to get longer play.

I seem to have lost track a bit of my answer to the question, but it hasn't really entirely been forgotten.  I do believe, that while government does mess stuff up, they can't mess up medicine as much as private industry has done, so on the healthcare aspect of life, I may very well be a socialist, though I was one long ago here, when I didn't have insurance and thought it was stupid that I could be driven into bankruptcy and homelessness to save my life--at which point I would likely want to commit suicide, making the initial healthcare expense rather pointless.

Socially responsible business and social medicine are two things I would like, but there is also a need for socially responsible consumers, especially for the former to work.  I try to be one, but there is no way to do it perfectly in this imperfect world, or at least I haven't figured a way to yet.