I was recently having a conversation here on Newsvine about socialism, and it got me thinking... why do we consider some services "socialist," and not others? Who gets to decide how the phrase is generally supposed to be applied? Many of the recent town hall protesters were yelling and screaming about socialism more than almost anything else... the ones who were actually yelling about healthcare, anyway. The debate I had on Newsvine was in regards to the President. At any rate, let's take a look at the basics, shall we? Here are some services and how we tend to view them:

Universal Healthcare: Taxpayers pay taxes to cover the expenses of healthcare for everyone, including those who do not pay taxes. If a homeless person is sick, they can seek treatment. This is considered socialist.

Police Department: Taxpayers pay taxes to cover the expenses of police departments protecting the citizens from criminals. If a homeless person is attacked and a police officer sees it, they'll go and protect them. This is considered not socialist.

Fire Department: Taxpayers pay taxes so the government can pay for fire departments to protect the citizens and their property. If a homeless person sets himself on fire, a fireman would extinguish them (I hope!). This is considered not socialist.

The Military: Taxpayers pay taxes so the government can pay for a military to protect our shores. If a foreign nation invaded us, a soldier would protect the city where the homeless person lives, and if asked to evacuate the civilians, the homeless person would be included. This is considered not socialist.

In each of these scenarios, our unlucky homeless friend is always protected by the financial care of taxpayers, even though he or she doesn't actually pay taxes. We consider police, fire, and military protection to be a right of all citizens of this country, regardless of their financial contributions to society as a whole. Why, then, do we consider universal healthcare to be socialist, but not those other services?

Imagine, if you will, an alternate world where police will only come to help you out if you pay for police insurance. Sure, you could pay them out of pocket, but the cost would be tens of thousands of dollars. Now, let's make this scenario even worse. So, let's say you actually have police insurance, right? Well, don't stop cowering in fear just yet! Before the police can show up at your house, the department first needs to contact your police insurance provider. But they only offer protection against un-armed burglars and burglars carrying knives... this guy has a gun. Sure, you might own a gun, but let's assume that this burglar is a Navy SEAL, top of his class, with a much bigger weapon than you yourself have. I guess you're... oh, what's the word I'm looking for? Oh, and don't mention to your police insurance provider that you own a firearm. They consider that to be a pre-existing condition.