Why I like The Economist--it is darn socialist :-)

I have been a regular reader of the Economist for years. For a good reason. It is a magazine that makes sense most of the time. No wonder the rest of the magazine world has a serious case of "Economist envy." They can try for all they want to be like the Economist, but there will always be only one. The real McCoy!

The blogs at The Economist are equally interesting--the same measured tone, without any histrionics, and with that slight sarcasm every once in a while. Exhibit A:

IF, WITH Barack Obama's acquiescence, Senate Democrats drop the public plan from their health-care reform bill, that measure will likely end up looking very much like The Economist's vision for health-care reform in America. Which is odd, because I never considered this paper a bastion of socialist thought.

Anyway, on the subject of healthcare reform, the same blog entry has this note:

Perhaps it's a matter of perspective. If you like the status quo, then these changes (and any change that seriously addresses the flaws in America's health-care system) are probably going to seem radical to you. But if you believe that the American system is not functioning as it should and, therefore, needs to be reformed, the changes currently on the table are actually quite moderate. Or maybe, just maybe, we're all socialists.

After all this name calling, I wonder whether the few remaining socialists--mostly in American universities--will end up disassociating from that name? That will be funny to watch :-)