Reagan on 'Socialized Medicine'

A neat recording of Ronald Reagan from 1961 talking about "socialized medicine" is available via the Carpe Diem blog of economics professor Mark Perry. Reagan begins by quoting the socialist politician Norman Thomas saying that the American people would never vote for socialism, but that under the name of liberalism, the American people would adopt every fragment of the socialist program. Said Reagan, "One of the traditional methods of imposing statism of socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It's very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. Most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people that can't afford it."