Why do people in USA fear socialism so much?

[Elwar]

Just consider all the publicly owned utility services like electricity.

Electricity is almost entirely privately provided in the united states. Maybe the hoover damn is an exception? Maybe a few others? Pretty rare if it exists at all. Look at your electricity bill sometime. See who you are paying it to. It will probably be a private corporation.

They are still given private monopoly status by the local governments.

[BADecker]

My dad used to tell me that the symptoms of tiredness and laziness are very similar. Look at our faces. Do you see fear? Or is it anger?

Take from the middle class and give to the poor is simply an excuse to take from middle class slaves and give to the rich.

[skinbrake]

The USA fears anything which will interfere with how the government is run. To fear socialism, or terrorism is a way to justify military spending. Fear is a tool! 

[BADecker]

Actually, the USA doesn't fear anything. It can't. It is words on paper. Words on paper don't have emotions. The fear is in the people who use government against us, so they can rape and plunder us and make profit. They fear they might lose their control, and the profits will drop off.

[SCheek]

I don't understand, maybe I'm just too young with whole cold-war mentality born just around collapse. Sure communism didn't work out very well.

But, I do prefer some socialism to pure capitalism. So I don't realy get this whole fear of it in USA, it can't be all bad or is it? Can someone explain it to me?

Margaret Thatcher on Socialism- "Eventually you run out of other people's money".