Opponents of universal single-payer healthcare, a system in which only the government pays its citizens medical bills--and which Barack Obama advocated--are often accused of ignoring the needs of the poor. They oppose the socialization of healthcare because they understand where it can lead.  Take North Korea, for example.

The country's full name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. As Jon Stewart notes, there is a direct correlation to the number of "happy" words in a country's name and the suffering of its people (see the People's Republic of China). Stewart fails to note that "democrat" and "people's" are often euphemisms for communism--don't think too hard about that right now.

A clearer delineation of free-market capitalism and communism does not exist when you contrast the two Koreas (except possibly Berlin when it was divided between east and west). A sociologist couldn't dream up a better experiment. Take a group of people that share the same ancestry, traditions, and culture. Arbitrarily divide them geographically and then give the southern group capitalism and the northern group communism.

Result?

South Korea enjoys unprecedented economic prosperity while the citizens of North Korea eat grass, tree bark and roots, according to Amnesty International. [continue reading]