The US: a mixture of economic fear, economic hope, and pseudo-Christian rhetoric that is stoked for gain by many.<p>“Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” Ronald Wright<p>&quot;17 percent of Christians surveyed said they considered themselves part of such a movement, while a full 61 percent believed that God wants people to be prosperous. And 31 percent—a far higher percentage than there are Pentecostals in America—agreed that if you give your money to God, God will bless you with more money.&quot; Time magazine, Does God want you to be rich?<p>Healthcare costs cause 62% of personal bankruptcies in the US; 72% of those who file for bankruptcy due to medical costs had health insurance at the time of illness. RomneyCare didn&#x27;t change those figures in Massachusetts much even though everyone had health insurance, and ObamaCare has not made much of a dent there either.<p>What will an average person do in the face of such market forces? One (God-given) illness will wipe away everything they ever had, and just getting a better job won&#x27;t in general help -- it&#x27;s not a big enough pay bump. And collective political action is for socialists. So... pray!<p>edit in response to some downvotes: I&#x27;m not saying anything anti-religion or anti-Christian here; read carefully.