"but America, where socialism is still a dirty word, generally is a far more right-wing country than Britian. But Obama talks about wealth redistribution, and gets elected!"

Ruth, I think you are being manipulated by the media. If you look at sheer numbers, American would have to be "more" right wing than Britain, but if you compared percentages I am sure that we are about the same, if not more liberal.

Socialism is a dirty word around here, just like liberal, ONLY because the definitions are different between the two countries. Socialism and liberalism is equated to communism by the wacko conservatives in this country, but if you look at our system of government and services - there is more socialism at work than most people realize.

Carol - I think your last post is a feeling most of us share, but I caution that we cannot let down our guard.   As Ruth pointed out, Obama represents an opportunity for social change - but one man is not going to change everything. There are too many operations and policies in place that cannot be changed overnight. Just look at what happened in California with Proposition 8. There is work to be done and attitudes to change, and our freedoms are still at risk.