Musings on 'Socialism'

Socialism is spoken as though it were a dirty word in the US, and this sentiment is spreading northward into Canadian territory as well. I'm not sure quite why that is, really. This is a continent that has a very large percentage of Christians (of various stripes). Christian institutions, on the whole, seem to advocate socialism, in a sense, in that they often organize charities and emphasize helping those in need. In the bible, you come across stuff like this all the time:

Proverbs 31:9 (New International Version)
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.

So where's the political disconnect? I will confess to being largely ignorant on the topic, but it seems to come to light mostly with the public healthcare issue. The have-nots want it, and the haves don't want it. And before it gets seriously considered, before too long, someone spits out the dirty s-word and all thought on the topic ceases. The problem is that just like other public institutions such as road infrastructure and schools, policemen, firemen, television, and many other things, public healthcare helps everyone and it helps the population as a whole.

Yes, there's the issue of how to make healthcare work, what exactly the nuts n bolts of such a system would be, but people have a hard time thinking about it because the word 'socialism' pops up and people's brains shut down. I live in a country that has public healthcare and I'm glad we have it. Could it be better? Sure. How? That's a difficult question. Would I give it up completely? Not easily. Does this make me biased? I suppose it well could, but even so, we're also still a capitalist country. Just, we seem to choose tenets of the socialist philosophy that enrich our lives, and the tenets of capitalism that help us excel as well. I think the key is balance. I don't think 'socialism' should be a show-stopping word, and I don't think 'capitalism' should be, either.