I wouldn't call Sanders or any US politician "socialist". Wanting universal healthcare is as far as I'm aware on both sides of the spectrum, right and left. Having lived in an African country myself with healthcare, and having experienced a bit of the UK's NHS, I can't say it raised my taxes any further. We can afford it because we're also not participating in any foreign wars, so we have enough money spent on the people unlike the US. Now onto free education and minimum wage, I'm not necessarily a free education guy for the tertiary level, but I'm ok with primary and secondary level. We did indeed implement minimum wage just recently here, and we didn't have it before. I heard good things from the people who benefited from it so far.

I guess I'm a supporter of gov healthcare, and I wouldn't call myself a socialist, the label you are using for Sanders, which is pretty much the same thing.

Also, France isn't exactly a well implemented social democracy with the constant strikes, think more China, which is authoritarian leftism, or Finland, libertarian leftism. They both do pretty well for themselves, with some welfare. China especially is innovating super fast too.