You know I am surprised at how narrow minded the thinking is from supposedly intelligent people.

Capitalism = Great prosperity, freedom, mom and apple pie, the red white and blue, football etc.

Socialism = North Korea, China, Cuba, social oppression, no motivation to work.

Folks there is some very wide middle ground out there. Take the Scandanavian countries. Socialist countries with thriving freedoms and capitalism. They have among the highest tax rates in the world yet the highest standard of living in the world. They have socialized medicine that ranks among the best quality health care in the world. They have private ownership of businesses, homes and cars. They are guarenteed by law five weeks of vacation annually and have very powerful labor unions. They have among the lowest unemployment in the world and some of the largest and most innovative companies in the world. The countries are loaded with government programs to help (ie. in Denmark parents receive 3300 DKR every quarter for every child they have regardless of employment or income status - single parents receive even more) yet the vast majority of the citizens get up and go to work every day.

If the fear that the far right likes to instill in everyone were true, Scandanavia would not function. Taxes would oppress corporate development and growth, and reduce the incentive of the wealthy to go into business. The social welfare would reduce the incentive of the lower classes to work hard. Government regulation and invlovement would mean oppression to the citizens and stifling freedoms and liberties.

Yet in the real world, that does not happen.