“Why Socialism?" by Albert Einstein (1949)

Somewhere along the way in American history, somebody decided to conflate Communism and Socialism for political purposes. Since then the very idea of Socialism is regarded with hands held high in horror, anathema to the US economic system of Capitalism.

In fact, there is no instance of any country with pure Capitalism, and no instance of a country with pure Socialism. (Or pure Communism, for that matter.)

All countries have mixed economies, with some Capitalism and some Socialism. Where they vary is in the actual blend.

Many Americans have tried to convince me that there is no Socialism in the US, blithely overlooking the income to the elderly and the out-of-work; the road and highway systems; the bailing-out of companies; medical care to those who can't afford it; etc, etc.

All of those items above are being paid for by the combined resources of the country's taxpayers, each of whom have no say in where their money is going - the same as in (say) Norway or (say) China.