I don't think that anyone that actually lived in socialism or communism (as I and my Eastern European compatriots have) can seriously promote it as a tenable social policy. It's noteworthy to say that the critique here isn't against "democratic socialists" like Bernie Sanders, but rather against the economic system of socialism (where, e.g., private property doesn't exist).

My parents lived the first half of their lives under a brutal socialist regime; which, by the way, were also secular) -- my dad was often interrogated, threatened, and abused by the secret police due to his Christianity.

To say that capitalism won is an understatement. It's by far the most humane economic system the world has ever seen. The corollary here is that capitalism works best when we have a rule of law, separation of church and state, and functioning political apparatus.

I previously posted this, and it was flagged, after 7 comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21722628 .