I consider a free market and personal freedom very important. I also prefer not to see lepers in the streets, nor do I prefer to see people with cancer suffer more because they can't pay for treatment. I also like to see the streets safe and well maintained. Finally, I like to live in a society where every kid can go to every school/university.
For all this I gladly pay taxes, so I vote for a government that aligns with my world view. Am I a socialist for wanting this? I don't think so. I feel the market should be free and hardly regulated. Tax systems should be simple and fair, without loop holes for the super rich. I think banks should die if they take too much risk (and not be kept alive by the people in some strange overly socialistic way). I think the power should be with the people and not with corporations (which means with wealthy people).
I'm a capitalist but I'd like to rid it of the cancer it has been growing lately.
I have same values as you, I am getting confused why I see so much socialism is bad on HN, especially from US citizens, is there a confusion like they think socialism means everything is public property, so confusing it with some communism implementations.
I understand that fixing the corruption/lobby in current US system would help I am not sure it could be done without some socialist, for the people party/layws.
You're also right, in the end it's just a matter of definitions. Maybe if I don't care about paying a high amount of taxes (but I insist it should be a fair system) I will be called a socialist by some. And actually "fair" is also a nice debate starter.
On the other hand, saving a bank with taxpayers money is somehow often regarded as capitalistic. And somehow, creating almost all money as a dept of less wealthy people to more wealthy people, forcing said less wealthy people to pay rent to the more wealthy people for most of their lives is also called capitalistic. These are strange times. Perhaps all this is indeed only corrected with some true socialism :)
For all this I gladly pay taxes, so I vote for a government that aligns with my world view. Am I a socialist for wanting this? I don't think so. I feel the market should be free and hardly regulated. Tax systems should be simple and fair, without loop holes for the super rich. I think banks should die if they take too much risk (and not be kept alive by the people in some strange overly socialistic way). I think the power should be with the people and not with corporations (which means with wealthy people).
I'm a capitalist but I'd like to rid it of the cancer it has been growing lately.