Ok, briefly. Socialsm is not good. It is not good for choice, families, industry, and under only very specific cercumstances is it sustainable. Socialism is clearly the cousin of commnunism, and inevitably leads to communism. Given, socialism has it merrits, and capitalism is far from perfect, and America is far from being truly capitalistic. For the sake of argument, America is capitalism. The proof is in the pudding. Aaron, you live in Germany, one of the most succesful socialist economies on earth. Is life better there? Is is easier to raise a family? Is the environment more conducive of the gospel of Jesus Christ? There are less poor, that is evident. There are also less families, that is also evident. Capitalism would be great if we took care of our poor, but we do not, instead we rack up debt trying to keep up with the Joneses. This is why our economy is struggling at the moment. Shortly put, we are not keeping the commandments of God, and the Book of Mormon tells us repeatedly what happens if we, as a nation, do not keep God's commandments. Maybe a discussion is needed about what is truly important for a nation. Is it freedom, opportunity, healthcare, food, shelter, protection, equality?