America – full of Socialists?

Almost half of Americans either prefer socialism to capitalism or are downright confused, according to a Rasmussen poll released today. Twenty percent of Americans polled say socialism is better, and another 27 percent say they are undecided. That just can’t be good. On the bright side, 53 percent say capitalism is preferable. So, basically, about half the people think it might be a great idea for government bureaucrats to run their lives. Too bad those people won’t do the decent thing and form a club collective, leaving the rest of us free to run our own lives. Or, perhaps the liberty-minded among us can do a better job convincing the undecided (at least) that wealth and prosperity are created by capitalist pursuits, not government taxes and programs.

Rasmussen offers an interesting caveat.

It is interesting to compare the new results to an earlier survey in which 70% of Americans prefer a free-market economy. The fact that a “free-market economy” attracts substantially more support than “capitalism” may suggest some skepticism about whether capitalism in the United States today relies on free markets.

I could be convinced that “free[dom]” has a better connotation than “capitalism.” Thoughts on all of the above? Do share.