text: Our economic system is, and always has been a mix of capitalism and socialism. That is why the fire department will save your house without asking for your credit card first, why you can drive on public roads and are protected 24/7 by a public military.  Not to mention the fact that every major scientific and technologic advance since WW2 has been largely based on publicly funded research. Weather satellites, the internet, DNA testing, GPS, even commercial air travel, were all largely started and developed by government funded scientists and engineers. If we ever cure cancer, it will be because of publicly funded research in publicly funded research hospitals. Almost no one is promoting pure socialism, but pretending that your life and business and livelihood aren't dependent also upon socialist programs is pure ignorance. Some things run better with capitalism, some (especially infrastructure and other long-term investments) work better through public funding.