The differences between Socialism & Communism

[snot]

36. I find that in the US,

when we say we want to spread "democracy," what we really mean is "capitalism"; and when we say we fear "communism," what we really fear is tyranny.

As we've seen, communism can be utterly tryannical, and as we know all too well, capitalism can, too.
The real poles are the political: democracy vs. tyranny; and economic: capitalism vs. communism.

Personally, although I believe in natural human generosity, I find Marxist expectations unrealistic insofar as they suppose we'll ever completely lose the desire to keep at least part of the fruits of our own labor for ourselves or that we'll remain consistently motivated to do our fair share of the scut work without any incentive other than the "greater good."

On the other hand, completely unregulated capitalism is also unsustainable, since it first devours the real economy and then itself.

But democratic socialism has worked beautifully for many countries. Give me a governmental system that's democratic, of by and for the people; and an economic system that applies socialism and capitalism selectively, based on what actually produces the best results.

I.e., I suspect there are some kinds of goods and services that are best operated in a more or less socialist matter – basically, those requiring large infrastructure investments and/or that provide basic necessities that cannot easily be replaced or foregone in case of economic need, such as fire departments, roads, bridges, water, power, education, and medical care – while others that are more discretionary, require less investment, or involve rapid innovation may be best left to a well-regulated capitalism.