A lot of people throw around words like ‘socialism’ or ‘capitalism’ without a basic understanding for their meaning. Some democratic politicians are labeled socialist by Mr. Trump and other conservative talking heads, but this is not an accurate interpretation of economic policy. Even the most leftist democrats only support the socialization of health care; which is a far cry from a Bolshevik-like revolution leading to the redistribution of all ownership to the state. Despite what Fox news purports, no one in mainstream politics is supporting a complete government takeover of the means of production in this country. Saying so, however, arouses fear, anger, and (most importantly) ratings in Fox's viewership. Capitalism is often used synonymously with ‘free market’. Yet in America’s so-called free market, big business is given enormous tax subsidies and credits while small business is overregulated and taxed heavily. Is it any wonder that entire markets (like telecom) are controlled by a few oligarchs or a single monopoly in 2019?
America is best described as a corporatocracy featuring a democratic façade that preserves the status quo. Big business executives and lobbyist have a revolving door by which they are either making the laws to be more favorable for big business or are lobbying the current lawmakers to do the same. It should not be a surprise when these laws unrestrain big business to turn massive profits at the cost of the environment and the community. Simultaneously, to appease moderate’s request for regulations to protect our water and air, corporatist lawmakers apply unnecessary regulation on small companies knowing that the burden will hurt the small businesses affected. When the policy inevitably becomes unpopular, conservatives blame liberals for the overly burdensome regulation; and the cycle repeats.