Socialism restricts freedom and reduces individuals to agents of the State whereas democracy maximizes freedom. Socialism necessitates force because it is the nature of human beings to be free and to create value for themselves and others. Under socialism, human needs are defined by the State; the self-chosen few who think they know what is best for the rest of us.

And don’t equate Western European nations with socialism. Free markets drive their economies; economies that are unnecessarily restricts by very high taxation among ALL citizens.

State-controlled economies restrict personal freedom and they don’t make things better. They always require more control, less freedom, and eventually democracy is eliminated because it impedes what the so-called “democratic” socialists define as “ progress.”