Socialism vs. Capitalism - Elie Weinstein

Socialism is to capitalism as North Korea or Cuba are to (basically) the rest of the world. They just cannot match the economic success of other nations around the globe, and the simple reason (apart from that they are both communist) is that they have socialist economies.
If the world could vote tomorrow on what economic system to follow, the results would favor socialism by miles. The only explanation for this is because this economic system somewhat offers the impoverished a way out of poverty through food and other necessities being distributed for free by the government. It would seem only fair for the poor to have equal access to basic materials and food needed to live, but how is it fair that citizens who work hard or have greater skill at what they do receive equal repayment as a person who’s job is to solely pick up trash for example?
This is why capitalism works better; it allows you freedom over prices and even over what school you attend. Sweden has been very successful because it has adopted both the free market as well as socialism, thus incorporating the benefits of both worlds. It has a free market just like America, however, due to the high taxes paid on everything, the government can offer many services for free. Sweden’s system is one of the best economic systems because while it allows individuals to grow financially, it still provides everyone access to free education, healthcare, etc.
Socialism and capitalism have many pros and cons, but the greatest problem of the entire world is money. Money may seem just a way to buy products and services, but it’s more than that. Because money is required to have anything in this world today, people crave money, commit suicide because of it, and they’ll even resort to exploiting themselves and criminal activity just so that they can get their hands on paper with numbers on it. Many feel that they need it in order to live, or to gain status from it; we have come to depend on numbers as a means to everything we own or do in life, as well as to how we act and think towards ourselves and others.