Reply #1: I stopped at "The point here is not to defend socialism."

[TomClash]

Why not? Much of it is great. It is a good part of the reason why we got social security, the 40 hour work week, an end to child labor, unions, unemployment insurance, anti-discrimination laws, the minimum wage, health care, civil rights, progressive taxation, head start, medicare, medicaid, the national highway system, space exploration, the internet and thousands of other benefits for the common man and woman.