Reply #2: I'll try

[CTLawGuy]

"working class" - people who depend heavily on their jobs (generally blue collar jobs) for their survival, that is they lack sufficient other resources, such as investments/savings, to support themselves for a long period of time if they lost their jobs. As I understand it, the term implies someone in the lower end of middle class as well as the working poor.

"socialism" - an economic system in which the government administers (i.e. runs or manages) the economy ostensibly for the benefit of the people as a whole. by contrast, capitalism is an economic system in which the economy is administered by private business interests, under regulations set by government, with the goal of maximizing their own profit.

Socialism is not government regulation of business. Even in the system of capitalism advocated by republicans the government has a regulatory role (creating and enforcing contract and property rights, for example).
Socialism is not the government providing services that could theoretically be provided by private enterprise (i.e. health insurance) Even republicans don't think police departments are socialist or that the military is socialist.

The hallmark of socialism is that the government utterly dominates the economy, deciding how much of thing X to produce, setting the wages workers get to make thing Y, deciding how much will be charged for service Z, etc.

"Democracy" - a system of government where the governing power comes from the people. "Republic" is a government run by representatives of the people (whether chosen by the people themselves or not, i guess). I consider the US a "democratic republic" because we have a representative government and we get to elect the representatives.

"freedom" - the ability to conduct your life as you see fit. a lot of Rs complain that taxes "take away their freedom." taxes are the price we pay for the services that the government provides. You live here, you benefit from the services (directly and indirectly), you pay taxes. if you don't like it, you are free to live in any country that will have you.