How would you best describe your opinion of capitalism?

Positive (48%) – "I lived in a very socialist leaning country for three years. It was difficult to find workers to fix things in our house, or find reasonable priced labor on things bc there was no competition. There were many other things that made it just a pain to do normal things in a timely and affordable way. Life was not better or more affordable."

• "Socialism encourages more power to the government including more power over how our tax payer dollars are distributed. Our government has proven to be extremely wasteful and corrupt with the money we provide already. Why give them more power over it?"

"I would never in a million years say that capitalism is a perfect structure, but a perfect structure does not exist in a world that is corrupted by human choices. I believe that capitalism has time and time again proven to be the best (not a perfect!) structure for promoting growth and flourishing even despite the way corrupt humans will take advantage of the system. Socialism puts too much power in the hands of too few people and is corrupted far more easily. Now this doesn't mean that I'm against rules and regulations within a capitalistic society to help battle the most corrupt institutions and people. Sweden is commonly cited as a successful socialist country, but in reality it's primarily a capitalistic society with a strong social/welfare structure. As much as I'm hesitant about having too large of a welfare structure, it's still significantly different from true socialism and I will always support a Swedish-like government over a true socialist government."

• "For the person who works hard and succeeds, he should not have to share his wealth with those that are lazy and depending on the generosity of others. Everyone has something to give. Hard work is the backbone of our country, but somewhere along the way, some of our citizens have because entitled and think they deserve a free ride through life. The problem is eventually no one wants to work and then there are shortages and eventually civil unrest. Socialism has never worked out well in society because everyone does not play fairly."

"It’s not perfect, but capitalism allows people to climb economically through effort, education, or entrepreneurship. Many who start with little can still build wealth and stability over time. In capitalist systems, consumers hold the real power. If a company sells junk, people stop buying. You get to pick your favorite coffee, car, or clothing brand instead of being told what to buy by a central authority. Capitalism rewards effort and creativity. When people can profit from their ideas or hard work, they’re motivated to invent, build, and improve. Think of everything from smartphones to small family bakeries; most exist because someone took a risk, hoping to make a living or a fortune."

Neutral (19%) – "Capitalism has been the basis of the US economy for centuries but in recent decades, the rollback of regulations and the neutering of government checks and balances has led to exploitation of workers and financial systems. Capitalism should remain the bedrock of the US economy but at some point regulatory authority through government and the courts has to step up because otherwise the wealth gap is just going to keep growing."

• "Capitalism causes many woes, but this is a side affect normal human behavior. The positive is that it directs human self-interest in a more socially beneficial way than any other system. Every country that has been pulled out of poverty in the last hundred years has done so through capitalism, in one way or another. Again, it comes with its downfalls, which I feel, but allows for more opportunities for more people than other systems."

Negative (33%) – "In my 64 years, I have seen capitalism go from 'work hard & you will be successful' to 'work hard & your bosses boss will be wildly successful'. There seems to be the view (held by proponents of capitalism) that anyone who is unable to 'work hard' is wholly unworthy of assistance. This includes people with diabilities and the elderly. Compassion has gone by the wayside - a person's value is directly tied to their ability to make money or for someone else to make money off them."

• "Capitalism itself is not a bad thing. American Capitalism- which allows billionaires to influence politicians, corporations to monopolize markets, and limits access to education and healthcare for all of its citizens- is sickening. The kind of socialism I’d support would regulate the political influence of billionaires and corporations, provide all Americans access to education and healthcare, and allow small businesses to flourish."

"Capitalism stands upon a lie: that the market can grow infinitely while we live on a finite planet. It has directly caused climate change—an environmental catastrophe of global proportions—because environmental consequences are written off as “externalities” that market forces can’t (or won’t) account for, and because the only way to ceaselessly grow the economy is to continue to extract resources and produce commodities—regardless of their importance or value to anything other than the producers wealth. Capitalism is deadly, destructive, and wasteful, and I believe we all must question whether constant growth is actually a healthy or reasonable cornerstone to structure society around."