Socialism is a political system and an economic system combined. This may confuse Americans who grew up in this country because we are a representative republic with a capitalistic system. Generally, we try to separate our political system from our economic system. Not so with socialism. Socialism centralizes government and economic power, and once centralization crosses the tipping point, governments become totalitarian. All of them. No exceptions. Socialism does more than deny people material things; It suffocates people. Socialism sucks the soul out of a society.