Associating europe to Soviet communism is like associating America to Nazism just because we are racist and had many supporters of Hitler in America. Northern Europe has much higher standards of living..but I would like to model America after the changes that Germany has made...there is no nation of earth that respects market capitalism with more fervor than germany. But this nation also is a staunch believer in democratic socialism...the two can be separate. America is not based on market capitalism but is instead based partially or completely on Social Capitalism. This is where corporations are supported by taxpayer dollars, by the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. Companies that should fail are propped up by bailouts, while other companies are allowed to fail, the legislature is lobbied to pass laws that benefit one company but not another, and corporate lawyers can beat almost any challenge as it pertains to worker or consumer rights in state supreme courts. The government exists to protect people from people, to provide supports to allow people life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, and to act a protectorate of the people from inevitable corporate greed...in the form of consumer protections and workers rights. Government should never support a part of the market, should never pass legislation that supports part of the market, and should never support a corporation over human rights.