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than capitalism. We tend to live in a bubble in capitalist environments, where we only see the surface. As I have explained in another post, all three political systems have "dictators" and "thieves" within their politicians. No singular system has a better moral significance. I also think people tend to confuse socialism with communism.

Is it on the rise? Possibly. Why are so many people from the West lenient towards it? Maybe we've seen the failures of capitalism and feel there must be a solution that lies between the two ideologies. For me, it is because of seeing the failure of American capitalism and the effects it has had on the taxpaying citizens. I think Marx once said, “Class struggle is a central element in the analysis of social change in Western societies.” When you look at the U.S. today, this has proven true. The top elite have suffered very little from the economic crisis in the U.S., but when you look at many average taxpaying citizens today, you will find the largest foreclosure ratios in the middle class. You'll see our nation's elderly struggling to exist after years of investing in retirement funds and bonds that were sent spiraling in losses because of corrupt banking practices. You'll see entire cities with empty blocks of businesses, destroyed by policies aimed to help huge corporations grow and smaller businesses to sell to them. You'll see the average person paying for the business failures of the rich through bail out monies. You'll see our political system has been corrupted by corporate lobbyists who buy legislation from politicians who are supposed to represent the interests of their constituents.

I see very little difference in that type of dictatorial governing, than having a few depots at the top skimming the cream off the milk and putting it aside for their own personal use. So for me, it is very easy to see the health care and education levels in countries run by these people, as opposed to the lines of people asking for free medical care because they have no health insurance and need medical treatment they cannot afford having been laid off; and think maybe something better would work.

I also think after the U.S. destroyed so many economies during the 50's and through the 80's, many Latin American countries want to empower themselves against the U.S. policies that destroy their economies. And I believe those of us with families from some of those countries, forced to flee right winged dictators with death squads, never want that to happen again. So in a way, the U.S. has driven these countries towards everything that we fear. We've caused civil wars that murdered hundreds of thousands of our relatives and then denied our immediate family members the right to move to the U.S. with us to spare their lives. We've pushed our currency, the dollar, on them, tying their financial outcome to ours...so that when we now suffer a poor economy so do they..as in the case of El Salvador. Also with this economic globalism, many Latin countries aren't seeing a great deal of benefit to their countries from economic global policies, so they turn left to find a sense of equity.

Leftist leaders know they have to increase investment in social programs and this helps raise people's satisfaction and improves social stability. In countries that have struggled for any sense of stability for years, this has a huge appeal. To Westerners like me, it does too because I still have family in Latin America and will be moving there soon. I certainly don't want to live with the fear of right winged death squads threatening my existence.