Why do so many people mix up economic and political systems

Why do so many people mix up political systems and economic systems.

I hear so many people talking about how many different countries are Capitalist and are becoming Socialist.

I didn't know that Socialism was an economic system I thought it was a political system like Democracy, Communism etc.

No, Socialism is an economic system. Hence "democratic socialism," which denotes a system wherein representatives are elected by the people (democracy, which is a political system) and where certain aspects of their economy are held in the hands of the state (or the "people"- hence the socialist aspect). We have many, many socialist aspects in the US- note our postal service, our highways, our water, disability, etc.

It really, really gets my goat when ignorant Americans scream about how "Socialism is going to destroy our democracy!" Umm, what? The statement doesn't even make sense, but leave it to us to get the very foundations of our system f-ud up. Stupidity. Oh, and by the way, our brand of capitalism, which is in fact closer to "corporatism," is almost by definition, anti-democratic. Don't tell that to an American though- their little pea brains might just explode!