> As for welfare, nobody starves in America....No able-bodied and sane human is incapable of taking care of themselves

What about housing? Transportation? Medical bills? I really don't want to be insulting, because it is a decent argument, but I suspect that a lot of people who maintain it have plenty of opportunities and don't really see the people that don't.

> The US is pretty darn close to pure capitalism, although it keeps straying away.

There is no country in the world that is pure capitalism, and the reason is that people would indeed starve in the street. In pure capitalism there is no reason to help anyone else, it is pure Darwinism. And while Darwinism may be a natural way for the natural world, it is ugly and would be unpalatable to people of conscience.

Reminds me of a quote:
"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." - Winston Churchill