How many people have Socialism and Communism raised out of poverty, versus how many have been raised out of poverty by Capitalism? Look at Cuba, N. Korea, Venezuela, the former USSR and East Block countries. Capitalism isn't perfect, but it sure beats anything else that's been tried on a national scale. As for conservative views on crime & punishment, I don't know any of my fellow Conservatives who believe in that any crime should be punished by locking them up and throwing away the key. We believe justice and punishment should be commensurate with the crime and be effective at preventing the criminal from committing further crimes, a deterrent to those considering committing crimes, and a protection of society from crime. In the real world, bad people exist. The criminal justice system should protect the rest of us from those people effectively.