@Leon Said
We have elements of socialism, such as welfare, social security, etc. But it isn’t as heavy as even other western countries, such as those in Scandinavia and Europe. And, while those countries are often called “socialist” due to these programs, by definition, they really are not either.
According to the dictionary:
Socialism is “a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.”
According to Wikipedia:
A socialist state “is a sovereign state constitutionally dedicated to the establishment of socialism.”
So obviously they are not socialist or socialist states by definition since they run on capitalism.
I might be wrong, but as a political science major in university, the definitions were slightly different... and nuanced.
As big a promoter of dictionaries as I am, they don't always work when dealing with the refined particulars of a given field of study... example "theory" for the lay person is not really the same as "theory" for a scientist.
Example:
Social democracy is a political, social and economic ideology that supports economic and social interventions to promote social justice within the framework of a liberal democratic polity and capitalist economy. Even Republicans/Conservatives, to a point, do this... arguably.
None the less I get your point.