Does Democrat = Socialist?

For all you people (all three of you) who haven't heard my views on politics, here is why I hate the idea of socialism for the United states:

Socialism:  the government stealing from people with more money and giving it to people with less.  Why attempt to work hard and be successful when it will end up costing you?
[Ex: higher tax percentages demanded of higher income brackets]

Socialism: The government doing its typical cruddy beaurocratic job (with your money) at something that a business could do much better.
[Ex. the idea of national health care in the U.S.]

Socialism:  With no incentive for new technology, business becomes stagnant.  With low profit or no profit rewards, why try something risky and innovative?
[Ex: Dems. want technology laws demanding that any business that puts up new cables share those cables with everyone else.  Hence, no one will put up new cables or innovative technology which they will be forced to share with competitors.]

Socialism: Larger beaurocratic government automatically equals a more authoritarian society with less civil liberty. 
A larger government also results in more politicians with more influence, and henceforth more corruption.
A larger government automatically equals more big businesses and monopolies, because it is often preferential government legislation and skewed politics that keeps businesses which would otherwise fall in a free market system on top.

So, while sounding like it would liberate the masses, socialism in a large country is governmental theft, overgrowth, and stagnation.


Are the democrats becoming synonymous with socialists?  And should Kerry be elected, what does this mean for our country?

It seems kind of depressing, the choice between a daddy's boy who can't form a coherent sentance and a liberty-squishing socialist who won't state his opinions about anything.