Quote Originally Posted by FlyGuyOU
No they cannot

Democracy is a system of government and has very little to do with socialism or capitalism.

Socialism and Capitalism are economic theories which can be independent of governmental structure. Socialism and Capitalism are unable to coexists. Socialism is set up for the collective, Capitalism is set up for the individual.
I see your point. I guess the problem with socialism in general is the definition, and how it is tied into communism so easily. Finland is a socialist democracy, but we have free markets, and like I stated above, the government only controls some sectors to ensure the well-being of the public, like schools and health care. Maybe the name just confused me...