I think we owe it to ourselves and prosperity to look at all possible economic models. History is a great teacher.

One thing that I think is recognized, is that the United States was initially small in size and number of people, yet rose very quickly to become a financial, technological, entertainment, agricultural, and industrial powerhouse in just a few hundred years. That is amazing and largely due to free trade and freedom of individuals to choose their calling. It also creates a great disparity between economic classes and promotes monopolies that can further take advantage of customers. Every system has pro/con's. The key is to find the best that meets the communities expectations.