I can't tell you how many Americans I talk with who are under the mistaken impression that France is a socialist or communist country.

France is a capitalist society.

However, the French do have an EXCELLENT social safety net.

I believe that Americans inappropriately attack France as being socialist as a way to explain away the U.S. government's inability to figure out a way to create a social safety net that works.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-disability21aug21,1,1639906.story?coll=la-headlines-nation