Being a former "Lefty" myself, I've learned quite effectively that capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system on the planet.

Commerce is wonderful.

Look around you: You're surrounded by a plethora of options:

Products, services, residences, foods, technology, entertainment, etc.

Collectivism shuts down the free nature of commerce. It puts bureaucrats in front of choice, and it shuts down innovation. Using the state to distribute wealth is not only theft, it does nothing to aid in individual freedom and choice. Most importantly, it gives entirely too much power to legislators, and part of the success of America is that the state has not ruled the lives of the population. I don't know about you, but I don't really trust bureaucrats, and certainly not to distribute currency, food, or other basic needs.

Moreover, we are going through a phase of monetary theory; cash is being printed and debt is escalating into the trillions. This should highlight how irresponsible politicians are with your money. They spend way beyond what they collect each year. On one hand, they could continue to just spend indefinitely and give you cash forever; on the other, the value of the dollar will continue to shrink. As the debt continues to climb, just remember: it's your money and your children's children's children's money that will have to pay it all back. We used to care about budgetary choices, but now bureaucrats seem to spend at their leisure and rather inconsequentially.

One thing that surprises me about the modern progressive is their virtually unlimited trust in state actors to spend intelligently and treat the population fairly. They also seem to forget that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Why on earth would you want any system that gives the state such a broad range of power when there are literally both historical and modern examples of this failure? And don't point to the Nordic countries: by their own admission, they are not Socialist societies; they are indeed free market systems with large safety nets. Moreover, they pay for it to the tune of about 60 cents on every dollar earned.

I used to be a safety net kind of Democrat until I realized the progressives weren't going to be happy until everything was handed to the state. What you're asking for is a big question, and if you asked it sincerely, you will find no shortage of good answers. Pat yourself on the back. I did precisely what you're doing now 5 years ago, and I could never go back.