I'm also American, and yes there was a time where being associated with Communists was "problematic", but not strictly illegal. Also, I find it humorous that many Americans seem to equate Communism as anti-democracy, when it's actually anti-Capitalist. Personally, I think that system built to be purely Communist has too many issues, but also a system built to be purely Capitalist has too many issues as well.

I'm personally in favor of the concept of universal basic income. We keep trying to toot our own horn, claiming to be the "best, wealthiest, most powerful nation", when too many people, including war veterans are homeless. There's no logical reason for the US to have a homelessness problem beyond pure greed. Same goes for malnourishment.