I got no problem wiht a pension system if it only provides enough for a bare minimum of existance. You can affored cheap shelter and cheap meals and leave, if not heartily.
People are stupid. That isn't arguable, even the most intellegent are stupid in a sense. So I have no problem with the 'intellegent' comming up with a minimilistic safety net for the stupid. Though the best way to do it is just to do the same thing they do with auto-insurance(though I loath how that is made) where you require it to be done. Thus just have it figured in with taxes. Government automatically takes some money and drops it UNTOUCHED into an account in that persons name. People are dumb... you sometimes have to do things for them.
Thus I conclude it isn't that socialistic stuff is wrong... rather it is implemented wrong(in some cases) and in others the government screws it up in other ways. Untouched means you do not take any out of it.
