Becoming more socialist doesn't mean it should go the way of Venezuela. You can say a lot of things but you have to admit many European countries have implemented nation wide social policies with great success. Things like healthcare, different layers of benefits, government paid pensions aren't means to control or oppress people through paying taxes, it is to provide freedom for people in harsh conditions, be it financial or physical. Within a society helping people who fall trough the cracks is a not only a service to those people but allows people to go out of their house without a gun at night, to stop worrying about a sick family member and many more.

It's not black and white, Venezuela vs Pinochet, but there are many different scales on which we rank countries, IE on the health and happiness of their citizens. The possible economic mobility within the country and what not. If we look at these indexes we see that countries with sensible socialist tendencies within a democratic system, score higher than the United States.