If the Gov is not telling enterprises how much to produce, how many people to employ, or what price to charge (either in a democratic fashion, or some other way), you don't have planning in the socialist sense. We could conceive of a type of socialism without planning. But anything short of a reasonably strict definition of planning is not socialism; it's social democracy or corporatism.
So I welcome you all to social-democracy, though I can't vouch for how long I'll be around myself. (I'm teetering between populism and anarcho- syndicalism.)
mbs
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Certainly U.S. ideology is rich with laissez-faire, but actual practice has been lots different - from the canal-building, railroad subsidies, and protective tariffs of the 19th century through the Pentagon-driven industrial policies of the post-World War II years. The industries where U.S. firms are most competitive today are typically those with the longest, deepest history of state involvement - computers, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness. We just don't talk about it much.
Doug