I don't know why communism is so popular as a counterexample on HN when communism doesn't even remotely look similar to whatever we have and to whatever economy people actually want.

It's like comparing birds and mammals. You're telling us how producing milk for offspring will somehow make us lay eggs because they are both animal protein.

No, most people just want to fix some distortions. Just charge taxes on harmful behavior and you can fix a lot of issues without much government involvement.