> but if it operates in a free market then it has to compete

There is no such thing as an actual "free market", nor should there be. Markets need rules to operate otherwise you get fraud and "unhealthy" competition like sabotage and assassinations.

> Socialism can indeed only ends one way and that is the removal of individual freedoms.

That's like saying that capitalism only ends one way and that is slavery.

In reality, there is no inherently slippery slope in either direction. There is a spectrum of ways to aporoach market regulation and individual freedom with various tradeoffs.

Blind partisan rhetoric like yours doesn't help uncover what those tradeoffs are so we can make good decisions. Instead it spreads ignorance and division.