Sure you can bribe people, but it's a harder when the wealth isn't concentrated in a few people, and the companies are owned by the people instead of private interests. USSR politicians weren't known for being rich, but compare that to modern Russian oligarchs, or even US Congressmen. A majority of the US Congressman are millionaires, not at all true for the common populace.

I'm going off statistics and surveys, not anecdotal evidence.

http://thetrumpet.com/6322-eastern-germans-feel-life-was-better-under-communism

http://pewresearch.org/short-reads/2010/04/28/hungary-better-off-under-communism/

http://reason.com/2009/11/16/the-rise-of-communist-nostalgi/

http://voxukraine.org/en/the-strong-hand-curse-why-ukrainians-do-not-like-capitalism

http://balkaninsight.com/2010/11/24/macedonians-deem-communist-past-better-than-present/

http://themoscowtimes.com/2017/12/25/majority-of-russians-regret-soviet-collapse-poll-says-a60039

http://rt.com/news/ussr-collapse-mistake-poll-585/

Don't I have the power over my happiness in capitalism because I can work towards higher wealth extraction to achieve my own goals?.

If you're lucky, but you can't work your way to being billionaire without exploiting people on the way. So, chances are, no. Statistically you're probably one of the people having wealth extracted than the other way around unless you have a supportive network, friendly investors or parents loaning you money. If not, chances are you're making it harder for other people, either who work for you, work with you, act as a reserve army of labor, or are victims of your country's imperialism. It requires some people to suffer as part of the system, but that's not sustainable. There's a reason the US has a shrinking middle class, and a growing fascism problem, and economic crises every 10 years. The UK and Canada aren't far behind, with some groups trying to privatize their health services and such. Europe will be next, with the democratic socialist Scandinavian countries probably last. So it may seem fine where you live now, but give it some years and you'll be right where we are, with someone trying to sell off your health services or other state assets. I'd be willing to bet.