Quote:
Originally posted by ihatethatguy
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"Socialism - A theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole."
We are in fact going the exact opposite of Socialism in this country; the vast bulk of all holdings are in the hands of large private entities which are in bed with the government (I.E. either controlled by or controlling). In Socialism, the vast bulk of economic holdings would belong to the common working man. I whole heartedly agree with the rest of the sentiment though.
We can spent all these trillions on a fruitless and pointless war, killing our best young men and women and sullying the image of the US worse than it already was, using it as an excuse to let our rights be stolen, and yet we cannot even make the effort to try to find jobs and function for the many un/under employed in this country, let alone reliable, reasonably priced health care for all working citizens.
I have to disagree with your assessment of the US government in regards to socialism. Here are the 10 planks of the communist manifesto, and communism is hard socialism. I'm going to show you how the US is going in this direction. I'm not trying to be a dick or start an argument, I just want to explain where I'm coming from.
10 Planks of the Communist Manifesto
1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
The US federal government owns almost 30% of all the land that makes up The United States of America
http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/291-federal-lands-in-the-us/
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
Do I really need to elaborate on this one. When an individual starts making 6 figures or above the money stolen by the government is obscene. If a private individual did this to another individual they would be thrown in jail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_tax
3. Abolition of all right of inheritance.
The death tax confiscates property and money that has already been taxed from the family of the deceased
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estate_tax_in_the_United_States
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
Not many people are actually trying to leave the USA yet. When and if they do rest assured the government will enact a law to start stealing from the people leaving the country.
5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
This describes the Federal Reserve. Even though technically the Federal Reserve is a private institution the chairman is appointed by the President of the United States. Because the Federal Reserve is the central bank in the US it sets monetary policy for all other banks in the nation to follow.
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.
The US government has many regulations involving communication and transportation. Even though the companies are owned by private business the president can declare a state of emergency and seize control of all of these industries with the stroke of his pen.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/may2007/230507martiallaw.htm
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
The US government has thousands upon thousands of regulations dictating the way American companies do business within America. Even though the government does not own the companies in many ways they tell the owners how to run them. They pay farmers to grow this crop or not grow that one, they tell oil companies where they can and cannot drill and it's all done in the name of the common good.
8. Equal liability of all to labour. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
This sounds nice in theory but we know in practice it's actually "From each according to his ability to each according to his need" Karl Marx is the author of this famous quote and it's exactly what the tax system in the US does. It steals money from the productive and gives it to the non-productive in the form of welfare and thousands of other social programs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_each_according_to_his_ability,_to_each_according_to_his_needs
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equable distribution of the population over the country.
The US has NAFTA, we are a part of the UN and now there is talk of a North American Union similar to the European Union. We are constantly told we are part of a "global community" and nationalism is discouraged. We are slowly losing our sovereignty and it's our elected officials that are giving it away. Even some members of the appointed Supreme Court reference foreign law in their decisions.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.
We have a "free" (paid for by all property owners through property taxes) educational system run by local governments in accordance with the federal governments requirements. If you have enough money you can send your child to a private institution or home school but a majority of children are publicly educated and taught what the government wants them to learn. This is a perfect system for "dumbing down" the populace.
http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml
We can not afford to ignore what our politicians are doing to our great Republic. I hope this gives the you something to think about and maybe gives you a different way of looking at what the politicians are telling you. When they tell you you have a right to something just ask yourself, am I willing to accept the responsibility for this right or do I get the right while someone else bears the responsibility? If your answer is the latter then you know it's just one more step toward communism, which is nothing more then socialism instituted through the use of force.
