Quote Originally Posted by Torog
Communists are my sworn enemies,and socialism ain't far behind..both systems,concentrate too much power and control,in the hands of un-elected officials and prevent the majority from ever making a better life for themselves,including financial independence. Both seek to replace God with themselves and control all speech and thought.
I suppose I'm your sworn enemy then. But my vision of socialism is not like those enacted by so-called "communist" governments like China, Cuba, Vietnam, the USSR, etc. Your argument rests upon the false conclusion that common ownership of the means of production causes corrupt bureaucracy, but in reality, this only happens when the State (whose main purpose in any society is to protect the elite from the masses) is retained after the attempted abolition of capitalist exploitation, which of course creates a new elite even more exploitative than the capitalists. Communism thus cannot be separated from direct democracy, the ability of the people to directly exert control over their own communities (do not confuse with representative "democracy" where society is ruled by a wealthy few). True communism means common ownership of the means of production by the PEOPLE, not by some government bureaucracy or by the rulers of the fascistically-structured capitalist corporations. And history shows it is not impossible.