[governsleastgovernsbest]

TJeff: I'm sure you'll recognize my handle as a quote from Jefferson, so we obviously share a similar outlook on the role of government. But I think you're going a bit far in calling Reich evil and a communist. A watered-down socialist? Yes, I'd buy that.

But a communist? Do you sincerely believe, for example, that he would like to abolish the Constitution, end free elections, political parties, freedom of speech, etc., and formally vest all power in a one-party government? I don't. Nor do I believe that he wants the government to directly own the means of production, another central tenet of communism. He is content, through government regulation and taxation, to have government exercise considerable control over business, while leaving most enterprise in private hands.

[Protagoras]

But a communist? Do you sincerely believe, for example, that he would like to abolish the Constitution, end free elections, political parties, freedom of speech, etc., and formally vest all power in a one-party government? I don't.

Yes I do. I believe that because of the things I have heard him say and because of his writings, a point I made in an earlier post. Can you tell me specifically what makes you think otherwise? Have you read (or are otherwise sufficently familiar with) the papers he wrote in college and has refused to repudiate?

Nor do I believe that he wants the government to directly own the means of production, another central tenet of communism.

Again, what specifically makes you think these things?

He is content, through government regulation and taxation, to have government exercise considerable control over business, while leaving most enterprise in private hands.

That would make him a fascist. Pick your poison.