[John SBM]

This question is usually evaded because we don't want to admit the reality.
There is a poll on the web site with the editorial. Cast your vote and express your opinion.

[buffyt]

YES.

And Atlas Shrugged sure helps me understand what is going on today. Ayn Rand left us a roadmap to follow to see just how bad/big the socialism is in USA.

[LN2Campy]

in a word, yes.

[dwollmann]

$

[verboten]

Of course we are socialist. We have abandoned private property so we must necessarily be socialist, or fascist. Actually they are really based on the same general principle. That being that the individual is subserviant to society. These principles are just manifested in different ways.

We are socialist because property is no longer owned by individuals. It is owned by the government. When you have property taxes you are in effect renting the property from the government. If you do not pay your "rent" you are evicted or disallowed from exerting control over your property.

Fascisism would be more the notion that while individuals own property they are restricted by law from actually using it in ways such that the government really has ownership. The best examples of this are zoning laws (most of ours are taken from the Germans). Also, a person can not build on their property without first getting approval from a board and then paying fees (tribute) for the priveledge of using their alledged personal property as they see fit.

Yes, we've come a long way baby. But that is not a good thing.

[BlueLancer]

You, I, and other Americans might think so, but my Australian wife is adamant that, since she comes from a truly socialist country, she's in a better position to say ... and she's equally adamant that we are not, by a long stretch.

Which isn't saying that she's worried about the US going in that direction as well. But she says that we aren't there yet.

[Anotherpundit]

yes, we are very much socialist. I have great hopes that the communications revolution overturning leftist media domination will change this trend with time, however.

[Always Right]

Is America a Socialist Country?

Not really a yes or no question. Socialism has always existed in this country to some degree or another. It has been getting worse, but then again we are still better than most everyone else in terms of limiting Socialism. There are a lot of things that need to get done like getting social security under control and into the private sector. Reducing the size of the federal government from about 20% of GNP down to about half that.

[KirkandBurke]

Step by step, beginning with Wilson and in earnest with FDR.

[mlocher]

thanks for the post.

the telling tale is "the total tax burden exceeds 50%".

besdes direct taxes (e.g. personal income taxes), we have property taxes, corporate taxes and sales taxes. then there are taxes we pay that we do not realize that much: gasoline tax, luxury tax, alcohol and cigarette taxes, import tariffs, etc. these all take their toll on productivity and our economy.

worse yet, the liberals have figured out how to tax us so that much of the people 'feel good' about it, or don't even realize they are being taxed.

and i did not even mention inflation, the cruelest tax of all...

we started down the path of socialism with a 4% personal income tax earlier this century and have been become one of the largest socialistic countries in the world. there have been attempts to repeal the personal income tax, all of which have ended in failure and irs audits.

[exmarine]

Yes - absolutely. As America has been slowly abandoning its judeo-Christian roots, it also abandoned economic freedom of the individual. The pilgrims and puritans were "self-governing christians." The fact that our nation was founded as a constitutional republic (not a democracy as so many still call it)is a testament to the importance placed on individual freedom. Socialism is anathema to individual freedom - it rewards the lazy - and gives undue power to the bureaucracy.

[Carry_Okie]

I wrote this on another thread, but it bears repeating.

Socialism is the revenge of the incompetent. It is the vain hope that, "because I am incompetent to make it in the market, I can use political power to coerce from the productive an income for myself." The socialist then adds a fake veneer of altruism to that little plan by saying, "and we'll take care of The Poor," or The Environment, or whatever the self-aggrandizing ruse happens to be today. Our satisfied leftist then goes and gets a safe government job enforcing just that.

The viciousness arises from that same self-hatred, that there is no propitiation or redemption for being one's incompetent self, and thus the demand for inflicting punishment upon the rest of humanity requires endless repetition to relieve the pain. This is of course only possible when government has the power to accommodate such sub-conscious desires, with the political pean to the democratic whim. To build that power then only requires a plurality of incompetents. All that remains is to collect these lemmings into an appropriate collection of "interest groups," that can be manipulated into exercising the VERY profitable strategies of their sponsoring mentors.

[LinnieBeth]

Capitalism = Private ownership of produce & Production
Fascism = Private ownership of produce, controlled by regulation and tariff
Socialism = Blend of private & state ownership of produce, proceeds distributed primarily by State through populace.
Communism = State ownership, State distribution of produce/production

I'd say still in facsism moving toward socialism.

Note: Weabster's Unabridged defines Fascism as stated above, with or without a dictator. All above definitions are "Economic" terms.

[nonliberal]

No. America is a fascist country. It has aspects of socialism but overall it is a fascist country.

[LaFontaine]

Communism,Socialism,Capitalism these are just idealistic ideas. The reality is that it really comes down to oppression vs freedom or put another way power and control.

Communism failed because it took away freedom, ran inefficiently and created an elite group of rulers that enjoyed the good life so to speak.

Would we in America really be any better of if our Government take away our freedom and ensures a lavish lifestyle for the rich and famous? And speaking of bureaucracy have you though about how much bureaucracy there is these days? When large business can dictate to the government what its policy will be and we the people have no say in the matter are we any better off. Take missile defense for example. Did you get to vote on the missile defense shield? What use is all of the comforts of home when home succumbs to a nuclear warhead?

Would it be better to have a few Marxist running the show or a few corporate executives?

The question we need to ask is does your government serve the people or do we serve the government? Remember it is supposed to be government by the people for the people.

[Jefferson Adams]

Is America a Socialist Country?

Actually, it's well on the way to being a *fascist* country.

[DallasJ7]

I'm surprised by all the yes responses. Of course we're not socialist. Obviously we're not an outright socialist country; even the most leftist of the European countries aren't outright socialist, although some make it fairly close. So we have to judge it on a scale. But even on that scale, we are far more capitalist than socialist. Our entire economy runs on a capitalist system. We may be more socialist than we were 100 years ago, but we still have a long way to go before we become more socialist than capitalist. Sorry, but Social Security does not make us a socialist nation.

[PatrioticAmerican]

YES! 65% of my income goes to taxes, of which over half goes to social programs. If 65% isn't socialism, then what is?

Just because we elect our leaders, doesn't mean we are not socialists.

[wwjdn]

No denying it, the answer is yes...

[muleboy]

Is America a Socialist Country?

YEP, 'fraid so. FREEDOM is an endangered species.

It is now against the law in Galveston TX to leave your keys in your parked car. A $200 fine for doing so. A socialist's state's way of compelling "proper" behavior?

How long before the state makes not eating your vegetables a misdemeanor?

[lodwick]

YES