Over the course of this year, several writers have attempted to explain differences in socialism, National Socialism and fascists, usually to defend President Obama from accusations of socialism or comparisons to Hitler. Unfortunately these are differences without a distinction.
Economics 101: Communism is government ownership and control of the means of production. Socialism is private ownership and government control of the means of production. Capitalism is private ownership and control of the means of production. Those are basic, but accurate descriptions.
The various forms of socialism are defined by how far the government is willing to go to enforce its mandates; socialism cannot coexist with a population that considers itself free.
When Hitler was given his power by the German people, he didn’t tell them he would exterminate Europe’s Jews. He did tell them “Germany for Germans” i.e. “the rightful owners.” Hitler consolidated his power by ruthlessly controlling the press. President Obama is trying to marginalize the only major news source that won’t uncritically report the administration’s news releases. Socialism is socialism in any form and requires force to maintain. This is not what you were promised in our founding documents.
William J. Scott
Clovis
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