Well according to The Communist Manifesto's 10 Planks of Communism we are. I'm just going to go through them and list the similarity to the US
1. Abolition of private property and the application of all rents of land to public purposes.
Well, we call it Imminent Domain and property taxes. How can you own your land if you always have to pay for it? If the government wants your land,
they can take it.
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
yep.
3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
Inheritance and Gift Taxes, not all the way but the idea is still there
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
Criminal property seizure, IRS property seizure etc.
5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
The Federal Reserve.
6. Centralization of the means of communications and transportation in the hands of the State.
FCC, Dept. of Transportation, FAA, BMV, Drivers licenses, etc.
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.
Government subsidized farms and the Department of Commerce and Labor, Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Land
Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Mines, National Park Service
8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
Minimum wage. and labor unions
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries, gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equitable
distribution of population over the country.
The Planning Reorganization act of 1949 , zoning (Title 17 1910-1990) and Super Corporate Farms, as well as Executive orders 11647, 11731
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with
industrial production.
Yep. Department of Education etc.
Source
So is communism a bad thing? Because that's what we've been told for the past 100 years. The only thing we have that separates us is the illusion of
democracy, illusion of free markets, and freedom" of religion.
I once met a man from another country, and he asked what is so great about the US, I said our freedoms. He said that Americans are too distracted by
consumerism to see what little freedoms we actually have. In his country there are no birth certificates, drivers license, property taxes, income tax,
etc. In fact I never met this man but I imagine thats what he would say.
I think we have just enough freedoms to keep the majority of people from doing anything about it. Take a few more rights away slowly and no one will
notice, say it's for the good of the country and thats even better. Get people patriotic about stopping terrorism or criminals etc.
So are we communist? Maybe, but not enough communist to be compared with China or Soviet Russia.
