Posted by
David R. Lunden on Monday, January 19, 2009 8:54:12 PM
Alan from Albany, a frequent caller to a radio talk show, defined socialism as "public ownership in the means of production." Alan from Albany is wrong. Socialism is
community control of the means of production. When the community controls it and owns it, it's called communism. When the community controls it to the extent that renders private ownership in the means of production ineffective, it's called national socialism. The communists are on the left and the national socialist workers party, the nazis are on the right. Public ownership of the means of production is called the stock market where free individuals are able to enter, trade, and leave as they see fit.
When I was growing up in the 1950's, we did not have a left/right argument, we had an east/west argument. The eastern ideal of collectivism verses the western ideal of individualism. I am not on the right, I am on the west.
It is the progressives in America who have defined the argument and assigned us our position on the right. Our side dutifully accepts the position. Our side has no leaders who will define our position and make the American progressives tell us individual freedom is wrong.