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That sounds all well and good -- until you realize it's the government that controls everything. One can't simply "have a house;" one has to go to the government to give you the house. No one appears to own any form of personal transportation, which means the government controls the movements of the people.

The people of the Federation may be free of want, but they are not truly free.

True, BUT: Many of the problems of modern government stem from the bureaucracy that has grown out of the welfare state. The imposition of the technologies in the Star Trek universe would put an end to that. Today, most liberals vote that way because they want the government to give them something...medicine, homes, money, cars, food, you name it. Just as the unlimited resources in the ST universe would take out capitalism, I believe that it would take out socialism as well. If the people all live in warm houses, have full bellies, decent educations, and plenty of time to do whatever they want, what could the liberals possibly offer people that they wouldn't already have?

Without the need for handouts, the liberal state would fall, government would shrink, and elections would once again be decided by issues that really mattered. Corruption would virtually vanish (seriously, what the heck do you bribe people with in a world without want?), and a more responsive form of government should emerge. As long as the government is transparent, respects freedoms, and is responsive to the voters, I don't really see the problem with allowing it to control community resources. Look at it this way: Are you any less free because your city government controls your water and sewer service? Were the settlers any less free 150 years ago when the feds dictated that land claims had to be registered with the government to be legal? Are we any less free because the government owns the roads in front of our homes?

While you could argue yes to each of these, most people would agree that the control of shared resources by the community is a good thing.