Communist Manifesto - (Policies include Nationalization of means of Production and Transportation)

The program described in the Manifesto -- that is to say, the policies that the Communists of its day sought to implement -- is termed socialism. These policies included, among other things, the abolition of land ownership and inheritance, the progressive income tax, and the nationalization of the means of production and transportation. These policies, which would be implemented by a revolutionary government, would (the authors believed) be a precursor to communism, a stateless and classless society. The term "Communism" is also used to refer to the beliefs and practices of the Communist Party, including that of the Soviet era which differed substantially from Marx and Engels' conception.

When, in the course of development, class distinctions have disappeared, and all production has been concentrated in the hands of a vast association of the whole nation, the public power will lose its political character. Political power, properly so called, is merely the organized power of one class for oppressing another. If the proletariat during its contest with the bourgeoisie is compelled, by the force of circumstances, to organize itself as a class; if, by means of a revolution, it makes itself the ruling class, and, as such, sweeps away by force the old conditions of production, then it will, along with these conditions, have swept away the conditions for the existence of class antagonisms and of classes generally, and will thereby have abolished its own supremacy as a class.

Modern Marxists (i.e., Progressives) respond to this by pointing out that the socialist state must always be a democratic one, and that it "withers away" by assigning increasing amounts of its power directly to the people (power that was previously held by the people's elected representatives in government). In other words, socialism fades into communism when the representative democracy of socialism fades into the direct democracy of communism (e.g., Regulatory Czars, ACORN, SEIU -- "Workers of the World Unite!", etc.)

These policies included, among other things, the abolition of land ownership and inheritance -- (U.S. Congress reauthorizes 45% Death Tax" -- If you've got a smaller business that's much more service oriented, $3.5 million probably allows you to escape under the line," Patten said. "But if you have any kind of business that requires capital, then this puts your business at risk."), the progressive income tax (Obama and Democrats continue tax increases on the wealthy to fund programs), and the nationalization of the means of production and transportation (e.g., Banks, Automotive Companies (GM), Healthcare, Energy (Cap-and-Trade). Anybody else see a pattern here?

Footnote: Although exiled, Trotsky was useful to Stalin as someone to lay blame for the country's ills. George Bush has now become Obama's favorite whipping boy.

The desire for a socialist/communist state is hard to fathom. What these would-be Commissars seem to forget is that in the wake of the Russian and Chinese Revolutions, EVERYBODY with wealth and property was executed or imprisoned. Why should they think they will be spared?

>Why do communists always set up a privileged elite which doesn’t have to obey the same laws as everybody else?

Because:

“ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS”
- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 10

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