Do Americans Want to Live in a Communist Nation?

Recently, I came across the 10 planks of the "Communist Manifesto," by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels in 1848. Despite the fact that we seemed to have fought communism and most Americans would not want to live under communism, this list shocked me. In fact, America has adopted most of the platform of the Communist Manifesto, and is certainly working on the remaining planks. These ideals are:

1) "Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes." Think of all the public land in this country, the expansion thereof and the movements that support it (the environmental movement).

2) "A heavy progressive or graduated income tax."

3) "Abolition of all rights of inheritance."

4) "Confiscation of the property of emigrants and rebels."

5) "Centralization of credit in the hands of the state . . . ." Think the Federal Reserve, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

6) "Centralization of the means of communications and transport in the hands of the state."

7) "Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state . . . ." Think regulation.

8) "Equal obligation to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture."

9) "Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of distinction between town and country."

10) "Free education of all children in public schools. Abolition of child factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production."

Growing up, I was taught in Catholic and public school that the roots of Communism were righteous. Only the application of the principles were flawed. This is too bad. In subsequent years, I have begun to appreciate the evils of communism: Namely, rights and liberties are confiscated from one group of people (the bourgeoisie) and given to the public (namely the proletariat). Communism that played out in the USSR, China, and other parts of the world were in fact the extension of the principle of communism, not the exception to the rule.

Communism is evil, at its core and in its application. It is that simple. It has led to the systematic murder of millions who were seeking freedom. Remember that and these principles next time you vote.