A Usenet persona calling itself BCITORGB wrote:

Comrade Weiser emphatically asserts:
=========================
government support of industry is not socialistic. It's
merely the people of the US, through their duly elected
representatives,
choosing to support necessary strategic resources and production
capacity.
===============

Congratulations to Comrsade Weiser for so clearly articulating
fundamental socialist truths. In the name of The People, the Government
CAN and SHALL interfere in the workings of a so-called marketplace. In
the name of The People, and in Their strategic interests, the
Government must support production capacity in those industries judged
to serve The Peoples' interests.

Indeed. "To secure the blessings of liberty, governments are instituted
among men." Any government that cannot or will not intervene in commerce in
order to protect national strategic resources is pretty useless as a
protector of the nation's interests and the rights and safety of the people.
Democratic nations certainly recognize the concept of exigent circumstances.


As the determination of what is of strategic interest lies with The
People and their duly elected Representatives, all firms must be
prepared to either benefit or suffer from the Government's interference
in the marketplace.

Indeed, at need.

The Government will determination how scarce
resources, even tax resources, are to be allocated.

When necessary, yes.


The Government will do The People's bidding in all matters.

The government is the people, so it can hardly do otherwise.


Thank you Comrade Weiser for reminding us of the very essence of
socialism.

Wrong. The essence of socialism is "From each according to his ability, to
each according to his need." This is without regard for individual
enterprise or diligence. In socialism, there is no reward for hard work, and
the fruits of your labor are taken from you by the government and are
distributed to others without your input or approval, and without
compensation for your work. All persons in a socialist regime are required
(in theory) to give their all with no expectation of reward for the benefit
of the proletariat. This system has been proven unworkable in every
instance because with no expectation of reward, people simply do not choose
to work any harder than they absolutely must to avoid punishment. This
results in huge bureaucracies of enforcement and brutality as a motivator,
which is always completely ineffective in stimulating above-average
production.

In a democratic capitalist state, the free market rewards diligence and hard
work, and the government cannot "take private property for public use"
without paying "just compensation." At need, however, the government can
provide support, either in the form of protective legislation or cash
subsidies to industries and enterprises deemed essential to our strategic
needs in order to ensure that the strategic resources are kept available.

That's entirely different than having the government appropriate everything
you produce and give it to others without compensating you, as is done in
socialist systems.

Here endeth the lesson in Civics 101.
--
Regards,
Scott Weiser

"I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend on
friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" TM

© 2005 Scott Weiser