If the US adopted this eight-step program, would we be communists?

[cantstandbush]

· Love the motherland, do not harm it.
· Serve, don't disserve the people.
· Uphold science, don't be ignorant and unenlightened.
· Work hard, don't be lazy.
· Be united and help each other, don't benefit at the expense of others.
· Be honest, not profit-mongering.
· Be disciplined and law-abiding, not chaotic and lawless.
· Know plain living and hard struggle, do not wallow in luxuries.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032202042.html

[mandyky]

1. We'd probably be a lot happier group of people

I think greed and trying to outdo the Joneses is the basis of many of our problems.
Egalitarianism is sort of communistic, but as long as we still got to keep most of the Constituion in contact, I think it would work much better than corporatism and the globalization that results from our current way of living.

[cantstandbush]

2. It is really sad that the leader of China can propose this and Bush can

only propose tax cuts for the wealthy, endless wars including a war on Social Security and Medicare, and calling citizens "irresponsible" who disagree with his polocies.

[cantstandbush]

3. Kick before bedtime. n/t

[Cleita]

4. Communism in itself isn't a bad philosophy.

It's really about sharing. The problem with Communism in the twentieth century was that it was totalitarian or really fascism with a different mask.

Also, although I believe some institutions are best run by the government, I don't believe everything should be. The problem with Russia is that the government ran everything, the farms the factories and most every other business. It caused the economy to stagnate because there was no incentive to be better than your competitor.

[mandyky]

5. Kick

I'd rather be a communist than a fascist any old day!