What is Communism?

There are few political ideologies that have simultaneously aroused such indignation and fervor as Communism. Communism has been touted with promising “Peace, Bread, & Land” to the underprivileged, bringing all of humanity into a place of equality, prosperity, and Utopian bliss.

Others have viewed Communism as the ultimate evil ideology to enslave and oppress the masses while a tiny elite enjoy unchecked power and an almost god-like status.

Last week, Glenn Beck of Fox News fame did an expose in which he showed that some of President Obama's picks for advisers are Communist. Van Jones, the "Green Czar" charged with creating "green jobs" in our country has admitted to his enthusiasm for Communism.

Jones, a graduate of Yale Law School, spent time in an L.A. jail in 1993 after being arrested during the Rodney King riots. About his experience in jail, he reminisced that he "met all these young radical people of color, I mean, really radical -- Communists and anarchists, and it was like, this is what I need to be a part of. . . . By August, I was a Communist."

At least four other advisers to the President openly promote agendas that smack of Communism.

Check out Glenn Beck's reporting on these issues here (in particular, scroll down to video entitled "Who is Van Jones"):

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/29831/

Regardless of Van Jones or any other of Obama's special advisers, I believe that understanding what Communism is, how it comes about, how citizens living in Communism are impacted, and what influence Communist leaders and policies have in our nation today is a MUST for every American citizen.

Let's start at the beginning. So what is Communism, really?

Communism can be defined as “a family of economic and political ideas and social movements related to the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, or stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general, as well.” (Wikipedia -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism) This sounds innocuous enough, but let’s try to break this down into plain English.

You know you are living in a Communist society when:

- Your government abolishes the ownership of private property, including land, homes, businesses, and etc. (and seizes the property by force if need be) in the name of uplifting the poor.

- Similarly, your government seizes control of industry and agriculture stating it is in the best interest of the people, the poor in particular.

- Your government establishes and runs a central banking system, taking this duty away from privately-owned banks, for the good of the people.

- Your government takes control of transportation and communication.

- Your government controls labor, or is in the business of creating jobs.

- Your government engages in centralized regional planning.

- Ideals of equality among the classes, races, and genders are heavily promoted, with measures taken to institutionalize equality through:

o A graduated income tax to redistribute wealth – taking from the rich and giving to the poor.

o Government-controlled, free public education (with a government-approved curriculum).

o Abolition of inheritance.

- Your government implements policies that are hostile to a belief in God and religion.


Here's how I see it: Communism preaches power to the people while bestowing absolute power on the governing elite. This elite is charged with taking care of the people. Whether they do a good job of that or not is the next question to ponder.

(Stay tuned for my next article where I discuss how well the Communist Nations' elite make good on their promises to the masses.)

Let’s now take a look at the Pro's and Cons' of Communism for the average citizen:

PROS –

- Guaranteed a place to live (though in the initial stages, if your home is too uppity it might be confiscated by the State),

- Food to eat (unless you happened to get caught in one of those nasty government-made famines. No food for you!),

- Lots of jobs available,

- Free education,

- Free health care,

- Free abortions,

- Relatively low crime rate on the streets,

- As long as you follow the status quo, don’t rock the boat, and don’t mind the CONS listed below, you can have a quite pleasant existence.

CONS –

- Much lower standard of living than Capitalist nations,

- Grossly curtailed freedoms and civil rights for the masses (ie. Free health care, but no free speech),

- If you disagree with your government and you say or do anything about it, then you may not like the consequences. Tens of millions of people with dissident beliefs (ie. against Communism) have perished (and are still perishing) under Communist regimes at the hands of their government through executions and arrests with atrocious living conditions in concentration camps housing the arrested.

Check out this interesting article on the pro's and con's of Communism in Cuba, in particular.
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/4984,opinion,pros-and-cons-of-communism-in-cuba

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Is Communism to be feared? Should we be alarmed if our current president takes advice from an avowed Communist or two, or is there a place in our government today for people of all political persuasions?

I'll let the facts I just outlined, and those that I will share in subsequent articles, speak for themselves, and you can be the judge!