“Bad Socialism” at Work in US Energy Policy
Frequent commenter Cameron Atwood writes:
What really astonishes me is when people who claim to support a free market solution then complain about subsidies to truly clean and sustainable renewable energy, but fail to even mention the sturdy government crutches used by both the undead nuke plants and the muscular and well-heeled (but doomed) oil firms.
Yes, this amazes me too. The anti-socialists support the taxpayers shelling out tens of billions of dollars annually to support private enterprise (socialism). And it’s BAD socialism (supporting a public hazard, vs. a public good).
I fear this is far more the variety of “socialism” that is the polar opposite of Communism…
“Communism” (as has been practiced under that name) is often defined as the ownership and control of corporations (the means of production) by the government.
The opposite of communism is perhaps best defined as follows: form of government characterized by the merging of business leadership and the state, rigid one-party rule by the extreme right-wing emphasizing strong centralized power, with militarism, an aggressive nationalism, and the suppression of all opposition.
In other words, the ownership and control of the government by corporations.
This, as many will have already recognized, is fascism much as it was practiced in Germany in the 1930’s. Here are some other clues:
Fascism by the numbers…
1) Corporate Dominance of Law and Society
2) Military Supremacy in Funding and Policy
3) Reckless Nationalism in Foreign Affairs
4) Suppression of Organized Labor
5) Unification by Fear and Hatred
6) Expansion of Prisons and Prison Sentences
7) Usurpation of Power and Authority
8) Abuse of Human Rights at Home and Abroad
9) Religious Zealotry in Government and Military
10) Alliance with a Tightly Controlled Mass Media
This is, in fact, a VERY bad “socialism”. Fasten your seatbelts…