Neal Boortz has a little review on how much of the Communist Manifesto we have adopted:
Marx and Engles wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848. It later became the viewpoint for the world communist movement. Earlier this week I promised my listeners that I would post a portion of that manifesto. Below is a list of measures that Marx and Engles wrote must be accomplished if a country is to bring about a communist "worker's paradise." Do you see anything here that reminds you of America? How about No. 10? (His remarks in parentheses)
1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
(the largest landowner in the U.S. is the Imperial Federal Government)
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
(The U.S. has a heavy progressive income tax. Russia has a flat tax.)
3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
(Death taxes -- strip families of inheritance rights)
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
(Forfeiture laws and heavy taxes on those who move their wealth outside of the U.S.)
5. Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.
(The Federal Reserve)
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in he hands of the state.
(The primary means of communication in this country today is radio and television -- controlled by the FCC)
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
(Commerce and Agriculture Departments)
8. Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.
(Do I really need to put a note here?)
Hey ... I'm not seeing communists under every bed. Let's just say this. If the Communist Manifesto were to be re-written to fit contemporary American politics, it would be called "The Progressive Manifesto."
Marx and Engles wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848. It later became the viewpoint for the world communist movement. Earlier this week I promised my listeners that I would post a portion of that manifesto. Below is a list of measures that Marx and Engles wrote must be accomplished if a country is to bring about a communist "worker's paradise." Do you see anything here that reminds you of America? How about No. 10? (His remarks in parentheses)
1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
(the largest landowner in the U.S. is the Imperial Federal Government)
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
(The U.S. has a heavy progressive income tax. Russia has a flat tax.)
3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
(Death taxes -- strip families of inheritance rights)
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
(Forfeiture laws and heavy taxes on those who move their wealth outside of the U.S.)
5. Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.
(The Federal Reserve)
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in he hands of the state.
(The primary means of communication in this country today is radio and television -- controlled by the FCC)
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
(Commerce and Agriculture Departments)
8. Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.
(Do I really need to put a note here?)
Hey ... I'm not seeing communists under every bed. Let's just say this. If the Communist Manifesto were to be re-written to fit contemporary American politics, it would be called "The Progressive Manifesto."
posted by John at
10:19 AM
