U Not Gonna Like This

Several different summaries on socialism:



COMMUNISM (link)

Strictly speaking, communism means a scheme of equalising the social conditions of life; specifically, a scheme which contemplates the abolition of inequalities in the possession of property, as by distributing all wealth equally to all, or by holding all wealth in common for the equal use and advantage of all. The means to achieve this is by collectivisation of all private property. Although meant to indicate the means of production, to be consistent communism requires that no individual may own anything exclusively, privately. Not the product of his work (thus his mind), nor any personal material benefit he may achieve as a result of it. All material is centralised and distributed by legislators, the intention being to achieve equal utility (of material) by all. Freedom of expression tends also to be mediated by the state for the same reasons and to maintain the 'integrity' of the collective. You can find a Marxist book in a US bookstore but you cant find Ludwig von Mises in a Cuban library



In practice communism fails dismally. The only way it can be achieved is if every single member of a communist society is in absolute agreement with the above arrangement - and that the legislators are not open to corruption in the form of personal acquisition or favour. We have seen in section one that is it proper for man to own the product of his mind, or that acquired by accident of birth. If such is taken in any way other than voluntarily it is robbery.




For a fuller explanation of communism please refer to the communist manifesto and observe the manner in which human beings are to be moulded and shaped according to Marx and Engels' beliefs.

also from Conservapedia (link)

The ideology of Socialism is subject to a variety of interpretations. From a conservative perspective, socialism is an economic system whereby the means of production are seized and monopolized by the government without compensation to the builders of the capital, and where investments, production, distribution, income, prices, and economic justice are administered by a government nomenklatura that regulate the transfer of money, goods (including capital goods), and services primarily through taxation and regularized and institutionalized aggressive coercion. However, the majority of socialists would reject this description.



Democratic socialists advocate a system of governance based on the principles of solidarity, equality and liberty, viewing these principles as interconnected, with increased socio-economic equality associated with increased practical freedom to fulfil human potential. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, socialist movements have been built on Christian and co-operative bases, embracing the notion that individuals should 'treat others as they would wish to be treated', and arguing that all individuals have a moral responsibility for the welfare of other members of their society. Socialism seeks to prioritize human welfare over other goals, such as profit and wealth accumulation by elites; it views increased redistribution of wealth as vital to securing greater freedom and happiness for the bulk of the people, and deplores the devastating effects of gross inequality on society in terms of increased crime, mental illness, unhappiness and lack of life chances.

and this (link):

Communism is Karl Marx's proposed establishment of a "classless society" by means of eliminating private property. However, no communist society has ever been classless; each has been dominated by a self appointed Nomenklatura.

and this (link):

The Nomenklatura were a self-appointed group running the administration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the era when the Communist Party of the Soviet Union had a political monopoly and outlawed opposition. The nomenklatura were the only group of persons who held citizenship rights. At the time of the Soviet Union's demise along with the nomenklatura in 1992, nearly 300 million people were dominated, controlled, and were citizenshipless in the country of their birth.



The idea of an elite and privileged nomenklatura to staff the civil service of the Soviet state originated with its founder, Vladimir Lenin.



According to some sources, in less than the past 100 years, governments under the banner of communism have claimed between 65 million and 110 million lives. Today, it continues to oppress one-fifth of the world's people. It is worth noting that no states of any magnitude have existed that strictly fulfilled the definition of "communist", although they have approached it with varying degrees of accuracy. Many states have, however, proclaimed themselves as communist.

This is part of the reason why socialism is bad for you.

To find out more you can visit the following sites:

At Library of Congress: Search for Author: Ortoneda Baldomero

http://catalog.loc.gov/

http://www.memorialsighet.ro/en/colectie.asp?id=3

http://www.victimsofcommunism.org

http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/museum/comfaq.htm#part3

http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/museum/faqframe.htm

http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/museum/musframe.htm

http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/museum/musans.htm

http://www.nysun.com/article/23082?page_no=1

http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526

http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=365

http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/lelivrenoir.htm