May 2, 2001

In 1847 the Communist League commissioned Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, to write a detailed theoretical and practical program for the Communist League. The resulting publication was the Manifesto of the Communist party, commonly called the Communist Manifesto.

In the manifesto, Marx and Engels lay out a series of steps to be followed to institute socialism in individual countries. The prefacing remarks include, "Of course, in the beginning, this cannot be effected except by means of despotic inroads on the right of property..." It continues, "These measures will of course be different in different countries. Nevertheless in the most advanced countries, the following will be pretty generally applicable."

1.. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.

Can there be any doubt that the drive to lock up public and private property as "wilderness" preserves is a part of this step. While allowing individuals to retain "title" to property, the government is denying its use to the owners.

b.. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

Accomplished in 1913.

3. Abolition of all right of inheritance.

They are not quite there on this one, but the "death tax" currently being contested in Congress was the first step toward accomplishing this goal.

1.. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.

The first large instance of this was the confiscation of the property of American citizens of Japanese descent during World War II. Current drug confiscation rules allow the government to take property without due process of anyone "suspected" of drug involvement. Also, under the RICO statute, property can be confiscated if the accused cannot prove it was not acquired with funds derived from illegal activity (a virtual impossibility).

b.. Centralization of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.

Accomplished in 1913 with the establishment of the Federal Reserve Bank.

c.. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.

This may be the most vexing problem for the would be "managers" in the government. Certainly the establishment has de facto control of the major media. However, the proliferation of cable TV and especially the Internet, has them scrambling. But they're working on it.

d.. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of wastelands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.

The United States government is the single largest employer in the country. It controls another large segment of industry through government contracts and the rest of industry is heavily regulated. The Army Corps of Engineers is heavily involved in "wasteland" management. The Department of Agriculture has virtual control of farming through subsidies and land use regulation.

a.. Equal liability of all to labor (work). Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.

We do not currently have forced labor except in the prisons. However, executive orders in place provide for the federal government to establish "work camps" to direct the use of workers in the event of a "national emergency" (including financial or economic emergencies).

b.. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by more equitable distribution of the population over the country.

Industrial giants like Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) have a virtual stranglehold over segments of agriculture. The family farm has all but disappeared as large corporations have taken over (and gotten the lion's share of the subsidies). The distinction between cities and country is being attacked on a regional basis under the mantra of "smart growth."

c.. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in it present form. Combination of education with industrial production.

The movement for compulsory public education went into high gear shortly after the publication of the manifesto. The dumbing down of the public and indoctrination favoring government activism and anti-traditional values has been in full sway for nearly two generations. Alternative government schools are offered as a false alternative to alarmed parents. The home school movement is the only current alternative not completely controlled by the government.

Child labor (regardless of whether or not it improves their situation) has been forbidden for decades now in the U.S. There is now a movement to boycott any goods produced (in whole or in part) by child labor in foreign countries ignoring that children working in some countries is the only method of survival.

As for combining education with industrial production, does "School to Work" come to mind? This is a program where industrial managers and "educators" determine for which occupation children will be educated (trained). This was adopted virtually intact from the former Soviet Union except the industrial managers were called "commissars."

The reader is left to make his or her own assessment as to how far down the road this country has gone in adopting socialism as envisioned by Marx and Engels. We're a lot closer than most people realize or want to admit.

Permission is granted to reproduce this article in its entirety. The author is a free lance writer based in Romulus, Michigan. He is a former newspaper editor and investigative reporter, a retired customs administrator and accountant, and a student of history and the U.S. Constitution.

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