And you think the workers in Cuba's government run factories get to keep much of anything? But Castro is a left wing dictator according to you.
As for profits in the Soviet Union in many ways there was no profit. Things where bought and sold by plan (and that was before the plans broke down) not by supply and demand and price signals. Money was skimmed off by the leaders but no more so then in most other dictatorships.
Well, Tim, let me confuse the issue some more.......Lenin was probably left, Stalin right, Castro is left and the old Shah of Iran was right......so is the current Ayatollah. Israel's system of gov't is left but Sharon is right.
To define the differences is difficult; those on the right are more focused on the individual and not the group, strong discipline, less gov't, few controls on business, maintaining the status quo, etc. Many theocracies are conservative. Well, then, Stalin must have been left cause he was anti religion. However, the gov't under Stalin was really an oligarchy, not a theocracy, but close. And Stalin as a person had conservative values that over time became distorted......he believed in strong discipline to the point that he became a control freak. He was rigid and inflexible in his application of the rules......if someone violated the rules they disappeared. A communistic gov't normally falls on the left but under Stalin, Russia was to the right.
No gov't is exactly one way or another....its usually a mixture but over time, there develops an overall sense of its orientation. Castro is closer to the communist system of gov't than Stalin was and that's why I say he is on the left even though he shares some traits with Stalin.
Many would say that Hitler's gov't was on the left, particlularly since his party was the National Socialists.....and on paper, it does look left. But in reality, I believe Hitler and his adminstration were right. His party became more right under him as well.
I only pointed out the dictators who were right because D. Ray thought conservatives were perfect and could do no wrong. But there are dictators from all political streams, and the truth is when human qualities or human isms get distorted and perverted, they usually turn bad.
ted |
