You said fascism is similar to socialism except for the ownership issue.
It is. Except for that their economic ideas are very close, but the ownership issue is a very large issue, so that difference is a significant one.
Presenting Medicare Part D as an example of fascism, is looney-tunes.
As for your other points
"Suppression of organized labor" - Not happening here.
Also not a good indication of fascism. Communist states suppressed any real attempt for labor to organize, instead having the party (rather than the workers) control labor organizations. The workers might be put in positions in the organizations, but the criteria for this was support of the party, not the interests of the particular workers in question. And states that are neither fascist nor communist, also have suppresed unions.
"Supremacy of the military" - Again, not something that is happening here. The share of national income devoted to the military has been on a long term decline. And the military doesn't have any supremacy over the rest of the country, not special authority or power.
Also again not a good indication of fascism. Many different types of states have had large and active military forces.
"Cronyism and governmental corruption" - Something found in every type of state, including the current US, but not at unusually high levels in the current US.
"Fraudulent elections" - Once more not a trait of the modern US, and something common in a number of different types of governments.
"Nationalism" - Something common in many systems, and not something that is extraordinarily prevalent in the US today.
"Obsession with national security" - Increased concern, doesn't amount to obsession. In any case, once again this is something that has happened in all sorts of different types of states.
"Control of the media" - This is something that we don't have, in fact we are one of the furthest nations ever from having such control. Also not a strong indication of fascism, as almost every type of totalitarian governments, and some that don't reach the level of totalitarian have.
"Obsession with crime and punishment" - Like most of your other categories. Not something existing to an excessive degree in the US, and not an indication of facism.
"Disdain for intellectuals and the arts" - Not something that the US has more of in the past, or than many other free countries. And again not something that is particuarly a fascist thing.
Some of, perhaps most of those points, are ideas or trends fascists are likely to hold or follow, but many others hold or follow them as well. They aren't definitively fascist. What is fascist is the idea that the people and resources of the nation should get behind the national interest as perceived by the government. (Communist states also act on such an idea, but their propaganda focuses on class or party, more than nationality, and they also nationalize industries, rather than dominating them without nationalizing them)
I also have pondered what can be done internally to stop it.
Since the trend to fascism only exists in your head, you only have to see reality, and the trend will be stopped. |
