>>Seems to me it describes any communal arrangement, whoever said it and for whatever purpose. Where would you differentiate between it and socialized medicine, say the Canadian or British model? <<
Karen -
In Canada and in England, income is taxed at certain rates. If you pay the amount of tax you owe, nobody is questioning whether you are actually capable of giving more. Thus, the "from each according to his ability" part doesn't apply. Not fully, anyway.
If she had just said that Canada has socialized medicine, i wouldn't have quibbled. To me, taking a phrase directly from Marx implies that their society is Marxist.
I've always thought Marxist communism was a terrible idea. Not a good idea that is unworkable in practice, but a truly bad idea.
By the way, I didn't scare Mary by being dramatic. Or at all, in fact. Mary correctly pointed out that the terms "socialist" and "socialized" are used to scare people with respect to various issues, including healthcare, in this country.
- Allen |
