But if they were to splice together specific parts they wanted from different human beings, they could create a new being, custom made to resist human nature. This could be called the Frankenstein project.

Like infants clinging onto their mother, creating a safe space.

Exactly, term2! It COULD work if people weren't so obstinately self-preserving ("preserving", not "serving"). Trouble is, the doctrine of mandatory self-sacrifice always ends up with a corruption of the golden equation: neither live for others, nor ask others to live for you, or, in its original formulation, treat others as you want to be treated. Such mutual exchange of values is a more complicated way to understand and institute equal justice and universal happiness. Humans may not have evolved far enough for each individual to arrive independently to this level of wisdom.

Nature does not favor self-immolators for survival. It has evolved predators and prey, but having them within the same species is self-defeating. Whether by guillotines or redistribution, mob rule cannot satisfy the yearned-for utopia. So who is manipulating the mobs with envy, hatred, and blind emotion? Who is the carrier of those poisonous memes? Or are they all hapless victims of the same infection?

I would agree that the leaders are in it for power, but the sheep I would suggest are in it so they can escape the responsibility for their lives. "stronger together" was Hillary's mantra, and I think it was right on.

What else can you think when you’re taught that essentially, power is all there is.

That's because those desiring socialism are in it for power - not a stable system. They're out to grab for themselves what they can while they can so they can coast from there.

The outcome of this so-called 'experiment' was never in doubt. Feeding cancer does not incentivize it to become productive. It merely allows the cancer to continue to thrive at the expense of the productive.

...or it's two muggers meeting you in an alley and voting on who owns your wallet.

"From each according to ambition; to each according to worth" - me

I think the overwhelming DESIRE for socialism to work somehow overrules any rational analysis indicating it CANT work

Intelligence is highly overrated. What is underrated is wisdom - the ability to learn from others' mistakes/history. If we had wise leaders, the first thing they would do is say "Has this been tried before? If so, what was the result?" But wisdom and ideology are commonly mutually exclusive.

Yea, they believe that until all the capitalists die off and all history is rewritten, only then can their utopia be realized. To them, their utopian dream is science itself.
It is a war, and their main weapon is mind wrenching emotion.

Interesting how from the earliest cave dwellers right up through and including the American Indian Tribes they had this all figured out. Every member had an assigned task according to their abilities. Hunt, gather, cook, care for the old and young and you got to eat and sleep in the comforts with the rest. Those who were slackers found themselves banished from the tribe and on their own in short order.

Democratic socialism, which reminds me of two wolves and a sheep.
Hopefully the sheep is well armed.

That is really scary. Bernie was like your grandfather image, and just wanted the best for you, or at least thats what he said.

His ideas would probably make a lot of people "feel" better, so long as there was a group of producers who would be willing to quietly work and provide the $$ for his schemes.

Socialism is an expression of emotion gone wild. People will supposedly feel better if they dont have to be responsible for their lives. At some point , reality will reassert itself, and they will feel much worse as the system collapses.

I am surprised that apparently intelligent adults would even THINK that this would work in this day and age. Its even being tried in the USA, or at least the idea floated.

They already believe they are wise and are doing exactly what they want. They are building the long game. We need to get wise to them.

I heard that 47% of the American public think that Crazy Bernie has a good idea. Thank you, leftest news media, teachers, and professors..

Maybe someone should have sent the President of Finland a copy of Atlas Shrugged before he went off the deep end with this stupidity.
Take a lesson, Crazy Bernie and George Sorros....not that there is any chance of them ever wising up.

If they wanted all those fabulous social welfare programs they should not have fought two wars with Russia, but just surrendered. It would have been easier and they would have their socialist paradise!

Well, let's be honest, the lefties will say at least the flames will keep them warm during the lean times as they blindly continue forward with their idiotlogy. How many times has socialism imploded and they keep wastefully trying to revive the corpse by propping it up with cosmetics.

Yes, Marx said those words and millions were executed in the name of that goal.

The result has not been what Marx imagined in his delirious dreams about a society where no human nature exists. He based on his objectives w/o the slightest knowledge of how societies work.

But if you think that socialists/communists (interestingly most articles commemorating his 200 year past do not mention communism. They talk about socialism.) the idea still is in the deepest appreciation of the elite left in the West. Apologists sill say the sacrifice was worth the objective.

But I am asking: what was worth it? What is the result? Even though communism is officially dead, the gradual encroachment of the left and its goal to create chaos in which it is easier to introduce tyranny and dictatorial power is obvious.

One needs to only look at Western Europe how far they have already gone. The US is not far behind. That is the reason for the vicious attacks on Trump and his presidency: he is not one of them.

Great articles. You might think about posting them as their own threads. IMHO, they deserve it.

Take a look at:
https://fee.org/articles/responsibili...
This is a summary of:
https://www.city-journal.org/html/wha...
dated spring 1999 but applies today, or rather the current situation is worse than then.
The welfare state, well intentioned, some good outcomes at the start, after a few years there is an entire class who do not work, worse- they cannot work!
.. poverty is not eliminated, vast sums expended, they live in self-inflicted squalor, overseas visitors enthusiastic about the money spent and care given - until they see the result, then they are shocked.