A Measure Of Communism In America

Communism is a political theory originating with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, though aspects of communism can be found in various societies dating back to antiquity. In practice, communism combines the ideas of collectivism and socialism into a system in which class, money, and private property are abolished. While its original adherents believed in a withering away of the state (anarcho-communism), in practice communism has only existed under authoritarian, nationalistic governments that are usually considered to be far left-wing. Historically, it gained prominence with the Russian Revolution and the formation of the Soviet Union, and was the major rival of more capitalistic systems until the end of the Cold War. Five communist states are still extant: China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam.

To what extent is the United States of America in 2015 a communist nation? In order to determine this, a means of measurement is needed. In Chapter II of the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels laid out 10 measures which should be enacted by governments to move a society closer to communism. Let us examine these measures and assign each of them a value on a ten-point scale, with zero being completely absent and 10 being omnipresent. Let us also see how many are trending upward, trending downward, and holding steady. The final score on a 100-point scale will give a useful measure of the degree of communism in America.

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

While true private property rights require anarchy (and thus no statist society can get a 0/10 score on this item), most states allow for some exercise of control over land by private citizens. In a statist society without complete communism, it is thus a question of the extent to which the state interferes with private property rights. In America, there are zoning laws which tell property owners that they are not allowed to build structures which serve a certain purpose or which fall outside of certain parameters. The state also has expansive eminent domain powers which allow it to take private property for public use. Environmental regulations have taken the place of the exercise of private property rights to either sue polluters for damages or use defensive force to stop them from polluting. Civil asset forfeiture allows government agents to steal private property under color of law, even from people who are ultimately cleared of wrongdoing. The federal government claims over 600 million acres of land, with especially large claims in the Western United States. At the local level, there are property taxes which can result in seizure of one’s property by the state for non-payment. Recent years have seen more protests over these abuses, but the expansion of state power in this regard continues.

Score: 7/10, Trend: Slightly Up

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

While income taxes in America began with the Revenue Act of 1861 and was tried again in 1894, the income tax as it is known today began with the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913. The highest tax rate was 94 percent for people earning over $200,000 in 1944 and 1945, but has since been backed off to 39.6 percent. 43 out of 50 state governments also impose income taxes. The federal corporate tax rate in the United States is the highest in the world, although some sub-national governments in the United Arab Emirates impose a 55 percent corporate tax rate. While there are calls for reform, there are many powerful people whose rational self-interest is against such reform.

Score: 8/10, Trend: Steady

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

While Americans are free to write wills and bequeath their possessions, there have been taxes on inheritance since the 18th century. One such tax was levied from 1797 to 1802, and others were levied temporarily to fund the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. The modern estate tax was enacted in 1916 and was in effect until 2001, returning again in 2011. The tax rate on inheritance can be as high as 40 percent, but it only applies to estates valued at over $5.43 million, which are relatively few in number. The issue continues to be contentious, with some politicians advocating for the abolition of estate taxes.

Score: 3/10, Trend: Steady

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

If we take the word “rebels” broadly, to refer to anyone who disagrees with the state and acts upon that disagreement, then this is certainly being done. The government violations of private property rights mentioned in item #1 are more pronounced against political opponents of the state in general or the current regime in particular. Those who rebel against tax laws can have liens placed on their property. As for those who wish to emigrate, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act makes it more difficult for Americans to have assets outside of the United States. Unlike most states, America taxes its citizens on income earned anywhere in the world and regardless of whether they reside inside the United States. To deter avoidance of taxes by renunciation of citizenship, the United States has levied an expatriation tax on those who have done so since 1966. Any person with a net worth over $2 million or with an average income tax liability of over $139,000 per year who renounces his or her citizenship is automatically assumed to have done so for tax avoidance reasons and is subject to additional expatriation taxes. Calls to further persecute those who flee America are growing, and the use of force against those who oppose the state is escalating.

Score: 7/10, Trend: Up

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

This measure has been in place since the Federal Reserve Act was passed in 1913. The Federal Reserve System is a national central bank that has an exclusive monopoly over legal tender in the United States. All local banks are members of the Federal Reserve System. Like central banks in other nations, the Federal Reserve indirectly loans money to the government by purchasing sovereign debt. While there are growing calls to audit or even abolish the Federal Reserve, serious action toward the latter has not been forthcoming.

Score: 10/10, Trend: Steady

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

Since the creation of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1934 and the revision of its powers in 1996, all communication by radio, telephone, wire, cable, and satellite falls under its regulatory power, though broadcasters and content creators are usually private. On February 26, 2015, the FCC ruled in favor of net neutrality, which tightens restrictions on Internet service providers. The delivery of letter mail in the United States was monopolized by the state with the Postal Act of 1851. Most transportation infrastructure in America, such as roads, railways, seaports, and airports, are either completely state-controlled or heavily regulated by the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Interstate Commerce Commission, and various state government port authorities. Driving a vehicle on the roads requires a license. Amtrak is a state-owned monopoly passenger rail company. Technology to circumvent these government activities and create a freer market is roughly keeping pace with expansions of government power.

Score: 7/10, Trend: Steady

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

The United States does not have factories and instruments of production which are directly owned by the state, but they are heavily subsidized and regulated. This is accomplished through a multitude of government agencies, some of which are the Department of Commerce, Department of Labor, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Internal Revenue Service. Likewise, there are no communist-style collective farms in America, but there are giant agribusinesses which are heavily subsidized and regulated by the state. Again, a multitude of government agencies are involved, such as the Bureau of Land Management, Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and Food and Drug Administration. The Desert Land Act of 1877 allows American citizens to settle waste-lands in an effort to bring them into cultivation and improve the soil, but there is no common plan for this. These conditions show no sign of changing anytime soon.

Score: 6/10, Trend: Steady

8. Equal liability of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.

The equal liability of all to work has been significantly damaged by the welfare state, minimum wage laws, and other such government interference with the free market. It is also noteworthy that the heavy, progressive income tax recommended in item #2 creates incentives which are contrary to this goal. The establishment of industrial armies has been made largely unnecessary by advances in technology and automation since the time of Marx and Engels, although parts of the large prison population in America are used in this way. These effects will change in the long term because the current system is unsustainable, but are likely to continue for several more years.

Score: 4/10, Trend: Steady

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.

As mentioned in item #7, government involvement in agriculture is making small family farms less viable, leading to more large agribusinesses that treat farming more like manufacturing. As America urbanizes, the distinction between town and country is growing rather than being abolished. In 1790, only 5.1 percent of Americans lived in cities. As of 2010, the number has grown to 80.7 percent. These trends are likely to continue.

Score: 4/10, Trend: Slightly Down

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.

Between 1852 and 1917, state governments in the United States passed laws to make schooling compulsory. While there are private schools and home schools, they are subject to government oversight and regulation. Child labor was outlawed in America for children under the age of 14 (except for agricultural jobs) by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. The combination of education with industrial production is rather limited, occurring only for some occupations. There are calls for government schooling to begin earlier than kindergarten currently does, and minimum wage increases are making it harder for the minors who are allowed to work to find jobs.

Score: 8/10, Trend: Up

Overall, America gets a score of 64 out of 100, meaning that America is 64 percent of the way toward communism and away from liberty. The overall trend is slightly upward, meaning that the score could advance at a rate of one or two points per year.

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