Most of those posting on this topic seem to have socialism and communism confused. Blanket medical coverage and all manner of social welfare programs are used in varying forms in a wide range of industrialized countries. However, that doesn't make heavily socialized countries like Japan, Sweden and Denmark communist. The economic system is still very capitalistic compared to a communist system.

Communism is socialism that employs worker communes and collectives under the mantle of a planned society. The pitfalls are obvious and well documented. While this type of system appeals to those with few skills, the lazy and the stupid, it is pure torture for those that are motivated, highly skilled and industrious. One-size-fits-all societies ignore basic human nature and individuality such as instinctual feelings like ownership. They also remove immediate goals that result in productivity and replace them with abstractions that many do not find compelling.

Inevitably, the planners and governing elite find way to enhance there lives, and once again, classes come into existence. With classes comes the inevitable resentment. Wost of all, since communism only appeals to the poor and disenfranchised, the balance of the society has to be forced into the system, and that results in sufficient bitterness to eventually undermine the whole exercise.

While communism might have represented novel thought in Marx and Engel's time, it is laughable in the context of what has been learned since. Most of the benefits can be had with democratic socialism, while the pitfalls can be avoided entirely.

Trying to explain away the singular failure of communism over the last century by indicating that the various leaders made mistakes or didn't adopt a pure enough system simply ignores the reality that over the same period other economic systems have prospered by contrast, and appear much more immune to errors of leadership.

Let me be blunt. Any system which required me to drag along the likes of useless noloads and dreamers that inevitably champion communism would result in me murdering them in their sleep, and using their remains for fertilizer and hog feed, which is a higher use than they are currently enjoy. If the shoe fits, you know who you are. I wouldn't even be interested in being one of the planning elite for such a system, because free markets with sufficient regulation are much more efficient, flexible to changing demands and perform the same functions automatically.

Most of the failures of pure capitalism can be easily tuned through common sense regulation and social programs. The US could currently use more tuning, but that's not sufficient reason to junk the system. In addition, people are free to organize communes and collectives should they care to.

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