Subnostr

I just think it's a misnomer. They're just socialist economies that allow people different freedoms, but none of them fundamentally respect private property rights.

Another way to put it is that socialist governments claim the ultimate right to use of all property. A capitalist "government" would respect the individual's ultimate right to decide how their property is used.

DataNostrum 2y ago

I understand the principle, but are there some measurable yardsticks where an economy crosses the line into socialism your opinion? For instance, is any form of taxation socialism? Are zoning laws socialism? Is public transport socialism?

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Undisciplined 2y ago

Yes, to all of those. The measurable yardstick is the state claiming the ultimate right of decision making about how property is used.

Remember that socialism is about ownership and ownership means final say in usage. It's not about how extreme or seemingly innocuous the state's ownership claims are.

I suppose in theory there could be a truly mixed economy, but there would have to be certain property rights that the state doesn't ultimately claim. That would mean that even if the entire state apparatus were arrayed against a property owner, the property owner would still get their way.