Will the liberals who accuse me of not knowing what socialism is please furnish a definition of it?

[Greg J]

Socialism (noun): A system of government in which the means of production are owned by the state.

Pick up a phone book. Look in the yellow pages. Are there privately owned businesses listed? Then you are NOT in a socialist country. Privately owned means of production is capitalism, even if it is regulated and/or the government has programs available to the public.

Here's my favorite analogy: Socialism is like PE class, and capitalism is like recess. In PE, it is not your time. You are told what exercises to do, what games to play, etc. In recess, you have the freedom to play as you see fit. However, it is still monitored by school staff for the safety of everyone. You still can't beat up the minority kids, steal people's lunch money, and put dirt in the girls' hair. This infuriates the bullies who feel their right to victimize others has been violated, and that they are being unfairly constrained. This is because they are bullies, and the rest of us are glad to be rid of them, even when they cry and whine that the teachers are taking away all the fun. Likewise, adult bullies whine and cry when they can't rob their employees, discriminate against minorities, and dump toxic waste wherever they please that it's "socialism." They need a time-out.