Let's talk about Socialism

Barack Obama says he wants to "spread the wealth around". His own words to "Joe the plumber".

So, I went to dictionary.com looked up some key words

"spread": to distribute over a greater or a relatively great area

Barack Obama says he would raise taxes, not out of a need the goverment has for more money,(side note: history has proven the way for the goverment to get more money is to lower taxes) but "out of fairnes".

"fairness": characterized by equity or fairness; just and right; fair; reasonable.

But, he says he's not a socialist. So I looked up "socialism". Here is what I found:

• a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
• An economic system in which the production and distribution of goods are controlled substantially by the government rather than by private enterprise, and in which cooperation rather than competition guides economic activity. There are many varieties of socialism. Some socialists tolerate capitalism, as long as the government maintains the dominant influence over the economy; others insist on an abolition of private enterprise. All communists are socialists, but not all socialists are communists.
• a term applied about 1872, to a group of German political economists who advocated state aid for the betterment of the working classes.
• A theory or system of social reform which contemplates a complete reconstruction of society, with a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor.

Hmm, sounds like "spreading the wealth" to me...Then I looked up "socialist": One who advocates or practices the doctrines of socialism.

So, what's next? In Marxist theory, socialism is the step in between capitalism & communism.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" - Karl Marx

Yep - I think "socialist" the right word.