Constitutional experts, is this what I think it is?

[ring]

Below is my original question in Yahoo, government category. Following it, at end of page, is the answer I got.

Is it communism when government takes over free enterprise like this?

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/eminent-domain-fix-housing-market-131011601.html

I believe most are thinking no way can this represent communism. But if you "take away" something from a private company just like Fidel Castro and the Soviets did, then that is communism. Communist did exactly that, given those assets (to call them something) to the ones they figured were the downtrodden by society in general. Actually it was promises like that which Fidel and other revolutionaries made even while up in the hills fighting the previous government.

So why is it different in this case? There is no way the U.S. can become communist?
__________________________

This was the answer. Is any of this true, or am I right and we're headed towards communism?

Nationalization has been practiced by all manner of governments throughout history. Most of them have not been communist. Amtrak is an example and Nixon was no communist.

Eminent domain is a concept that originated with Monarchies, long before communism was even invented. It stems from the fact that unless you are a sovereign, you can never really "own" land, just hold an estate in it. That is why its called "real estate."

US Bankruptcy law is provided for in the constitution. Art. 1 Sec. 8 Clause 4. It was created as we eliminated indentured servitude, debtors prisons and workhouses.

This story is just about a local attempt to enforce the spirit of the bankruptcy law, by writing down underwater loans, without a formal filing in federal court.

[eddis]

Below is my original question in Yahoo, government category. Following it, at end of page, is the answer I got.

Is it communism when government takes over free enterprise like this?

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/eminent-domain-fix-housing-market-131011601.html

I believe most are thinking no way can this represent communism. But if you "take away" something from a private company just like Fidel Castro and the Soviets did, then that is communism. Communist did exactly that, given those assets (to call them something) to the ones they figured were the downtrodden by society in general. Actually it was promises like that which Fidel and other revolutionaries made even while up in the hills fighting the previous government.

So why is it different in this case? There is no way the U.S. can become communist?
__________________________

This was the answer. Is any of this true, or am I right and we're headed towards communism?

Nationalization has been practiced by all manner of governments throughout history. Most of them have not been communist. Amtrak is an example and Nixon was no communist.

Eminent domain is a concept that originated with Monarchies, long before communism was even invented. It stems from the fact that unless you are a sovereign, you can never really "own" land, just hold an estate in it. That is why its called "real estate."

US Bankruptcy law is provided for in the constitution. Art. 1 Sec. 8 Clause 4. It was created as we eliminated indentured servitude, debtors prisons and workhouses.

This story is just about a local attempt to enforce the spirit of the bankruptcy law, by writing down underwater loans, without a formal filing in federal court.

No, it is nothing like Soviet or Cuban communism. Under both of those regimes ALL means of production were nationalised - without compensation, under the American system that you point to, private enterprise still plays a huge and significant role.

All countries have some elements that, superficially, resemble Soviet central economic planning: roads, railways, hospitals (except in the USA), schools and defence spending are all subject not to the vagaries of the free market, but are planned centrally. These features still do not make a country communist.

Further to this, in extreme cases, national emergencies and war, for example, capitalist governments in democracies assume control of large areas of the economy. Britain during WWiI had a coalition government which suspended many of the normal democratic and capitalist operations - because of the war effort.

To claim that the USA is becoming communist shows a poor understanding of the political governance of the USA, and a complete lack of knowledge or understanding of any form of communism.

Try reading a book about what communism means in theory and practise. Start with Mary McAuley's Soviet Politics 1917 - 1991.