Socialism Today

In 1848, Karl Marx, at the age of 30, entered a competition sponsored by the International Socialist Union of Paris, France. His submission was the 10 Planks of the Communist Manifesto, which won the competition. The rest is history.

THE FIRST PLANK: "Abolition of property in land, and application of all rents of land to public purposes."

In America today, in Idaho alone, 64% of the state is public land, held 'in trust' by either the state or the federal government. If you or I want to use that land, we have to go to the appropriate agency and rent it, and pay royalties on anything we remove from it, or pay 'use fees' if all we want to do is go camping. This money goes into the agency's treasury and from there to the state or federal treasury.

In addition to the rental of public lands, there are taxes on private property. Using Idaho as our example, if 64% is 'public' land, then 36% must be 'private' land, right? Wrong! The state levies a property tax on such 'private' land, and if you don't pay this un-constitutional direct tax, the state orders a tax sale to get its money from you one way or the other. If you don't pay, you lose your land. All the term 'property owner' means is 'property renter'.

The conclusion is clear: We've lost our right to private property in land in allodial freehold, and have been reduced to nothing more than feudal serfs, living on the king's land and paying our land-use fees called "taxes." We've come full circle, from the Plantation of Rhode Island in 1776 to the Plantation of the State, today.

How should things be according to Scripture? "The land shall not be sold forever for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me." -- Leviticus 25:23.

THE SECOND PLANK: "A heavy progressive, or graduated income tax."

The Federal government, and most state governments, impose some form of income tax.

How should things be according to Scripture? "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes unto the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts." -- Malachi 3:8-12.

THE THIRD PLANK: "Abolition of all right of inheritance."

Most people will say, 'Oh, that's not in force. My Aunt Matilda just died and left me some money.' My question is: How much of her money did she leave you, and how much of her money did she leave the State? The State gets into the picture as a result of a marriage license. When you sign that short, little form, you've enter into a three-party "limited general partnership" -- with you, your spouse and the State as equal partners.

Over the life of the contract, the two active parties (husband and wife) work, create and produce things, such as money, children, property of all kinds, etc. Then one day, your spouse dies, and after you bury him or her, you sit down to see what you have left. Then someone from the State knocks on the door and says there's a small matter of inheritance tax. They're saying that the State is still a one-third partner, and the partnership hasn't been dissolved and the State want's out, so you must BUY the State out. The State figures that it has paid for the kids' education, school lunches, AFDC, etc. etc.so its done its part in making the partnership work. Now you have to do your part, in addition to all that you have already done. All they want is their one-third. Which means you pay from 28% to 35% of the entire estate to Uncle Sam, or his duly appointed representatives.

How should things be according to Scripture? "If a man have two wives, one beloved and another hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated, and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn. But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his." -- Deuteronomy 21:15-17.

THE FOURTH PLANK: "Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels."

Consider Waco, Ruby Ridge, the Montana Freemen... well, you get the idea.

This is called, in legalese, "municipal police power." It means that if you get hostile and belligerent to the government, they can take everything away from you under the guise of IRS liens, tax levies, seizures, fines, or anything else they can think of. And, if you're still mad at them and complaining, they get to throw you in jail.

How does Scripture deal with rebels and such? "But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; and if you shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgements, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant, I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you TERROR, consumption, and the burning ague that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it." -- Leviticus 26:4-6.

THE FIFTH PLANK: "Centralization of credit in the hands of the State by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly."

Ever hear of the privately owned Federal Reserve System? That's not "real money of account of the United States" being used out there. Read what it says at the top: "Federal Reserve NOTE!"

A Federal Reserve Note is a Promissory Note. There's precious little "real money," if any, left out there. It won't be much longer before we move beyond that straight into electronic money, completely controlled by the banks, who ultimately answer to the Fed. We're on our way, with instruments like credit cards, checking cards, debit cards, direct deposits, etc. --- and Plank #5 has been in effect since at least 1913.

And what does Scripture say? "Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small. Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have, that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God." -- Deuteronomy 25:13-16.

THE SIXTH PLANK: "Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State."

Let's see, we have driver's licenses, vehicle registration, vehicle licensing, and that's just "private transportation". If you look at "public transportation" like planes, trains and buses, do you have any doubt that if the government says "Jump," we simply ask "How high?" And let's not even think about communications. The Internet community is just the latest to get hit with the heavy hand of government regulation. People who wouldn't normally even acknowledge each other's existence are at the same time fighting to retain freedom of expression on the Net. TV, radio, cable, and newspapers --- they all bow down to the mighty FCC.

What does Scripture say about traveling? "The LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." -- Exodus 16:29.

THE SEVENTH PLANK: "Factories and instruments of production owned by the State, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan."

Most people would say, "Oh, you mean like those big Russian factories. We don't have that here. We have GM, Ford, US Steel. They are all privately owned." --- Or are they? --- Each and every factory in the US operates and exists on the sufferance of the government, which licenses and regulates their existence and activities in return for a portion of the take (proceeds) called taxes. That qualifies as "ownership." And we've expanded the number of corporations in the US over the past 150 years. As to the bringing into cultivation of wastelands, how many of you have seen the dams on the Colorado River, just to name one river? While they do produce electricity, ask any rancher or farmer out there what their main purpose is, and he'll tell you: to regulate and control water for irrigation.

In that part of the West, it's: "No water, no farms." As for the improvement of the soil, generally, in accordance with a common plan, how many of you have ever heard of the ASC (Agricultural Stabilization Center)? Any rural county has one of their offices. Their job is to hand out government information, funds and materials to help with the "general improvement" of the American farm. And how many farmers have taken part in government programs ranging from paid non-cultivation of land to low-interest loans for "general land improvement" (provided you do it THEIR way, of course, or else they take your land)?

And Scripture? "And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession. And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another: According to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee: According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee. Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God. Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store. The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me. And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land." -- Leviticus 25:8-24.

THE EIGHTH PLANK: "Equal liability of all to labor, establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture."

At the "Volunteer Summit," President Clinton said that to be a good citizen you had to get a job and pay taxes. What about last year's "Workfare Bill" where, to get money from the government, you have to work. I'm not saying the idea of working is wrong, but the government is implementing it so that you have to work "on their terms" by having insurance, a SSN, AND filling out an IRS 1040 Form each April. And those industrial armies? Go back to the 1930s and look at things like the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and the WPA (Works Project Administration). And today's Americorps.

How about Scripture? "Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates; at his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it; lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee." -- Deuteronomy 24:14-15.

THE NINTH PLANK: "Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country by a more equitable distribution of population over the country."

This needs to be handled in two parts. The first is relatively simple. Ever hear of "Archer Daniel Midland"? Visited a major dairy or meat outfit recently? Between the multinational "agri-conglomerates" and "factory farms" that you see, that part has been done for decades now.

The second half is a little more difficult to see. While you may think that it's not been implemented, because there are still cities and still rural areas, let's look again.

In 1920, the US population was about 100 million and the number of people living on farms was about 44 million, so nearly half the population was on a farm or in some other rural setting. By 1940, the population on farms had dropped to 32 million. In 1950, 15 million. 1970, 6 million. 1985, 3 million. And the estimate is that by 2000+ there will be roughly 100,000 farmers or agribusiness corporations producing all agricultural produce in the US.

And cities have also taken a hit in terms of the overall population. While some cities have grown, like LA, others like Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, etc. have actually lost population over the past 40 years. The result --- the ubiquitous suburbs, neither urban nor rural, originally, but now a blend of both. This is the result of the largest population migration since the Middle Ages. So, the Ninth Plank is firmly in operation today.

And what does God say on this? "And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat." -- Leviticus 25:1-7.

THE TENTH PLANK: "Free Education for all children in public schools; abolition of children's factory labor in its present form; combination of education with industrial production."

Did you attend public school? How about your kids? Even socalled "private schools" and their curriculum, are government controlled these days. Any school that accepts government funding has to abide by government strictures. The first public schools were founded in the 1830s, and as late at the WWI, they weren't too common outside the big cities. Now, they're everywhere, and non-public school education is a fast-fading exception to the rule.

As for the abolition of children's factory labor in its present form, the government took care of that before WWI. They just shipped the concept of child factory labor overseas. And for combining education with industrial production? Well, the US is thinking of following the Japanese and Germans, where you take a test designed to see what your potential is, and if you don't score high enough, they ship you to the nearest factory for a nice apprentice education. Model programs have already been set up in some big cities. Looks like this plank's been around for a while too.

And Scripture? "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life, but teach them thy sons, and thy son's sons; specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children." -- Deuteronomy 4:9-10. A simple plan for home schooling, --- not cramming thirty kids into an overcrowded room with one frazzled babysitter who has to make sure she follows the government mandated truth of the week.

For each of the TEN PLANKS that you participate in, or are subject to its effects, give yourself 10 points. Most people won't give themselves 100 points, but we'd bet that you have at least 50 on your list. If you get any more points than that, you're a practicing communist. You probably didn't plan it that way, but that's where the rubber meets the road. If it disgusts you, contact us. We'll show you how to stop it.