Pros and Cons of Socialism/Communism

    I believe we need a little basic review on Government 101, with respect to socialism and communism. They are essentially the same with some minor differences.
    Socialism generally involves socialized projects, such as school systems or roads, wherein it is impractical for individuals to generally have their own personal facilities. A socialized project involves a group of individuals and there is generally no profit incentive. This is different than a corporation, which also involves a group of individuals, but the group has a profit incentive. Socialized projects generally have advantages, which is why they exist. However, the danger involved in a slow change in public thinking which could lead to an attitude that everything should be socialized.
    Communism is a developmental stage from socialism to dictatorship. In communism, all commercial aspects are socialized, but rather than maintaining control of each project by a separate leadership, all projects are controlled by government. That government may initially be a combination of a leader, which we can call the President and a controlling committee, which we can call a Congress. The development to a dictatorship occurs when the President has a strong controlling personality, and the Congress is willing to forfeit its responsibility for control.
    Because of the similarity of socialism and communism, I am developing a new term, which I call "Socom".
    Socom is attractive to individuals for a number of reasons, among which are: 1. Division of society assets among the population will give me a greater share than I already have. 2. My risks on various elements of life, such as my health and my economics will be eliminated by a guaranteed supply of products and services from government. 3. I will no longer have the responsibility of finding my own employment, since government will supply it. 4. Since my employment is guaranteed, I need only apply minimal effort to my job, and in cases of less than my minimal effort, I cannot be fired nor my salary reduced.
    However, Socom also has downsides for individuals, among which are: 1. Because of human tendency, most persons in the Socom system will tend to apply less than minimal effort to any job or project, since it is to their benefit in allowing extra time for recreation and amusement. 2. The collective result of less than minimal effort leads to degradation of the product and service system, such that product/service shortages appear much more frequently. 3. With the collective "less than minimal effort" of most individuals, government then has fewer assets for continued distribution to individuals, which result in decreases in the so-called "guaranteed benefits". 4. The shortages and decreased benefits to individuals leads to general public dissatisfaction and greater acceptance of a move of Presidential powers to Dictatorship. 5. A Dictator has specific ideas of what he wants to accomplish and how to do it, and in the process he handles dissenters with imprisonment or death. So much for individual rights.
    Business schools generally base their teaching program on studies of individual companies and corporations. Law schools generally base their teaching program on studies of case law. I will now use a similar system, with the difference that my examples will be fictitious rather than actual.
    Situation 1: There are 16 adults in a lifeboat without communication in the middle of the ocean. They have 1 gallon of water. Someone says, "Let's divide the water equally; each having a cupful". They agree and do so. Sound reasonable? They are all going to die soon anyhow. It might as well be together.
    Situation 2: Steve Jobs has a government assigned position as a janitorial supervisor. He has an idea for a new electronic device but it can hardly support his family on his government income, without the possibility of buying tools. He also can't find anybody to work with him in such a risky and abstract project. Therefore, he decides to play solitaire in the evening. No Apple. No Macintosh. No iPhone.
    Situation 3: Louis Pasteur supervises a truck fleet in the Department of Transportation. He picked up a reasonably good education in microbiology at Socom expense, and he notices that many children are dying from tuberculosis. However, he has no laboratory and his government supervisors keep breathing down his neck, even though he knows that they can't fire him or reduce his salary. To keep busy in his off time, he takes up baseball. No pasteurization of milk and the children continue to die of TB.
    Situation 4: Rodgers and Hammerstein like music and are thinking a joint effort in composition. They have limited time, because there government jobs keep them busy licensing chicken coops. They also know they can't get a copyright for personal advantage on anything they produce, but they decide to take a shot at it anyhow. There is a government grant for music and they apply for it, but are turned down, because the sample they showed was not classical music. No Oklahoma. No Sound of Music. No South Pacific.
    Situation 5: The control panel at the New York City water treatment plant has a faulty switch. The operator becomes aware of this and his written instructions are to immediately call maintenance. However, it's five minutes to three, and he plans to go to a ballgame. He leaves and while he is at the ballgame, all the system water pumps automatically shut down and the city is without water for two hours while maintenance is contacted to make emergency repair. Three houses also burn in that period of water shutdown.
    Situation 6: US Socom has decided that there should be no carbon dioxide emissions from US power plants. Socom bases that decision on a statement from a university professor and supported by a number of quasi-scientists, who were not willing to offer clear scientific evidence why they believe this is so. Socom requires all electricity generating plants to install equipment, which will capture every pound of carbon dioxide from a burned fossil or sustainable organic fuel. The cost of renovation is subsequently so great that Socom cannot afford to operate all electricity production plants. Socom sets the allowable residential heating in winter at no higher than 60°F and no lower in summer than 85°F. Most of the population bears this discomfort, because "that's life". Frozen food sections at all supermarkets are reduced to half the normal choices. No more Bluebell Rocky Road ice cream. Only vanilla.
    Situation 7: US Socom is decided that all US residents should have free healthcare. The hospital emergency rooms become flooded with "patients", all having serious problems, such as a headaches, hang nails, baldness, gray hair, and long toenails. There is a long waiting line, because there are many patients and very few doctors. Those persons waiting for treatment are unable to do their government appointed jobs on such things as proposing new regulations to limit the supply of automobiles. There are very few doctors, because many intellectually qualified persons have seen no personal advantage in expanding long hours in medical school, even at government expense and with the low mandated salaries of subsequent practice. Socom then decides to list treatable illnesses, in order to limit the number of patients. However, the supply of doctors continually diminishes. As an example, broken legs are classified as a non-treatable illness and those afflicted must resort to home treatment.