[ThePublicOpinions]

I thought that was the whole point. Equality. Everything being held in common. Every individual being equal to each other. Perhaps I am mistaken?

[ingliz]

Perhaps I am mistaken?

Lenin and I think you are.

... mere conversion of the means of production into the common property of the whole society (commonly called “socialism”) does not remove the defects of distribution and the inequality of "bourgeois laws" which continues to prevail so long as products are divided "according to the amount of labour performed".

Socialism does not, indeed, it cannot, provide justice and equality; differences, and unjust differences, in wealth will still persist. Socialism is not communism.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Moreover, since socialist states would eliminate the welfare state but guarantee employment, one also sees how, maybe in certain nations, these 'low-skill', 'low-desire' jobs would be filled up quite quickly.

And just who exactly is going to look after the terminally ill, the decrepit, the young, others who can not be employed in full time work if you don't have a welfare state? It is utterly absurd to claim socialist states would 'eliminate' the welfare state as they greatly expanded welfare provisions. Under Marxist socialism as actually existed, the welfare state existed as we know it under liberal regimes today. An obvious example would be providing pensions to people no longer deemed necessary to work in full term employment, as defined by the state itself. If there was not a welfare state, those people would either have to work or be supported by their family. Since Marxist socialism, for the majority of its existence, did not allow private capital to be invested as to create and maintain small businesses that may create a household income large enough to support one or even two 'non-productive' members, and wages for the vast majority of work certainly were not able to support those members as well, only the welfare state could look after those retired. Therefore, I find it preposterous to suggest the welfare state would be eliminated under socialism - the facts of real, existing socialism show otherwise (whether Marxist socialism, ancient socialism, Prussian socialism etc.) The Bolshevik will-to-destruction may wish to eliminate today's welfare state but Bolshevik regimes will naturally create a welfare state of their own.