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Originally Posted by dksuddeth
oh no, he's only attacked groups opposing him, thrown out capitalist ventures, and is pursuing a 'benevolent' (I use that term very loosely)dictatorship.
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Well first off, throwing out American capitalists is a good thing in Latin America. Read John Perkins' 'Confessions of an Economic Hitman'. As for attacking groups that oppose him, look at the specific cases. They're a bit more complex than is portreyed in American media (when it's occasionally mentioned).
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Originally Posted by dksuddeth
at the risk of bringing the thread to a godwins end, I seem to recall that hitler was in the same position of ideals....at least until he reached that position of ultimate power.
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Yes, but we've not actually seen any misuse of power. In the case of Bush we have war and spying. Even if Hugo is on the same road as Bush and eventually Hitler, he's not anywhere near as far along the path.
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Originally Posted by dksuddeth
Socialism fails because it destroys personal freedom in pursuit of an economic balance, or as you term it, wealth redistribution. This is nothing more than politically correct words for legalized theft by a government.
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You should speak to Native American tribesmen about how life was several hundred years ago. Socialism was perfect for Native Americans on the whole because they placed more value on the whole than the individual, and until a civilization (that happened to have developed in an area with mine-able metals closer to the surface and beasts of labor that are easily trained, read "Guns Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond for more information) came to destroy them with better technology and capitalism, they were a thriving set of civilizations. Socialism succeeded, and each of the tribesmen (tribespeople) were able to live free and fulfilling lives despite working for the whole first and the individual second.
It's harder to prevent segregation in a capitalist society. It's harder to prevent corporations in a capitalist society. It's harder to have low unemployment in a capitalist society. It's impossible to avoid having low wages, a large amount of poor people, and even starvation in a capitalist society. It's almost impossible to prevent corporations from becoming entities only centered around profit in a capitalist society. In all of these areas and many more, socialism manages to succeed.