Well, just to pour more fuel on this fire, I'd say a lot of you are confused as to the difference between a system of government and an economic system.
Correct me if i am wrong, but:
>>>>and yes, on paper communism looks great. but the world isn't a hypothetical place. communism is idealistic, where as capitialism is realistic.<<<<
uh, communism is a system of government, while capitalism is an economic system. It's like comparing apples and oranges.
The U.S. is not a "Capitalist" it is a Republic (tho some have referred to it incorrectly as a Democracy), whith an economic system based on capitalism (tho there are plenty of exceptions to that - think social security and medicare).
You could compare communism and democracy, that would work. However, it is correct to say that the world is not a hypothetical place, nor is it an ideal place, and so neither actually exist as a system of state government anywhere in the world. Most countries that label themselves "communist" are closer to dictatorships, and most that label themselves "democracies" are usually republics of one kind or another, and all are usually an amalgam of several different types of government. pure forms of government only work on paper, no matter what they are.
Challenge this statement: Systems of government are mostly formed by those who have gained power in order to maintain it, and are thus fairly flexible in order to deal with changing sources of power. To label one country or another as having a specific form of government is to greatly oversimplify how that country came to be, and its evolution over time.
cheers
S_T
