If one can choose his means of production, his employment, is he really, truly, a slave? That's the difference between slavery, or indentured servitude, and republicanism. All must have some employ to maintain sustenance, else, they do nothing to benefit society,and become leaches. What I see of the socialist cadre in America today is that they think they can do whatever they want with the benefit that they can have all they wish. The problem with that is when government chooses what you shall do, when you shall do it, sets quotas for you that if you do not meet, you are punished, and set the pay scale under which all will live, it doesn't allow for anyone to do better than anyone else. It is a system that they cannot imagine, because they have been indoctrinated into a belief that they can have it all under the rubric of a socialist society. What all socialist systems have proven is that eventually someone gets fed up with the constant fight to procure goods, much of which remains hidden, or goes to the elites, on a minimum subsistence wage, working longer to procure than they do to actually work. The problem with socialists today is they are being, or have been fed, some claptrap that socialism in other countries didn't, or doesn't, work because it wasn't applied properly. There is, also, that malevolence we see in inimical belief systems. It creates inhospitality, inhuman, inhumane, inhuman, iniquity, in/of behavior, and destroys the very basis of society, which is moral, and equal, sacrifice, and equality under law. We no longer have equality under law, with the elites in America  not being subject to law, while the least favorable in society are arrested in numbers so great we have the highest prison capacity by percentage, of any nation in the world.

Ken, Allyn, WA: I cannot disagree. Many in the GOP have taken to a belief that our current socialist policies work well, but then they cannot explain how that pesky annual deficit keeps adding to the perpetual debt which will have to be repaid at some point, either in slavery, or death through warfare. Sad that people do not recognize what they have seen before, expecting that they can do what others have that resulted in ruin, with impunity.

So David, your solution is to have all in servitude, but even capitalism allows for servitude of all. Our current social(ist) policies leave about half in the servitude of the other half that receives benefit(s) for doing nothing. The only true capitalism is that which is not taxed, for anything, on anything. Once one starts taxing Peter to give to Paul, the whole socialism scenario goes out the door, because in true socialism all work for nothing to the benefit of others. Problem with that is, like today, some will take advantage of the others by not working their fair share, and hoping to reap benefit beyond what they provide. This is why the original compact between the Pilgrims failed. Mankind's inherent greed, the 'way of get' as a former pastor noted, is not moral. Since greed is inherent, one must fight to overcome that. However, immoral leaches don't care about others. Their narcissistic attitude, and behavior soon brings socialism to a crawl, and once one tries it, others have a tendency to follow. When all work as little as possible, the economy falters, bread, and circuses become scarce, and starvation, and ruin become the norm.

Perhaps you have not been following what is happening in VA today. The true totalitarian is the Demo(n)cRATic(k) (evil, bloodsucking vermin) , declaring martial law, and forbidding carry of weapons on Capitol grounds. I don't see the GOP sanctioning such measures, or demanding , by creation of various unconstitutional laws, that Americans be disarmed, even openly calling for confiscation of weapons. Watch antifa this comoing Monday to see who the real totalitarians are. They are not people of the constitution, but people who are averse to it, treasonous.