<Here, we consider socialism as a democratic ideology, that is more generous than the conservative, and that spreads wealth to a larger fraction of the population. The conservatives, we call them "libéraux or liberals-in liberal there is liberty, meaning more in favor of freedom of enterprise than socialists are.

The fact that the term "generous" is seriously applied to socialism, which operates by looting and passing out the fruits of others' production, shows how the language and mindset have been polluted by constant left-wing propaganda.

The word "generous" only applies when its YOUR money. Any thug can be "generous" with a pipeline into someone else's pocket.

Last year, for instance, France which is governed by a socialist prime minister (Jospin) has said that 50% of all the wealth produced was redistributed in one form or another. Communism, well, it's even less in favor of freedom of enterprise but it's also democratic in western Europe.

It would be fascinating to see how well these socialist European nations would thrive if they were not supported by the free-market economic engines of more "liberal" countries. Reminds me of Berkeley and Santa Cruz here in California, who have the luxury of playing socialist games since they are surrounded by a free-market powerhouse.

What's the difference between socialism and communism as seen in the US?

A quick answer to your question: Socialism is what communists set themselves up as when they don't have enough power, or there is too much resistance from the people, for them to set up pure communism. Communists operate within parliamentary systems, because they often have no choice, but should a Communist party ever get enough seats to take control, I think you would be in for a rude surprise.

If you read Hayak's "The Road To Serfdom," he makes the observation that totalitarianism is the inevitable end result of a consistently-applied socialist system, and that it can't end up any other way.

Try and find a single philosophical or political position held by a communist that a socialist would not agree with. Free elections? Like I said, socialists hold them only because they have to, not because they prefer it.

In my country, "socialist" is what the communists started to call themselves when people began to realize what communism entailed. Later, when people realized what the socialist agenda was, the name got changed to "progressive." They change their name as often as someone who passes bad checks, and for similar reasons.