My analogy breaks down on the issue of purpose. The most charitable purpose of a gun would be to serve as a deterrent because it has the ability to kill or maim.

The purpose of an economic system is to make available the basic needs for as much of a population as possible. (Capitalists may disagree with that, to their everlasting discredit.) Things like housing, medical care, food, jobs. And, as a matter of fact, while in effect the USSR was a Third World country (technically the former USSR was the Second World – ever wonder what was between First World and Third World?) in the USSR housing, medical care and a job were regarded as civil rights. They didn’t have much economically, and were repressive, but what they did have in the way of housing, medical care and jobs were guaranteed folks just because they were a citizen. Seems a bit more civilized to me than some ways of doing business.

“Regardless, I don't think the issue here is that one political system kills more than another, but rather that one political system entices to kill more than another. The purpose of a particular system, and what steps people take to ensure the system remains functioning, are what truly matters.”

(I would think that intuitively capitalism would “entice” people to kill more than others. In the other systems there would be relatively little personal gain.)

Notice that we’ve moved from “economic” systems to “political” systems. I think the political structure is what determines the oppressiveness of any given regime. There are politically repressive countries of all economic persuasions.

I think what is probably true is that it takes a very strong central government to impose an economic system which is dedicated to supplying basic needs to the most people. Those strong central governments are more likely to be able to be repressive.

And the repression seems to be more of an effort to consolidate or hold onto political power, than a function of the economic system.

And, we agree. It’s the people who pervert the ideas, the systems, and the processes.

Arf