Totally agree. EU and Europe is going insane with crazy ass laws to punish american companies and regulate everything to death, while they allow their states get away with becoming totalitarian. #unreal
You seem to be very lost, @locallost. Great name. Certain services are obviously best done from a collective, society standpoint. You wouldn't be able to protect your property from certain wild fires, like what happened California. Nor protect yourself from an invasion from another country. Nor break up a criminal gangster mob that attacks the people.
Central Europe is far more socialist. They're legitimately becoming communist.
For example, in Germany, the socialist/left/green pretty dominate and control almost all power here. Democracy is one of the few last standing barricades to germany becoming a full-blown communist state.
Yet, even democracy is starting to fade here.
Besides Germany, most of europe is well grounded in democracy. Therefore, I wouldn't call most of european countries communist states.
However, once socialism reaches a certain point, societies start to fail, and economies start to stagnate or even go backwards. We are starting to witness this here in European. Stagnating or retreading economies. Germany's economy hasn't grown in years.
You sound like an ignorant american. Germany prides itself on being a socialist state. It's even anchored in their constitution (Article 20): "Germany is a democratic and socialist state."
Lots of other european countries are similar in this regard to Germany. The word socialism is well integrated in almost all european countries except for the english speaking ones. Most European countries consider themselves to be socialist states.
> Do the workers on "all western economies" own the means of production in any way, shape, or form?
You're drawing from some sort of book definition, like an ignorant american. You don't understand what "socialism" means.
It looks like you're an American who has no idea what socialism even is and you had to look up on the internet. Let me break it down for you in a simple manner: Socialism = lots of social welfare
Therefore, the continual dramatic expansion of Social Welfare (especially for the old) means america has become a shitty social state.
All western economies are socialist nowadays. There doesn't exist any hyper-capitalistic economies. What hyper-capitalistic economies are you talking about?
Even America has become a socialist country. The current Republicans are doing their best (thankfully) to slowly roll this back, but it's a long, slow process.
As evidence that America has become a socialist country, you just need to look at the massive expansion of medicare/medicaid and social security.