Most differences of perceptions and opinions are because of an unclear understanding of terms. I urge everyone do their own dictionary search. The following are basic clarifications:
Absolutism – The political doctrine and practice of unlimited centralized authority and absolute sovereignty, as vested especially in a monarch or dictator.
Communism – A political and economic ideology that positions itself in opposition to liberal democracy and capitalism, advocating instead for a classless system in which the means of production are owned communally and private property is nonexistent or severely curtailed.
Democracy – The United States is both a democracy and a republic. Democracies and republics are both forms of government in which supreme power resides in the citizens. The word “republic” refers specifically to a government in which those citizens elect representatives who govern according to the law. An organization or situation in which everyone is treated equally and has equal rights.
Fascism – A system of government led by a dictator who typically rules by forcefully and often violently suppressing opposition and criticism, controlling all industry and commerce, and promoting nationalism and often racism. Fascism is used to refer to any ideology or movement seen as authoritarian, nationalistic and extremely right wing, especially when fundamentally opposed capitalism and liberalism.
Socialism – A way of organizing a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government rather than by individual people and companies. A system of society or group living in which there is no private property.
P.S. I am a 60-year Republican, 12-year Independent voter awaiting the return of the real Republican party.
