Mover Mike

From The Objectivist Center, One Giant Leap Toward Fascist America By Edward Hudgins

Thus we have a situation in which, unlike under socialism, individuals can still hold title to their own property. But unlike under a free market system, they do not own their property by right. They hold it at the discretion of political authorities who can yank it away at a whim. This is the economic principle of the classical corporatist or fascist regime.

To call it corporatist or fascist is no mere epithet. It designates a system in which the veneer of property rights is maintained but in which political authorities have extensive powers to limit rights in the name of economic planning. This system by necessity means that the normal state of affairs is political conflict — either out in the open in elections and legislation or behind closed doors with lobbyists and politicians making deals. It means that no one's property is truly secure. (emphasis added)

Eminent Domain

Before we go to far down the road, from Wikipedia, a definition of fascism:

In its general sense, fascism (small "f") means state control over the individual and the economy using regimentation and regulation. While similar to state socialism in its authoritarianism, fascism prefers state control over ostensibly private property rather than nationalization.(Emphasis added) Many scholars consider "fascism" to be part of, or in coalition with, extreme right politics, however the definitional debates and arguments by academics over the nature of fascism fill entire bookshelves. There are clearly elements of both left and right ideology in the development of Fascism.

Other aspects/definitions:

The term fascism has come to mean any system of government resembling Mussolini's, that in various combinations:

* exalts nation and sometimes race above the individual.
* stresses loyalty to a single leader.
* uses violence and modern techniques of propaganda and censorship to forcibly suppress political opposition.
* engages in severe economic and social regimentation.
* engages in corporatism.
(Historically, corporatism or corporativism (Italian corporativismo) is a political system in which legislative power is given to corporations that represent economic, industrial and professional groups. Unlike pluralism, in which many groups must compete for control of the state, in corporatism, certain unelected bodies take a critical role in the decision-making process. This original meaning was not connected with the specific notion of a business corporation, being a rather more general reference to any incorporated body) and
* implements totalitarianism.

As a populist social movement prior to gaining government power, fascism displays different characteristics.

Fascism, in many respects, is an ideology of negativism: anti-liberal, anti-socialist, anti-Communist, anti-democratic, anti-egalitarian, etc., and in some of its forms anti-religion. As a political and economic system in Italy, it combined elements of corporatism, totalitarianism, nationalism, and anti-communism.

The left wants to label people on right as fascists. It is not a right or left philosophy, but another example of statism. In my use of the word "fascism", I see it used as Ayn Rand wrote about in Atlas Shrugged, an elite who thinks it knows better than the market, an elite of powerful paternalists, an elite that thinks all problems can be solved by using government, an elite that seeks favors from the government to further their own interests without risk of competition.

Update:

I guess some more terms need to be defined, terms that I throw about, assuming we all agree on definitions. There can hardly be logical discourse, if terms mean different things to different people. Eric of Eric's Grumbles Before the Grave cautioned me not to use liberal for the people who inhabit the left side of the aisle. He says:

I refuse to use the word liberal to describe the left wing tradition you talk about.

After reading F.A Hayek, Why I Am Not a Conservative, as he suggested, I understand why he says

...the statists, aided and abetted by conservatives who wish to use government to guide society in the "right direction" (emphasis added)

Wikipedia defines Socialism as

an ideology with the core belief that a society should exist in which popular collectives control the means of power, and therefore the means of production. In application, however, the de facto meaning of socialism has evolved and branched to a great degree, and though highly politicized, is strongly related to the establishment of an organized working class, created through either revolution or social evolution, with the purpose of building a classless society. It has also, increasingly, become concentrated on social reforms within modern democracies.

Obviously, there is a problem using the word "socialist" to describe the left. Not all who I would label socialists would agree with all that's in the definition. However, I do believe they have a high regard for government involvement in bringing about social reform. They have a high confidence in government as a solution provider.

I am not ready to tackle a definition of conservatism in this post.

For years I have considered myself to be a "conservative" without really defining the word. I chose the word reflexivly as an alternative to the party called Democrats, and yet as both parties have changed over time, what was once socialist is now conservative. This country has drifted to bigger government as the solution and I have no home in either major party. I have only frustration that votes from like-minded people don't change the direction of the drift.