I was reading an article from a former USSR citizen and got a chill from the striking similarity:
The ghosts of the past that I ran away from 17 years ago have come back to haunt me as I read the news, as I observe what they're "changing" in the policies. All that scares me. This is what they're heading? This could be my kids' future? Most Americans have no idea what "socialism," "communism" really means. Only us who lived through it (or survived it to be more accurate) in the Soviet or in Vietnam circa 1980s-early 90s understand how it dragged human dignity down. Here is a brief summary of life in Vietnam, after the "blood soaked war against the Imperialist Americans to save our country."
THE WAR AGAINST THE BOURGEOIS
All "Bourgeois" (business owners, "rich people," people with properties) got a search and seize of all private properties: gold, diamond, money, houses, land... The people themselves are put to a "new economy" area (a concentration camp where even the basic necessities are lacking) for "re-education" and learn how to labor on the field. In all, some 300,000 people were detained there.
The next blow was the currency exchange where the value of the money went down to the extent it turned everyone's valuables into nothing. So there we go, social justice for all: we all were equally poor except for member of Rogue party who just seized all our properties!
The next blow was the currency exchange where the value of the money went down to the extent it turned everyone's valuables into nothing. So there we go, social justice for all: we all were equally poor except for member of Rogue party who just seized all our properties!
THE LABOR RE-EDUCATION CAMP
All soldiers serving the south Vietnam in the war report to these camps, most of them located deep in the woods. Depending on their "crime," based on their rank they will serve there from a couple weeks to 20 years. Camps for former officers and functionaries of the Saigon government are usually located in malaria infested jungle areas. Thousands of camp inmates have died from lack of food, medicine, or clothing. Thousands have committed suicide some have been secretly liquidated, others perish through staged “accidents”: For example, former officers are forced to de-activate minefields with their bare hands, so the regime will not have to waste valuable bullets on them. After the officers had mostly “been taken care of, it was the turn of the intellectuals some 2,500 of whom were sent to re-education camps. Among them are journalists, authors, scholars, professors, Western-educated technicians, student leaders, “Third Force” leaders.
THE RATIONING
Families provided with "food card" to go get rice, or oat for free (stimulus, anybody?) for the month which would last about a week. No other means to put food on your table. Companies, businesses, factories are all state owned. All workers are unionized (union = government). I remember my youngest brother woke up in the morning trying to drink hot water to calm his hunger but ended up crying at the hot water pot because it obviously couldn't calm a 3-year-old's hunger!
THE FREEDOM TO TRAVEL AND GATHER
All citizens who wished to travel anywhere (out of the city, to other province...) must acquire a permit. Once got to the destination, he needed to register with local authorities in order to stay there (even for a couple of days)
All gatherings (birthday, family reunion, whatever) must be pre-approved with a permit.
HEALTH CARE
The wonderful state-run health care is free for all. Anyone, including a child can walk into a clinic and get an abortion, an IUD, no question asked. Not much medicine around, mostly domestically made and useless. Human life is cheap. Corruption was everywhere. My brother fell off his bicycle and poke a hole in his rib case near a "children" hospital. His friends took him there, blood was everywhere. They turned him away because he "wasn't a child" (he was 14!). My other brother needed an emergency blood transfusion in the hospital immediately but they wouldn't do it because my parents didn't have any cash on them to pay for the blood. My aunt ran across the street and pawned her gold chain, saved my brother's life!
to be continue with Education...
