> references to 'communism' are an intellectual canard For me, they are references to actual events in my past. Unable to provide the bare necessities, in the

> references to 'communism' are an intellectual canard For me, they are references to actual events in my past. Unable to provide the bare necessities, in the 80's, the Communist State's central planners had rationed bread, sugar, flour and vegetable oil. A black market has promptly sprung up. Its vendors ranged from regular folks who did not use their entire ration to illegal "entrepreneurs" who had other means of getting stuff. This market could easily tell you the actual price of these goods. But you had to be careful because some of the participants where actual Secret Service laying traps. It was illegal after all...