without having read it in detail, i only skimmed it, i don't understand where this fear of a socialist state comes from.
don't you distinguish between communism and socialism? i live in a social democratic country and can't understand this bashing of socialism. i'm glad that the state has various social safety nets and i'm willing to pay for them.
social democratic is not socialims. GDR (german democratic republic - eastern germany bevor 1990) was socialism. Cuba was socialism. The whole easten countries before 1990 were mostly socialism. Now you can ask yourself. What is maybe bad on socialims and why had the GDR shoot people to death on their borders, who only wants to leave the county (to west germany).
Socialism doen't work without force and suppression. In the end you have to shoot people who wants to leave your socialist paradise, because in the end your country will be empty. Damit, it's only 30 years ago, halve of europe were socialist paradises. History show us socialims is bad. All the time. And no, if you say, that's not real socialism and you would made it beter than all the others, than you are someone with a megalomanic complex. socialism doesn't work. and a social democracy like here in germany is basically capitaism with a social net for people who has no work. And this system cost hugh amount of money. And it will collapse, if we continue this here. But this is another story.
Seconded.
As long the (DDR) GDR existed, it was a No-Go in the western culture to regularly spy on their citizens. It was a GDR-thing and the soviet were heavily criticized for it.
When the berlin wall was falling, western countries started mass surveillance, because the "black sheep" has died, and the GDR, the #1 bad example, ceased to exist.
Back then, the eastern german "Stasi" (state police) were the "bad guys". Now we are. A genius move, when you think about that.