Decades before Goldberg wrote his book “Liberal Fascism” (sic), Professor Charlotte Twight published “America’s Emerging Fascist Economy” in 1975. Oddly, it wasn’t mentioned by Goldberg, but then, it didn’t fit his “liberal is bad, conservative is good” thesis. Twight pointed out repeatedly that this system has been fostered and embraced by both political parties and is the dominant paradigm of the United States of America.

Dr. Twight referred to America’s version of economic fascism as “capitalistic collectivism” or “participatory fascism;” defining economic fascism as characterized by private ownership of the means of production coupled with the absolute power (whether exercised or not) of government to control every aspect of that private production, no matter how local.

The “participatory fascism” label referred to the insistence of those in power on demanding “participation” by the populace, –particularly by their opponents. Ayn Rand referred to this as demanding the “sanction of the victim.”

Economic fascism seeks to harness the productivity of the private market to the political objectives of the State. This is the model that most of the developed nations of the world have embraced. Of course ultimately such a system must, by the imperatives of its view of humanity and by its destructive effect on individuals, spill over into civil liberties.