newbie on Participatory Economics

[Brad De Long]

Re:
>
>There will also be a large element of the irrational in any
>revolution. The very real possibility of a reign of terror
>or even the fear of one is largely absent in the rationalist
>scenarios of the new utopians. Nothing can do more harm to
>a new socialist economy than the flight of skilled technicians
>and professionals. For example, there was very little that
>one can have done to prevent such flight in Nicaragua, no
> matter the willingness of a Tomas Borge to forgive Somocista
>torturers. This had more of an impact on Nicaraguan development
>plans than anything else.
>

How about calling yourself social democrats rather than communists?

Wouldn't large-scale land reform on the one hand coupled with a disavowal
of any other nationalizations, with a commitment to early and frequent
elections, and with the defense of democracy above everything else as the
principal goal of the regime have kept a lot of those skilled technicians
and professionals in Nicaragua?

Brad DeLong