>If "police state" includes economic control, that's not compatible with capitalism as most would like it to be. Crony capitalism or kleptocracy, sure.
>
>Maybe the issue is more with living under repression and/or corruption, rather than socialism. Of course, that begs the question of whether socialism suffers from them more than "other forms [of government] that have been tried from time to time" ;)

Socialism wasn't given a fair trial, ever. In every instance, it was forced into an embattled state. Socialist countries were always blackmailed, couldn't trade freely, there were always limitations or downright sanctions, with the full spectrum of special war (insertion of terrorist groups, radio stations like VOA or RFE and other means of propaganda), which then inevitably brought their defenses up. Then no matter what the intentions were, the military and security types within get the upper hand, taking policy in the direction very different from the original project.