As usual, thought provoking and challenging of my worldview. On that note about communism, I've recently noticed that the modern publicly traded corporation looks an awful lot like what Marx described as communism. It exists outside of state power to a degree, it's largely held by the working class through retirement funds rather than by individuals (worker owned), and it transcends international borders. Obviously the whole class structure and money is still intact, but there are quite a few parallels. Conservatives especially have their heads explode when I point this out.
My biggest issue with communism though has always been the calculation problem associated with trying to eliminate money. My second biggest issue with that is the implication the elimination of money has on the human right of free association. If I, of my own free will, decide to trade my labor (or any product of it) for a wage or other form of payment, I will be attacked by some enforcement agent in the community, as will the person I'm selling it to. These are very problematic, and I believe that either of these problems disqualifies communism as a workable solution for even small communities.