Yes, thats how taxes work. Just because we have taxes and sometimes spend them on things other than defense doesn't mean that we are in a communist society. Sorry.
So you can name other specific consumer products that we subsidize based on means testing? Can you name, say one?
There are lots of things that are subsidized based on need.
CONSUMER products? Something like a CAR? Such as...?
I'm not quite sure why you are drawing a line between welfare and subsidies based on need, but:
Because we are talking about what communism is. And it boils down to: From each according to their ability to each according to their need.
To use an analogy, someone shoplifting from a store is an evil act. But that, in itself, does not necessarily make the person evil. But there is some threshold, some debateable threshold, of how many acts it would take before someone might ascribe the word evil to someone based on the preponderance of their actions.
By the same token: Subsidizing electric cars because society has decided it NEEDS them so that everyone can afford them (means testing) IS communism. That doesn't mean that the society, as a whole, has suddenly become a Communist (big C) society. But that policy is, by definition, an act of communism. Just because you're comfortable with a little communism in our public policy doesn't make your view correct and mine wrong.
Plenty of educations is subsidized for the poor on the theory that the poor need an opportunity to be educated too.
Education is a consumer good? But that aside, yes, that is communism. That doesn't make the entire society a communist society. But that policy is a policy from the ideology of communism. You are taking money, by force, from one person to give it to another based on need.
Heating - in many colder areas, you can get subsidies to obtain heating in the winter.
Which again, is not a consumer good and is generally considered welfare.
Food stamps and school lunch cost reductions are generally considered subsidies on food.
"The projects" is subsidized housing in the US:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housing_in_the_United_States
Anyway, we already federally subsidize lots of fossil fuel stuff, so I'm not too broken up about some of these subsidies. I actually wouldn't mind throwing out a lot of these federal subsidies, but it would start with things like fossil fuel subsidies for sure.
Yes, we have a number of welfare projects and other policies that come from the ideology of communism.
It's a shame that the word communism has been twisted into meaning something huge. My household is run on the principle of communism. I suspect most households are. Where communism becomes a problem (IMO) is when it makes that transition from little c to big-C Communism. Each new government law that forces one person to forcibly pay for something for another is a step in that direction.
A society that decides that we "need" electric cars and therefore can justify confiscating money from people to ensure everyone can have an electric car is not one I'd want to live in.