Is Jesus a Socialist? Communist?

From time to time I run into (online or otherwise) people who are in support of the government redistributing other peoples money (through things like Obamacare) and justify it by saying that this IS what Jesus would do.  After all He taught socialist principles, he was against the wealthy and so forth...

To support such a stand these people use scripture verses such as these from Luke 18: (pay particular attention to the bold passages)

18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Let's first make sure we understand socialism and communism at a basic level.  The end result of the two is not very different, but only a slight difference in operation.  People often confuse social programs and services such as schools, police and road construction as socialism.  This is NOT socialism.  Socialism is when the government controls the productive resources of a nation.  The only difference compared with communism is that the government owns the productive resources of the nation under communism.  With either of the two, the government becomes responsible for everything like healthcare, providing jobs, welfare, etc.  The end result of the two is that the government controls and directs nearly every aspect of its subjects lives and yet NONE of that sounds anything like what the Lord has said...  

In the Lord's time Rome was the supper power and the number one problem with those who want to accuse Jesus of being a socialist is that he never once said that Rome should take care of the poor. Notice when he told the wealthy man to "sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor..." it was still completely voluntary he was not going to be forced to give to the poor.  He didn't say to the man that the government should take his possessions and give to the poor, but that he should choose to do it himself.  Why?  As Bruce C. Hafen once said when referring to this instruction from the Lord "We can have eternal life if we want it, but only if there is nothing else we want more."

When the people saw this interaction with the rich man they asked "Who then can be saved?" the Lord answered in verse 27.  Joseph Smith added some understanding in his translation which reads-

27 And he said unto them, it is impossible for them who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God; but he who forsaketh the things which are of this world, it is possible with God, that he should enter in.

It seems that the issue with this wealthy man was not so much his property but that he was valuing his property higher than achieving the kingdom of God- He wasn't using his resources to help those in need. Again the Lord never even hinted that maybe the government should do something about the poor and he was clear about who should help in Mathew 25-

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
(the people then asked when they had done these things for the Lord)
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Clearly the Lord is talking about personal individual service and care for those in need.  The personal ministering involved in meeting the needs of the poor is a basic fundamental of following in the Lord's path. Can you imagine anyone who is today on government welfare feeling like this- feeling like they have been ministered too; that their unique individual needs are being met- by a huge governmental bureaucracy?

So it is completely disingenuous for anyone to call the Lord a socialist because he taught that we are morally obligated to care for the poor and needy and to use our own resources to do so.  In all of His teachings we are at all times left to choose whether or not to follow Him.  He does not force us to help the poor or to keep His commandments.  If the Lord acted like a socialist or communist, everyone on the earth would be a Christian whether they wanted to be or not, but He does not so act, because He respects our individual agency to choose what we will do even if we choose poorly.