Kalecki on full employment

[William S. Lear]

On Sat, October 10, 1998 at 16:52:48 (-0400) Doug Henwood writes:
>  .... I'd say a ruling class is formed in part through money, but in part
>through education, social ties, cultural pursuits, media, elite
>foundations, etc. Inheritance still counts too. All these institutions and
>rituals are what make the ruling class so much stronger than the working
>class, which is much larger and almost infinitely diverse.

Although I might give a bit more weight to the wealth side of things
(Doug doesn't point this out, but wealth does make it vastly easier to
fold oneself in socially, and most of the institutions are instituted,
shaped, and fueled by wealth, etc.), I think Doug's absolutely correct
to point this out.  For an outstanding exposition of the social ties
of the US ruling elites, past and present, nothing beats Philip
H. Burch, Jr.'s 3-volume *Elites in American History*, as well as the
2-volume follow-up, *Reagan, Bush, and Right-Wing Politics*.

Bill