Promoting mass purchasing power

Michael Cohen mike at cns.bu.edu
Fri Sep 18 16:18:52 PDT 1998


Louis Proyect wrote:


> Once again Chris Burford, while invoking Marxism, proposes Keynsian
> solutions. The "progressive" solution is not to increase the purchasing
> power of the masses, but to expropriate the capitalist class. Chris Buford
> thinks that "generous unemployment benefits" are some kind of answer.
> Speaking for myself, I received the most generous unemployment benefits
> that any wage worker could receive after I lost a consulting position with
> Kidder-Peabody, a gang of thieves on Wall Street. I had to borrow $5000
> from my retirement funds to pay my rent. No, the answer is to lay off the
> ruling class, not plead for higher unemployment benefits for the people who
> create the wealth of society.

Louis, the rhetoric is terrific but you got much of it from the horses mouth.Now whats the plan. I myself think that the current world would be a better place if the working classes in Indonesia, Russia, and South Korea siezed control of closed down factories and started producing for their own benefit. This also would make Burford's economy remedies more likely. Now how do you plan to accomplish this now? What are the most hard hit workers doing? Can the West provide any support Whatsoever? Is there any simple way to aid their strike efforts. Is any of the proletariat which is the bulk of the citizens in Russia able to take control of the Russian Factories.

Is the layoff rate in Japan sufficiently high (I doubt it) that such moves would be possible there? "Workers of the World Unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains" sounds terriffic to me. As a slogan this is terrific, now how do you propose turning the gravy into meat and potatoes.

--mike

-- Michael Cohen mike at cns.bu.edu Associate Professor, Center for Adaptive Systems Work: 677 Beacon, Street, Rm313 Boston, Mass 02115 Home: 25 Stearns Rd, #3 Brookline, Mass 02146 Tel-Work: 617-353-9484 Tel-Home:617-734-8828 Tel-FAX:617-353-7755



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