> the simple matter of the existence of private stock, owned in
> order to get wealthy off the backs of workers ...
That's probably a mischaracterization of the role that stock plays. The exploitation of labor by capitalism doesn't require the issuance of stock. Stock just serves as a mechanism to distribute the risk associated with said exploitation. In that sense, a more accurate critique of Bob's "options don't count" is that stock is itself a derivative (whether it's of P/E or hype, you choose) and so he's kidding himself.
Hey Dennis, how come the Euro is still a piece of shite? I keep wanting to go long, but I far more often wind up getting short. And winning.
"Trade futures or go home"
/jordan