Or, you could live in the real world in the impoverished USSR of the 20s-30s, in which you had to make a practical decision of how to allocate goods. Leave the "it was supposed to be" out of things. (Although I think that your version of what 1917 was supposed to be about is different than what the people who carried it out that it was.)
--- On Sat, 6/14/08, Mike Ballard <swillsqueal at yahoo.com.au> wrote:
> From: Mike Ballard <swillsqueal at yahoo.com.au>
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Cuba to abandon salary equality
> To: "lbo lbo" <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
> Date: Saturday, June 14, 2008, 7:40 PM
> You could use Marx's suggestion from the "Critique
> of the Gotha" programme or elsewhere, as opposed to
> Proudhon's "equality of wages" concept.
> People could draw from the social store of goods and
> services on the basis of how many socially necessary hours
> they put into the production of goods and services, minus
> the amount necessary to maintain and expand the means of
> production. After all, it was SUPPOSED to be a communist
> revolution.
>
> Mike B)
>
> The carbon atoms in your body were forged inside a star
> somewhere, billions of years ago.
> http://www.myspace.com/ballardoso
>
>
> --- On Sat, 14/6/08, Chris Doss
> <lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > From: Chris Doss <lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com>
> > Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Cuba to abandon salary
> equality
> > To: swillsqueal at yahoo.com.au
> > Received: Saturday, 14 June, 2008, 11:57 PM
> > How was the USSR supposed to pay people? You go to the
> store
> > and get annthing you want?
> >
> > --- On Sat, 6/14/08, Mike Ballard
> > <swillsqueal at yahoo.com.au> wrote:
> >
> > > From: Mike Ballard
> <swillsqueal at yahoo.com.au>
> > > Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Cuba to abandon salary
> > equality
> > > To: "lbo lbo"
> <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
> > > Date: Saturday, June 14, 2008, 8:31 AM
> > > Chris writes:
> > >
> > > > I know nothing about Cuba, but the whole
> > "salary
> > > ceiling" system was very
> > > > unpopular in the USSR.
> > > ============================
> > > Lots of discussion about this on Lou
> Proyect's
> > list. Be
> > > interested to hear
> > > more on the unpopularity of the system in the
> USSR. My
> > > take: Cuba is being
> > > forced to follow the path taken by the Soviets,
> > Chinese,
> > > and others who
> > > abolished and then restored capitalism:
> > >
> > > http://www.marxmail.org/msg42977.html
> > >
> > > http://www.marxmail.org/msg42945.html
> > > ************
> > >
> > > As Marx pointed out, where there is wage labour,
> there
> > is
> > > capital. It's no wonder to me why the
> trasition
> > to
> > > communism beccame a transition to full blown
> > industrial
> > > capitalism.
> > >
> > > Mike B)
> > > **************
> > >
> > > The very development of modern industry must
> > progressively
> > > turn the scale in favour of the capitalist
> against the
> > > working man, and that consequently the general
> > tendency of
> > > capitalistic production is not to raise, but to
> sink
> > the
> > > average standard of wages, or to push the value
> of
> > labour
> > > more or less to its minimum limit. Such being the
> > tendency
> > > of things in this system, is this saying that the
> > working
> > > class ought to renounce their resistance against
> the
> > > encroachments of capital, and abandon their
> attempts
> > at
> > > making the best of the occasional chances for
> their
> > > temporary improvement? If they did, they would be
> > degraded
> > > to one level mass of broken wretches past
> > salvation.... By
> > > cowardly giving way in their everyday conflict
> with
> > > capital, they would certainly disqualify
> themselves
> > for the
> > > initiating of any larger movement.
> > >
> > > At the same time, and quite apart from the
> general
> > > servitude involved in the wages system, the
> working
> > class
> > > ought not to exaggerate to themselves the
> ultimate
> > working
> > > of these everyday struggles. They ought not to
> forget
> > that
> > > they are fighting with effects, but not with the
> > causes of
> > > those effects; that they are retarding the
> downward
> > > movement, but not changing its direction; that
> they
> > are
> > > applying palliatives, not curing the malady. They
> > ought,
> > > therefore, not to be exclusively absorbed in
> these
> > > unavoidable guerilla fights incessantly springing
> up
> > from
> > > the never-ceasing encroachments of capital or
> changes
> > of
> > > the market. They ought to understand that, with
> all
> > the
> > > miseries it imposes upon them, the present system
> > > simultaneously engenders the material conditions
> and
> > the
> > > social forms necessary for an economical
> > reconstruction of
> > > society. Instead of the conservative motto, A
> fair
> > > day's wage for a fair day's work! they
> ought
> > to
> > > inscribe on their banner the
> > > revolutionary watchword, Abolition of the wages
> > system!
> > >
> > > Marx, 'Value, Price and Profit'
> > >
> > > The carbon atoms in your body were forged inside
> a
> > star
> > > somewhere, billions of years ago.
> > > http://www.myspace.com/ballardoso
> > >
> > >
> > > Get the name you always wanted with the new
> > y7mail
> > > email address.
> > > www.yahoo7.com.au/mail
> > >
> > > ___________________________________
> > >
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
>
> Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail
> email address.
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>
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