[lbo-talk] Chavez: slow down

[MK]

I'm jumping in here so apologies if this is a wacky tangent. I just  
want to point out what some folks have been trying (for some time,  
now). Yes, it appears that such efforts are a drop in the bucket.  
But, as a friend of mine likes to say, that's how a bucket gets filled.

http://www.zmag.org/parecon/indexnew.htm

Albert himself admits that he wrestled with naming his model  
Socialism but then capitulated to renaming it Participatory Economics  
given that the original meaning of socialism has long been lost,  
subsumed in conventional thinking by centrally-planned and market- 
driven economies. And, yes (to respond to BobW) the whole point is to  
build a model for how a classless society could work.


> Participatory Economics (Parecon for short) is a type of economy  
> proposed as an alternative to contemporary capitalism. The  
> underlying values are equity, solidarity, diversity, and  
> participatory self management. The main institutions are workers  
> and consumers councils utilizing self managed decision making,  
> balanced job complexes, remuneration according to effort and  
> sacrifice, and participatory planning.

On Mar 3, 2008, at 12:42 PM, Doug Henwood wrote:


>> So, I ask what is the alternative?
>> This is an honest and genuine question.
>
> "Fucked if I know," would be my honest and genuine answer. On good
> days, I can get beyond that, thank god.