[lbo-talk] The State and Capitalism

[Bill Bartlett]

At 11:46 AM -0400 11/3/08, Doug Henwood wrote:
>On Mar 11, 2008, at 10:40 AM, Lew wrote:
>
>>  Both. Marx envisaged a transition between a first phase of 
>>  communism and
>>  a higher phase of communism - but they are both *communist* societies.
>
>Any idea on how we get there from here, or will it all happen in some 
>lightning bolt transformative repture? How do you dispense with money
>when the stuff is drilled deep into our heads?
>

First, you dispense with wages based on work performed and instead 
pay a social wage according to need. Already happens to some extent 
under capitalism, on account of the fact that market wages cannot 
take account of the different needs of people at different stages of 
life. Such as young people engaged in study, families with children 
to support, retired people, infirm and disabled people, retired etc. 
So we are already in the transition period.

This is essentially a form of rationing. The next stage is to abandon 
that, but first people have to grow out of the fetish for things and 
status based on possession of things. Making things available freely 
will inevitably go a long way towards drilling a new consciousness 
into our heads.

Bill Bartlett
Bracknell Tas