[lbo-talk] US not a private enterprise system

[Carrol Cox]

"D. T. cochrane" wrote:
> 
> I think the ownership class might beg to differ.
> 
> Second order control through a state that must deal with an 'excess of
> democracy' is hardly an ideal alternative to the direct ownership that
> gives meaning to accumulation. Private ownership also creates multiple
> nodes of power that ensures the system can survive the toppling of
> some incredibly powerful entities.
> 
> Dismissing the difference between public and private ownership
> completely saps meaning from processes of privatization.

No one said that there cannot be wide variation of conditions under
capitalism, clearly (for example) the residents of a nation with a
National Health Service are (in that respect) the residents of nations
without such. 

It is also true that 'owning classes" freak out easily and tend to
believe some of their own propaganda. But one cannot read off the
reality of a whole social order by echoing the mere opinoins of people
living the system.  The point at issue is whether or not such public
servces or expanded public ownership (say of railroads)  constitutes a
material threat to capitalist relations - regardless of what it may do
to particular capitalists. If (a)  herioin marijuana, etc were legalized
and (b) a state monopoly was establshed either to sell them or
distribute them free, that would destroy a rather large swth of acutlly
living capitalists, but it would hardly be a threat to the whole system
of capitalist relations.

Carrol