On Feb 14, 2010, at 10:21 AM, SA wrote:
> On Day 3, the new regime would be facing conditions we have no way
> of predicting. But it will *also* be facing problems that we have
> been dealing with for centuries - problems of production,
> allocation, economic calculation, division of labor, etc. When they
> start addressing these problems, the actors in the regime will
> *necessarily* - *inevitably* - *inescapably* be basing their actions
> on the stock of ideas that they have inherited from the past about
> these age-old problems. There is no tabula rasa. They will never be
> making decisions based solely on immediate conditions. They will
> have no choice but to make use of theory, and therefore they will be
> using someone's theory, theory from the past. Opening these
> theoretical questions to democratic debate in advance means the
> movement gets to influence - though never determine - what is done
> when the time comes. Close off the debate until Day 3 arrives and
> you're opening the door to several kinds of mischief.
This is true of regimes that don't come to power in a violent revolution, e.g. Chavez'. They've faced enormous practical problems - in finance, in electricity production, in running the oil company, etc. Just avoiding a strike by skilled workers is a major challenge. As is taking on the deep corruption of a society like Venezuela.
Doug