From: "Kevin Carson" <kevin_carson-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: whoa, I'm behind the times/push button workers...
Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2003 18:57:12 +0000


I'm not sure what relevance this has.  No advocate of the labor theory of 
value denies that cooperative labor and division of labor drastically 
increase the productivity of labor.  And at any given time, the "socially 
necessary labor" that determines exchange value is defined by the existing 
average level of productivity, assuming standard production techniques.

The issue is, what does this increased productivity result from, and who is 
entitled to the increased returns from more productive labor?  Since all 
those fancy machines were created by deferring consumption in the past, the 
question arises, WHOSE consumption was deferred?  The "abstemious 
capitalist" of the vulgar economists, or the work force who had abstention 
forced upon them?


>From: Joacim Persson <joacim-AT-ymex.net>
>Reply-To: Joacim Persson <joacim-AT-ymex.net>
>To: Sandi and Scott Spaeth <vespass-AT-swbell.net>
>CC: Anarchy List <anarchy-list-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>
>Subject: Re: whoa, I'm behind the times/push button workers...
>Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 01:23:01 +0100 (CET)
>
>On Wed, 19 Feb 2003, Sandi and Scott Spaeth wrote:
>
> > How do I get one of these button pushing jobs?  In the factory I work 
>in,
> > we do indeed have all powered tools (electric or pneumatic), but that is
> > offset by the increased rate of production.  I'm still on my feet 9.5 
>hours
> > a day, six days a week hustling to keep up with the assembly line speed.
>
>Compare what you can buy for the payment for that job, with the work
>required to produce the same goods by hand, from scratch.
>
>Imagine filing out a car motor from a block of steel, not to mention
>melting the ore to get the steel, or getting the ore out from the ground.
>By muscle work.


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