Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 18:37:19 -0600
From: Scott Marshall <Scott-AT-rednet.org>
Subject: Re: Unequal Exchange


>Crisis for capital? Where? It seems quite solidly in control of everything.
>Of course that could always change, but I want evidence of a present
>crisis.
>
>Doug

People in my neighborhood got all the evidence they need. The crisis of
capitalism is very real to thousands of former steelworkers and everyone
else in my neighborhood in South Chicago. They are homeless, hungry,
unemployed and underemployed. The schools our kids go to are falling apart.
There is no health care. The drug dealers are openly controling some streets
(in tacit alliance with local police). Jobs are disappearing on the order of
hundreds a week. People are being evicted every day. Rents, food costs and
other basic needs are costing more and more.  A general decay of almost
every aspect of life for working class people with a particular racist edge
- a particular harshness and violence to the poverty and decay in African
American, Mexican American and other oppressed communities. In general the
rate of relative and absolute impoverishment of the working class is pretty
much accellerating during this so-called upturn. etc etc etc.

On the other side of the ledger - yes - record profits, a growing chasm
between the haves and the have nots, monoplization and greater
concentrations of finance capital etc, etc, etc.

However - no matter how capital may seem to be in control, the instablity of
their system is causing alarm for them. The warning crys of all stripes of
capitalist mouthpieces from the conservative Kevin Phillips to the libereal
AM Rosenthal all make the point clearly - they are worried about capital's
control, about capitalism's increasing instability. As the system slips more
and more into decay and general crisis "they" have no real answers. This is
the desperation of the new ultra-right radicals like the Newt. The 'Contract
on America' is a desparate, demogogic declaration of bankruptcy. Their slash
and burn attacks are the howls of pre-fascist desperation. One of the
greatest contributions of Dimitrov was to point out that fascism is the
resort of capitalism when it is no longer able to rule in the old way thru
bourgois democracy. The capitalists are finding it harder and harder to rule.

Take heart - "the American working class is slow to move, but when they do
they move with 8 league boots." - F. Engels
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Scott Marshall                             *
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a ton of theory."   -Freddy Engels          **
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