From: MD575151-AT-aol.com
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 18:37:07 -0500
Subject: Re: The collapse of capitalism?


In a message dated 96-02-12 10:26:30 EST, you write:

>At 08:27 PM 2/11/96 -0500, you wrote:
>>In a message dated 96-02-11 08:28:36 EST, Jerry writes:
>>
>>> Hasn't capitalism proven to be rather 
>>>resilient in practice? If we believe that the collapse of capitalism is 
>>>inevitable, shouldn't we just wait for the inevitable to happen?
>>>
>>>Jerry 
>>>
>>>
>>
>>It is not inevitable by any means, it's just very likely that workers won't
>>put up with it.
>
>Really.  But haven't we seen over the past few decades that even as real 
>wages have stagnated, for example, the standard of living has actually 
>increased for most workers.  For example, while real wages in the U.S. have 
>been on a slight decline, measures of standard of living such as home 
>ownership, etc. have steadily increased.  
>
>If anything it seems that capitalism is demonstrating that if left free of 
>government intervention it will provide an ever increasing standard of 
>living to the masses.
>
>

  There are workers outside of the US.  If we are to view the world at large
you can see that it is very evident that capitalism is living hell for the
workers (I am not implying that I beleive in hell!).  Sure the workers of the
US and a few other ruling class states have acheived a decent standard of
living (although, as workers, they only see a fraction of the wealth.) and
are generaly happy where they are.  These people make up the minority of the
working class.  The peasants and homeless at home and especially in the third
world would not agree that "the standard of living has increased for most
workers."  The key here is to abandon our nationalist bias and look at the
worl as a whole.  The US worker's standard of living has increased is at the
expense of workers in suborninate countries.  Besides, if you are to look at
the proportion of corperate profits to working class wage increases you will
obviously find a huge difference between the two.

As for Laisse-Faire capitalism, I would like to comment on that at a later
date.  I find the idea fascinating.  However I think that Karl Marx has
provided a well supported arguement against idea of free markets. (real free
markets)

tald to you all later, 
--Mike Dean  


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