Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 17:22:34 -0500 (EST)
From: Justin Schwartz <jschwart-AT-freenet.columbus.oh.us>
Subject: Re: Young Liberal Fascist (XII)


On Sun, 11 Feb 1996, Brian Carnell wrote:

> At 06:01 PM 2/11/96 -0500, you wrote:
> >On Sat, 10 Feb 1996 CKates-AT-aol.com wrote:
> 
> >	Socialism requires some sort of worker democracy, as well as civil
> >liberty. The USSR had neither.
> 
> Please explain how democracy and socialism can coexist??  Since socialism 
> involves planning outcomes to better meet certain needs, explain how this 
> can be done democratically.

How about this: plans are deveoloped by responsible elected officials or
agencies they create. They involve a great deal of popular input at their
formulation. They are then submitted to a populkar vote, either directly
or by responsible elected officials. They are implemented by elected
officials or the agencies these create. Their implementation involves
opoular involvement by citizen groups and workplace councils. 

In short, plans are democratically developed and implemenyted in the way
any policies are. This involves the usual problems with democracy, but I
don't see why planning per se has to involve any special problems for
democracy that any alternative doesn't.

--Justin Schwartz 




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