On Tue, 9 Sep 1997, Thad Williamson wrote:
> In his last book "The Future of Capitalism" Thurow is deeply pessimistic and
> has a chapter comparing the present to the Dark Ages--total breakdown of
> public goods.
I wonder if that makes lists such as this one the effective equivalent of
the monasteries then, or would that be those raggedyass cyberpunk 'zines?
> He writes "Internal reform is very difficult in capitalism,
> since it has a set of beliefs that deny the need for conscious institutional
> reforms."
Well, sure, market mechanisms will conquer all woes: extricate the
bottom 20% from the garbage can, lift the middle 30% off the cross of
marginal solvency, enable the rest of us to buy books and also eat rye bread.
Why should anyone's faith waver?
> Ironically, he flat out says capitalism needs a coherent
> competitor on the left in order to be prodded into making the reforms he
> wants.
Ah me, that little word "coherent" contains worlds within worlds of
windswept improbables, unfortunately. He doesn't mean us folks, does he?
If so, I'd say that what capitalism really needs is to feel the press of
a hard, cold gun barrel against its fevered brow.
Anyone up for marching 100,000 students into the Idaho panhandle in April,
and not just as a healthy alternative to spring break in Fort Lauderdale?
It's time for the two wings of populism to properly meet, and end the
era of default dominance by the Buchanan-Limbaugh sound bite empire.
Am I kidding? Never.
valis
Occupied America
"The French people are incapable of regicide."
-- Louis XVI (1789)
