John Vertegaal wrote: > FWIW, it looks like we both agree that central planning is a dead end and > that social democracy is the way to go.
I didn't advocate any kind of social democracy. Social democracy would involve a system of more rational management of capitalism due to pressure from labor unions and other popular forces. It's better than what we have now, but I didn't advocate it in my e-mail. Instituting a not-for-profit economy would be a revolutionary change. Of course, it is utopian at this point. > "From each according to ability, to > each according to deeds", I also concur with. Charlie Andrews' system (if it works) tends toward "from each according to ability, to each according to needs." It sees the "deeds" criterion as transitional. > But because we cannot sidestep > natural elasticities between costed inputs and demand for output, and deeds > become valued through the demand for one's output, I hold that a for-profit > economy is by far the most effective way to deal with this situation; as > long as it leads to an after the fact (of supply) remuneration in the form > of profit sharing. This necessitates cost+ pricing, rather than a command > system, at least for a substantial portion of an economy. A "tendency to > gradually move toward a non-market communism" would be absent. But why would > that matter in an environment where social needs are adequately taken care > of? This is gobbledygook, full of sound and fury but saying almost nothing. Capitalist profit-seeking destroys people and the natural environment. It's "effective" (efficient?) only at promoting the individual profits of those who already own a lot of wealth. We already have a "command" system: if it's not profitable for a powerful economic interest, it does not happen. Those with money rule. -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
