Actually think that assumption is unwarranted, that consumption by workers is never, ok, ok, I exaggerate, almost never the issue for capitalism.
Don't forget, capitalism is built upon the fact, the social relation, that the workers do not, cannot, may not, will not, consume all that is produced, all they produce. The question is the question of the reproduction of capital, and that depends on rate, in terms of speed and size, of return in capitalist production as a whole. -----Original Message----- >From: Charles Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Jun 4, 2007 1:45 PM >To: [email protected] >Subject: [PEN-L] What is Marx's view of fiscal policy ? > >GK: the situation in Germany: >As the leftist critique keeps pointing out, over the last two decades >profits in Germany have increased significantly, while real wages have been >near stagnant. Productivity increases have not been passed on to the >workers. > >How have profits been realized? (a) in manufacturing, through vigorous >exports (cars, machinery, biotechnology, etc.) (there is a frequent >reference in the media to Germany as an export world champion) and layoffs. >(b) in services, (1) through selling of cheap imports from Asia and Eastern >Europe (a German equivalent to Wal-Mart is the Aldi chain and other similar >ones), aided by a strong Euro; (2) through employing cheap labour from >Eastern Europe (e.g., in construction, transport) and growth of the low-wage >sector (there I no legal minimum wage) and precarious employment. > >^^^^^^^ > >CB: I just wonder, the more layoffs and the less paid in wages, the less >money the workers have to buy the commodities that realize the profits for >the companies. How do lower wages avoid this problem for realization ? >Doesn't it get papered over with funny finanical money to a large extent ? > >I assume that the mass cosumers of commodities that are the means of >personal consumption are the wage-laborers. To realize the profits, most >must be bought by wage-laborers.
