Does American capitalism require that one-fourth of our children under
the age of six be raised in poverty, so that the number (and wealth
holdings) of millionaires can continue, maximally, their phenomenal
growth? It would seem so. If not, why did the real value of AFDC
payments fall by 45% in the same decade that taxes paid by the top 2% of
income receivers were slashed, thus helping _their_ average income to
more than double?
Government at every level continues to break its social contract with the
poor so that military-industrial spending---with the nation in search
of a new enemy---might remain high. Meanwhile, the continuing advance
of high technology renders useless ever larger numbers of skilled
American workers. Robots and computers do ever more of what people
once did. The WSJ reported (3/16/93) that almost a third of the existing
jobs in the private sector are scheduled for elimination. This is called
"restructuring," or "downsizing." It's supposed to make our country "more
productive and more competitive in the global economy." Not counted is
the social turmoil and the massive human tragedy in store for many. Only
anticipated dividends for the few are counted.
In America, it's been a very long time since there's been any shortage of
the basic things we all need. What remains absent, however, is the
means by which these basics might be fairly _distributed_. Millions of
unemployed Americans would jump at the chance to do some of the
work that's necessary to produce these basics, so that they might gain
'entitlement' to their share. But this can't be permitted. Why not?
Because it would then become apparent how few people are required to do
_all_ of the basic work that (now) needs to be done. And, besides, what
downward pressure would remain on wages, to keep profits
high, were this kind of employment allowed?
As productivity and high technology continue to advance, an ever
smaller percent of the workforce produces all of the basics the nation
consumes. The trick is to keep this productivity and technology _out_ of
the hands of the people who most need it.
How quickly the Soviets could have brought this country to its knees if
only they had been able, somehow, to effectively and surreptitiously
invest their entire military budget in a covert program that technologically
enabled our reserve army of unemployed! As millions of poor people
built their own homes, certain onlookers would have cried, "It must be a
Soviet plot!" And they would have been right.
