What do you call systems of exchange of goods produced for profit in precapitalsit
societies? Why give capiatlsits "the market" an more than we would give them
"democracy"? --jks
In a message dated Thu, 20 Jul 2000 1:25:51 PM Eastern Daylight Time, "Charles Brown"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
<< Y'all should get another name other than "market". That term has a very specific
history synonymous with "capitalism". Call it the Marxit instead of the market, or
the "Exchange Network" or something.
CB
>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/16/00 02:55AM >>>
In a message dated 7/16/00 2:09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
OK, here's the Schweickart model in the four promised sentences:
(1) Production of consumer and capital goods is carried out by
worker-self-managed cooperatives in wht all are cooperators, there are no
capitalists or wage labors--all profits are captured by the cooperators.
(2) These compete for business in a fairly free, although regulated market.
(3) The capital assets are owned by the state and rented to the producers,
who pay a sort of capital tax on their use and must maintain their value
(discounted for depreciatuion), although they may sell and buy capital
assets: there is no private productive property.
(4) New investment is planned through a system of state-owned banks according
to criteria of profitability as well as job creation, econological soundness,
and other values, under general priorities democratically determined by the
legislature; there is no primary financial market.
(1), (2), (4) are the socialist bits: no exploitation, no private property,
no market in financial capital, which is planned. (1) and (2) are the market
bits: free cooperative enterprise.
There is more to it--the government provides as well for public goods (roads,
schools, health care) that the market cannot provide or provide well, runs
macroeconomic policy, maintains full employment, and of course regulates the
market, but that's the core of it.
Now, for more details, you really should read some of the places where Dave
has explained this over the last 20-odd years. A short statement is in
Bertell Ollman, ed. Market Socialism: The Debate Among Socialists. The long
statement is in Dave's Against Capitalism (Westview 1996). He has a
medium-length statement in a fiorthcoming book, on which I and others are
commenting at the Radical Philosophy Association in Chicago in the fall,
Beyond Capitalism. Dave exaplins a great length why the model is better than
laissez faire or welfare state capitalism and why it avoids the problems
those generate. He doesn't much talk about why it is better than planning--he
leaves that to me.
--jks
>>
