" ... if you want to point out that there's exploitation going on. you don't need the LTV to do this"
I'm not entirely sure why one would merely want to point out that exploitation is going on in capitalist society. In theory, it seems to me that this is a static approach to reality. In practice, most people who work would say--Fine. Exploit me. But I'll settle for a steady job with good pay. What Marx attempts to show is that in the process of creating new value, already existing value in the form of fixed capital is destroyed. It is this destruction of value that makes increasing the degree of exploration a capitalist imperative. If a capitalist can make a 20% return using a new machine, then those with older machines making, say 15%, can only minimize the amount they must write-off by exploiting their workers more efficiently. At the same time, the 20% fellows can't rest easy as their machines may face the same fate in the not so distant future. Thus, workers are never offered that steady job with good pay.
