Greetings Economists, Ellen F writes, Really? Is that what "leftist"means? I'm not sure I would support such a platform, not given the realities of political corruption in the US and the experience of large-scale state ownership in Russia. How exactly would you sell this vision to the American public?
addressed to JKS remarks, Well, some, maybe, but virtually all? I mean Do you think he'd support nationalizing all corporations above a certain low level, treating the mines and the factories and fields and offices as belonging to the government and to be controlled by the workers and farmers? Which in some sense is what most of us here, including me, would advocate. jks Doyle Nationalization of health care would be cheaper than what we have. That is supportable by most people if we had sufficient access to the media. Selling the idea of nationalization more broadly is more than going on television to sell concepts. In my view a key area to nationalize would be the software and pc industries in such a way that a utility regulated by law would provide stable tools for people who use computers in their daily lives. Most software is not driven for example by incorporation of disabled peoples needs. If that were met, then the 70% unemployment rate amongst disabled people would be greatly reduced. Most disabled people understand that and would support their getting such accommodation because to some degree most disabled people already depend upon such government support through rehab, workers comp, and social security. Approximately 15 to 17% of the population is disabled, and a workers movement around full employment and decent wages would have to incorporate disabled people as a matter of course. Computational control of social structures would follow from meeting the marginalized needs of disabled people through nationalization of computed communications. Work regulated by computational communications structures require globalized standards and best practices (see the W3C for the business standards efforts). The costs advantages of implementing such a global system flows out of economies of scale. In particular social organization of people irrespective of distance advances the needs of homosexuals like myself as the well documented global gay rights movement shows. Where our marginalization reflected in low numbers of visible homosexuals make it hard for us to develop a social character outside of the capitalist mode of social structure, nationalization of communications structures would immediately create a renaissance of social formation in the marginalized peoples of the world. Many gays and disabled people would willingly fight for this vision. thanks, Doyle Saylor
