David Shemano said:
> The wonders of the internet. Here is Sowell explaining his shift away
from Marxism: http://www.salon.com/books/int/1999/11/10/sowell/index1.html
>
> David Shemano
>
>From that interview:
"So you were a lefty once.
Through the decade of my 20s, I was a Marxist.
What made you turn around?
What began to change my mind was working in the summer of 1960 as an intern
in the federal government, studying minimum-wage laws in Puerto Rico. It was
painfully clear that as they pushed up minimum wage levels, which they did
at that time industry by industry, the employment levels were falling. I was
studying the sugar industry. There were two explanations of what was
happening. One was the conventional economic explanation: that as you pushed
up the minimum-wage level, you were pricing people out of their jobs. The
other one was that there were a series of hurricanes that had come through
Puerto Rico, destroying sugar cane in the field, and therefore employment
was lower. The unions preferred that explanation, and some of the liberals
did, too."
I never thought that by posting that original article ("Low Taxes Do
What?!"), I would stir up a lengthy debate on Sowell! But I've learnt a lot.
Whatever his strengths or weaknesses as an economist, it seems he is under
the impression that there is not much difference between the _political_
viewpoints and objectives of "Marxists", Puerto Rican union officials and
"some of the liberals". Sowell can hardly be blamed for this, considering
that so much of what has passed for "Marxism" --- at least since the late
1960s --- would more accurately be described as varieties of radical
liberalism, labourism, (Bernsteinian) social democracy, etc. This is shown
in his emphasis on the objective of preserving jobs in the sugar
industry --- on objective which is both modest in terms of political change,
and (IMHO) damn nigh impossible in terms of either a local/national
capitalist economy, or an overarching global capitalist economy.
regards,
Grant.
