O.K. but the site from Google was a diversion. I still would prefer that you consider my comment in the context of Kliman's critique rather than as some abstract hypothesis about "transformative reforms." You may recall that in Value, Price and Profit, Marx criticized Weston's notion that it was futile to struggle for higher wages. Marx concluded his exposition with the statement that:
"Trades Unions work well as centers of resistance against the encroachments > of capital.They fail partially from an injudicious use of their power. They > fail generally from limiting themselves to a guerilla war against the > effects of the existing system, instead of simultaneously trying to change > it, instead of using their organized forces as a lever for the final > emancipation of the working class that is to say the ultimate abolition of > the wages system." Thus it wasn't pointless to struggle for higher wages. It just wasn't enough. But what's the "next step"? Marx suggested it should be raising the banner "Abolish the wages system!" Maybe that was tongue in cheek. But if so, a lot of people have taken it at face value and if not it's actually a pretty ineffectual idea for a slogan. The average Marxian theoretician -- let alone the average worker -- doesn't have a clue about what it might mean to abolish the wages system. So what would be the point of writing it on a banner? Irony? Elsewhere, Marx talks about the limitation of the working day as a "preliminary condition" for improvement and emancipation. This makes more sense. It was something that trade unions (and workers outside of trade unions) were actually demanding at the time. And it is something that highlights the subordination of workers to capital rather than the exchange of an "equivalent" (x wages for y labor). I think there needs to be more ambiguity about demands. What I mean is that policies, programs, slogans, demands need to be ambiguous as to whether or not they entail a rejection of the capitalist system. My point is that. for example, in a labor negotiation the employer (private sector, at least) maintains the potential threat of bankruptcy, outsourcing, offshoring etc. Against such a catastrophic (but ambiguous) threat, the threat of a work stoppage is trivial. Without the threat of the workers outright rejecting the system, the balance of coercion is very uneven exclusively in favor of capital. But on the other hand, an overt, unequivocal "threat" that is not acted on ceases to be credible. On Fri, Sep 13, 2013 at 11:23 AM, Carrol Cox <[email protected]> wrote: > I was asking you, not google. The latter was merely a preliminary check. > > I didn't even read very far in the site I quoted from. I knew your meaning > must be different, but the quote was a way of narrowing the question. > > Carrol > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [email protected] [mailto:pen-l- > > [email protected]] On Behalf Of Tom Walker > > Sent: Friday, September 13, 2013 12:58 PM > > To: Progressive Economics > > Subject: Re: [Pen-l] Query re "Transformative Reforms" was Is 'post-work' > a > > social democratic fantasy? > > > > Better to ask me what I mean than ask Google. Maybe the NSA knows what > > I'm thinking but they won't say. Transformative reforms are reforms that > > change -- or potentially change -- the "conversation" or the terrain of > > struggle. > > > > Please don't get hung up on the word choice. The Rose Community > > Foundation is welcome to use the same words to talk about whatever they > > are talking about. What I was commenting on was a critique by Andrew > > Kliman, not an announcement from the aforementioned foundation. Either > > consider my comment in the context it was presented or ignore it. > > > > > > On Fri, Sep 13, 2013 at 10:02 AM, Carrol Cox <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Tom Walker: "This doesn't mean such improvement can go on > > indefinitely, but > > such improvement as can be achieved has the potential of opening > > up other > > possibilities. That's the notion of transformative reforms." > > > > ========= > > > > This concept ("transformative reforms") sounds interesting, but I > > would like > > to see some clarification of its content. I googled the phrase, but > > didn't > > see much that fit the present context. One example is attached > below > > (in > > part). I > > > > Carrol > > > > **** > > Home > Press Releases > > > CLF Announces Forward-Thinking Funding Support from Rose > > Community > > Foundation > > CLF Announces Forward-Thinking Funding Support from Rose > > Community > > Foundation > > Posted at June 25, 2013 | 0 Comment > > > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > June 25, 2013 > > Colorado Legacy Foundation Announces Forward-Thinking Funding > > Support from > > Rose Community Foundation > > > > DENVER, CO - Today the Colorado Legacy Foundation (CLF) > > announced another > > significant investment by Rose Community Foundation to support > > CLF's > > sustainability. The $300,000 two-year grant will build > organizational > > capacity to support communications and development, project > > management and > > collaborative partnerships. > > > > "Rose Community Foundation has been an integral part of the > > success of our > > organization. More importantly, they have seeded transformative > > reforms > > throughout Colorado - reforms that are garnering national > > attention," said > > Dr. Helayne Jones, President and CEO of the Colorado Legacy > > Foundation. "At > > the Colorado Legacy Foundation, we believe that not one initiative, > or > > one > > organization for that matter, can meaningfully and permanently > > deliver on > > the promise of a great education for every student in this state. > And > > this > > investment by Rose Community Foundation is a critical statement of > > support > > for CLF's whole child, whole system, whole community approach to > > engage with > > multiple stakeholders cross the state and at every level of > > education." > > > > Rose Community Foundation was one of the first investors in the > > programmatic > > work of CLF partnering with other organizations including Daniels > > Fund, > > Gates Family Foundation and The Piton Foundation to provide > > support to > > infrastructure needs that have not kept pace with CLF's rapid > growth. > > In > > addition, the CLF's success in drawn national funding has been > > bolstered > > greatly by the widespread support of Colorado's local funding > > community. > > [snip] > > > > http://colegacy.org/2013/06/colorado-legacy-foundation- > > announces-forward-thi > > nking-funding-support-from-rose-community-foundation/ > > <http://colegacy.org/2013/06/colorado-legacy-foundation-announces- > > forward-thi nking-funding-support-from-rose-community-foundation/> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > pen-l mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Cheers, > > > > Tom Walker (Sandwichman) > > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- Cheers, Tom Walker (Sandwichman)
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