I just posted "More re the "hair shirt" that fits into this thread as
well.
Gene Coyle
On Jul 30, 2006, at 10:49 AM, Jim Devine wrote:
Carrol Cox wrote:
> Steinem here seems to assume that "obsessive growth" is a
function of
> the intentions of individuals or groups of individuals. But, is
it or is
> it not true that capitalism & growth (in fact, 'obsessive'
growth) are
> inseparable? Can there be controlled growth under capitalism?
Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
Fiscal and monetary policies aren't completely powerless. We have to
admit that, after the Great Depression, such policies have managed to
steer growth in the West at least for the benefit of the Western
ruling classes without any uncontrollable breakdowns.
US active policy has not been very successful. It's mostly a matter of
the "automatic stabilizers" resulting from the relatively progressive
tax and transfer system, along with the balance wheel that a
relatively constant government budget (especially the military part)
creates. Monetary policy is a very rough tool for stabilizing the
system, as indicated by the gyrations that interest rates go through
to "stabilize" the economy.
Of course, fiscal & monetary policy "aren't completely powerless," but
a lot of the expansion of capitalism has been on the international
plane -- or on the micro level, the development of new products and
ways to produce the, the disruption of old ways of life and the
infiltration and replacement of pre-existing cultural forms with
advertising, etc.
--
Jim Devine / "These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in
concert, to fleece the people." -- Abraham Lincoln
