now capitalism i always thought is universal it is the general condition under which all else is subsumed. as a general condition that is one that includes at its tail end 50 least developed countries that are a tragedy of sort it has problems of a severe nature that in view of the wealth it generates could be solved with minimal cost in money but in tremendous cost in kind meaning it has to be subjected to another form of organization and distribution that many will not agree too. ever since these problems were discovered in rich and poor countries or in both as my universal condition posits there were two positions on the left: one says let us intervene at the opportune moment and the other says let us hurry this opportune moment. kautsky was in the first and Lenin says "waiting is a crime"
----- Original Message ---- From: "Perelman, Michael" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: PEN-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU Sent: Wednesday, February 7, 2007 7:07:54 PM Subject: Re: PEN-L should be announcing capitalism's shortcomings more than the Sun-Times Doug wrote: Ok, suppose this is true. Then what? How do "progressive economists" turn this to their advantage? What's the political import of all this Godot-ish waiting? Doug asked how we could use information about the weakening economy. I was working for a big company for a while during the Vietnam War. At first, my antiwar discussions fell on deaf ears. Once the war seemed to be a factor in dropping the value of the company's stock, people suddenly wanted to hear what I had to say. I think that as the economy weakens, an opportunity opens to have a political effect. Understanding the nature of the problem, and even better being able to explain it as it unfolds, enhances that opportunity. Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901 michaelperelman.wordpress.com ____________________________________________________________________________________ TV dinner still cooling? Check out "Tonight's Picks" on Yahoo! TV. http://tv.yahoo.com/
