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Caleb T. Maupin
V.I. Lenin
Karl Marx
Speaking at the founding convention of the First International
Che Lives!
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5 comments:
Intriguing and good facts. The problem I see conceptually is the one of if "we the people" take control of the banks not all of us will have ownership in it. Some will have control of the banks others a larger stake in the factories so on and so forth, how do you account for the natural disparity in power?
Great speech, Caleb. Excellent facts on socialist achievements and I really like your Frederick Douglas quote as well: "Power concedes nothing without a struggle."
That's a lesson that workers in the western world are going to have to learn... pronto as this crisis deepens. Petitions to MPs/Senators and polite demonstrations are not going to be enough to stop war, unemployment and poverty.
Btw, in response to the first person who commented, just wanted to say that when we seize control of the banks, factories etc, we do so *as a society*, not as small groups of individuals, and exercise control over the *whole economy* collectively, so the 'disparity in power' you're talking about doesn't arise.
Actually, the main disparity after the revolution will still be between the old privileged ruling and upper-middle classes and the rest, since they have habits of power, extensive networks and excellent education. These are things that the workers will have to catch up with during the struggle and after gaining power, since the overthrown class will be doing everything in its power to get back to the 'good old days' when they were free to exploit and plunder at will.
Anyway, regarding your point about how we take things over. The idea is not to run capitalism differently but to replace it with a planned economy that is based on assessing the needs of the people via their various local and district committees and then collectively deciding what will get produced and what jobs people will do on that basis.
Everyone has work, because there's lots to do making life better. Everyone has education, food, shelter, clothing and medical care because making sure those things are provided universally is the first and main aim of a socialist society. Access to culture, free provision of good quality child care, lifelong educational opportunities, an end to warmongering and economic crisis, a flowering of science and the arts in the service of the people, an end to divisive lines between people of different nationalities, colours, sexes etc - all these are the result of socialist construction.
Not to mention the small fact that only a socialist planned economy, which puts production and science at the service of the people, can hope to find and implement a solution to the environmental crisis that imperialism has brought about and is daily making worse.
Btw, in response to the first person who commented, just wanted to say that when we seize control of the banks, factories etc, we do so *as a society*, not as small groups of individuals, and exercise control over the *whole economy* collectively, so the 'disparity in power' you're talking about doesn't arise.
Actually, the main disparity after the revolution will still be between
the old privileged ruling and upper-middle classes and the rest, since they have habits of power, extensive networks and excellent education. These are things that the workers will have to catch up with during the struggle and after gaining power, since the overthrown class will be doing everything in its power to get back to the 'good old days' when they were free to exploit and plunder at will.
Anyway, regarding your point about how we take things over. The idea is not to run capitalism differently but to replace it with a planned economy that is based on assessing the needs of the people via their various local and district committees and then collectively deciding what will get produced and what jobs people will do on that basis ...
... In a socialist society, everyone has work, because there's lots to do making life better. Everyone has education, food, shelter, clothing and medical care because making sure those things are provided universally is the first and main aim of a socialist society. Access to culture, free provision of good quality child care, lifelong educational opportunities, an end to warmongering and economic crisis, a flowering of science and the arts in the service of the people, an end to divisive lines between people of different nationalities, colours, sexes etc - all these are the result of socialist construction.
Not to mention the small fact that only a socialist planned economy, which puts production and science at the service of the people, can hope to find and implement a solution to the environmental crisis that imperialism has brought about and is daily making worse.
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