America: Dumbstruck again

[PCommie]

Well, here we go. I heard it reported on the news this morning that "we"-

Stop. A little discourse. They use the term "we" referring to the government. A little piece of propaganda, subtle, insidious, no doubt thrown in on orders of some bourgeoise tyrant.

To continue-

That "we" own 80% of AIG. This massive leaning tower of Pizza, if it fell, would apparantly be disastrous. You would think it would be easier to control if the government simply nationalized it. After all, buying 51% of a company's shares means you own it. So why don't they do it? The bourgeoise again, no doubt. I would love to pose that question to the government before all the American people and see them worm their way out.

H&S forever,
-PC

[PCommie]

True. What do you think about what some on the right say, let them fail? It would be disastrous but at the same time it seems only fair.

-PC

[piet11111]

"nationalise" then assume debt then fire the people that work for it and do other things to make it profitable and finally sell at a fraction of the worth back to the people that ruined it.

[cyu]

You would think it would be easier to control if the government simply nationalized it. After all, buying 51% of a company's shares means you own it. So why don't they do it? The bourgeoise again, no doubt.


Yep, the government owns the company, but the company owns the politicians.

When you have government-owned corporations in a corporate-owned government, it really isn't much of a transfer of power.

[PCommie]

When you have government-owned corporations in a corporate-owned government, it really isn't much of a transfer of power.

This is true. Again, what about letting them fail? If not, how can the problem be solves (other than a revolution, obviously).

-PC

[cyu]

how can the problem be solves (other than a revolution, obviously).

The point is not to even bother trying to fix the problem and save capitalism when the problem is capitalism itself. You don't put band-aids on a dam that is about to burst.

Abandon capitalism. Protect employees that assume democratic control of their companies. Assume democratic control of the banking and economic system. Then we can talk about the next steps.

[PCommie]

Cyu, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't anti-capitalist. ;)

I'm merely asking, now, until the revolution, what would be the best thing to do?

-PC

[Angry Young Man]

Build revolutionary feeling among more people would be my answer.

And before St. Obama does put a plaster on that bust jugular.

[Vincent P.]

What the government doesn't say is that the people "own" compagnies because they are falling apart. They nationalise problems.

AIG, GM and cie will crash, "people" will lose money and they will put the blame on what they call socialism. Yay.

[Vincent P.]

Cyu, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't anti-capitalist. ;)

I'm merely asking, now, until the revolution, what would be the best thing to do?

-PC

It depends of which socialist trends you're into. Anarcho-communists will say we should go and live in communes, other will say we must organize in parties...

I'm anarcho-communist, but I think we could give government a big blow with christian communism. With 55% of the American people believing that the world is 6,000 years old, it would be easy to convert them to communism by making them study the very litteral passages the bible provide on communism.

[cyu]

until the revolution, what would be the best thing to do


Spread leftist propaganda of course - if Fox spreads right-wing propaganda, we can either try to counter it with our tiny megaphones, or organize more people to occupy Fox affiliates and change what they broadcast. Right now, freedom of the press is only guaranteed to those who own one. That must be changed.

Also, support and encourage workplace occupations, like what happened at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago - but simply occupying the plant and demanding concessions from the "owners" is not enough - employees should be encouraged to occupy them, then establish permanent employee democracy there.

[PCommie]

Somebody give me links to important writings by Marx so I can be well-armed about true communist theory when I have to confront the hillariously (and sadly) brainwashed folks at my school. Once I get prepared, I'll start on a guy who I think is pretty open-minded. If I can get him over, maybe on RevLeft, we can start spreading it to others.

-PC

[Rebel_Serigan]

It still amazes me that people on here aren't goign out and spreading the word. I talk to people everyday, hell I started my own little revelutionary sect. It isn't nearly as hard as many think. Communism is much like religion, you find someonewho is in need of help and you tell them how your system works and how the others fail. the only difference is that Communism is real and religion is a joke. As for why the goverment can't jus nationalize the banks is because immediately those right wing assholes would call everyone with a tinge of blue on thier collars commies and then poof, we have a crisis. We all know what they should do but be thankful they don't, it would be tragic if redneck dicks with shotguns started hunting us down.

[PCommie]

Excuse me, but some of those "redneck dicks" are my friends. It's not their fault, they're victims of propaganda, and hating them is not going to help, so I'll thank you to keep your opinions on "us country folk" to yourself.

-PC

[Glorious Union]

My dad, quite a smart man although wrongly directed, is 'worrying' that America may 'fall' to communism. Let us hope that he is right, as he has been in the past about many things.

[PCommie]

My dad, quite a smart man although wrongly directed, is 'worrying' that America may 'fall' to communism. Let us hope that he is right, as he has been in the past about many things.

Amen. Let's make him right.

-PC

[PCommie]

...like what happened at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago

What happened there? The damned bourgeoise media didn't report it.

-PC

[cyu]

What happened there?

Latin American influence on the Chicago factory occupation

Excerpts from http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/1506/68/

in many respects workers' struggles in Latin America were the biggest inspiration for the Republic occupation. I had read about the land occupations carried out by the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra in an interview with Joao Pedro Stedile in 2002. I was struck by the MST's focus on popular education and leadership development, and especially the way they placed the occupation tactic within the context of the right to unused land enshrined in the Brazilian constitution. The occupation, although technically an illegal tactic, was used to enforce a legal right. This gives workers confidence and places the struggle on a moral plane, allowing for more significant community and political support. We drew on this concept in planning the Republic occupation.

he heard from workers from Inveval, a "recovered" factory in Venezuela. They had inspired a movement of workers occupying and running factories, with the help of the government, that had been abandoned by bosses who had fled the country. Armando returned from that experience politicized and inspired. I visited Venezuela in 2007 and spent time visiting worker-run co-ops. I was struck by the workers' investment in the revolutionary process and their ability to run production without management.

We drew on the Argentine factory occupations to the extent that they show that during an economic crisis, workers movements are afforded a wider array of tactical options. Militant action can win public support during a downturn in ways that would have been impossible before. In fact, the film "The Take" was screened in the factory during the occupation in a makeshift movie theater set up in the locker room.

I think the Republic struggle shows we can win support for bold tactics, especially when we think carefully about how we project the struggle to the public. Time will tell whether the Republic struggle will be viewed as a bell-weather event or a flash in the pan. On the one hand, the occupation led to a huge outpouring of support - from solidarity rallies all across the country to donations of money, food and essential supplies. That this support was on a scale unthinkable only a year ago is proof that this action spoke to the desire of working class people to seek ways to resist to the current economic onslaught. On the other hand, for this event to be a spark others will have to pick up the baton. That means organized labor will have to take some measure of risk, embracing militant tactics when necessary and abandoning its reliance on political maneuvering as the primary means for the advancement of a working class agenda.