Labour

[Exasperated_Youth]

I've been reading through this forum quite a bit and I'm now fairly confused.
In a communist society, would you work a certain amount of hours in order to get a certain amount of food/clothing etc? This seems to be almost exactly the same as wage labour, without the intermediary stage of payment.
So would you just be given everything you need? Or would you need to exchange "hours" (essentially making them a currency) for goods? Also, luxuries seem to be a point of contention. Would they be given out freely or would hours need to be exchanged?
Also, people say that labour time and materials would be allocated to various goods and services through a democratic process. For example, people would decide they want to make lots of apple juice and some orange juice, so that is what is made. Wouldn't this be unfair for those that want cranberry juice but can't make it?

Edit: This links to the first one but what if lots of people want something, but the democratic process turns out so that less than that amount is produced? For example, 1000 people want a fridge, but the vote turns out so that they only produce 900. Generally I've had people say that they would make 1000 fridges, but what if the materials/labour time required to make the extra 100 fridges was allocated to the production of toasters instead (by a vote). Or does communism always assume there is enough labour time and sufficient materials? That sounds scornful but I'm genuinely curious.

[Adil3tr]

Society would live Post scarcity. Basically, instead of supply and demand, Se would build 1.5x max demand, so everyone can have whatever they want because there's more than enough for everyone. After we become more developed and advanced, we can shorten the working day without giving anything up. Democratic planning would be democratic planning, whether by town, city, county, or state, we would figure out what needs to be made and who will make what.

The point of post scarcity is that capitalism is the last stage of development before socialism, and we have almost enough capacity to make enough for everyone. With a little expansion, everything can be free. I mean, in the beginning we might hold off a little to help out our comrades in the third world, but that would be it.

[Exasperated_Youth]

Society would live Post scarcity. Basically, instead of supply and demand, Se would build 1.5x max demand, so everyone can have whatever they want because there's more than enough for everyone. After we become more developed and advanced, we can shorten the working day without giving anything up. Democratic planning would be democratic planning, whether by town, city, county, or state, we would figure out what needs to be made and who will make what.

The point of post scarcity is that capitalism is the last stage of development before socialism, and we have almost enough capacity to make enough for everyone. With a little expansion, everything can be free. I mean, in the beginning we might hold off a little to help out our comrades in the third world, but that would be it.

1. Isn't that incredibly wasteful?
2. You didn't really answer my question though. You just stated it as truth. How would we ensure that minorities aren't hard done by?

[Adil3tr]

Not necessarily because we could save our extra and make a little less the next time. PLUS have you seen the waste under capitalism?

Explain 2... Well, we would make everything, its not that absolute or centralized, if a few people want cranberry juice, i don;t see why we couldn't make it.

[ContrarianLemming]

In a communist society, would you work a certain amount of hours in order to get a certain amount of food/clothing etc? This seems to be almost exactly the same as wage labour, without the intermediary stage of payment.see THIS (http://www.revleft.com/vb/note-labour-vouchers-t138937/index.html) thread.

please phrase your questions as numbered, its quite difficult to shift through paragraphs searching for whats a question and what isn't, it's difficult to answer and difficult to debate.
It's just confusing to look at :(

[Exasperated_Youth]

Not necessarily because we could save our extra and make a little less the next time. PLUS have you seen the waste under capitalism?

Yes, I have. But under capitalism we are restricted by costs. If we didn't have financial restrictions, we could replace what we have every time something better came out. Every time something was made a little more efficient or you found a more aesthetically pleasing model, you could swap.

1. What would you do with the old one? Some people definitely would, so don't just say that they wouldn't without a proper explanation please. Thanks :)

[Exasperated_Youth]

see thread.

please phrase your questions as numbered, its quite difficult to shift through paragraphs searching for whats a question and what isn't, it's difficult to answer and difficult to debate.
It's just confusing to look at :(

Sorry, will do.

[Adil3tr]

Yes, I have. But under capitalism we are restricted by costs. If we didn't have financial restrictions, we could replace what we have every time something better came out. Every time something was made a little more efficient or you found a more aesthetically pleasing model, you could swap.

That's actually completely wrong, cost doesn't hold back waste at all. We manufacture extra wants and needs. You already waste your hard earned money, electricity, and the world's resources all the time.

Bottled Water,
Completely new computers,
new cars,
new cell phones,
plastic wrap,
printed publications,
inefficient batteries,
New tvs-VHS-DVD-HDDVD-Blueray HD-3D TV-Smell O vision
things you could easily share like internet connections, etc

as for getting new things, you could just take something to an IT office and get it upgraded. Since when do we not already replace everything we buy?



1. What would you do with the old one? Some people definitely would, so don't just say that they wouldn't without a proper explanation please. Thanks :)

It would be recycled? I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say "old one." If you mean the old device they are replacing, then things would be released in waves. Every five years we would redesign the old thing with all the new technology, hopefully we could just bring in the old ones and add the new features. If we can't, we could recycle the old ones to make the new ones.

[Adil3tr]

PS. Don't bring up food. We turn millions of bushels of corn into fuel, or into corn syrup and chemicals that kill us. Not to mention all the food on the shelves that is wasted. At least under socialism it could be composted. A post scarcity society needs to be sustainable.

[Exasperated_Youth]

@Adil3tr: Thanks. I never thought of that, and I guess that's why I'm here, lol. But really, thanks :)