Regulation is not the solution

[RGacky3]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sH21PTa0h8

I know you guys know this already, but this is something that I've personally experienced as a worker, labor laws are all good and fine, but don't matter when capitalists can avoid them by classification loopholes.

In my opinion the progressives focusing on regulation won't work, the Capitalists will always find a way around it and its not going to work, its a power question, the REASON Capitalists can do this is because they have almost full economic power, the only challenge is from other Capitalists. What needs to happen is a shift of power from the Capitalsits to the workers.

Class war IS happening, this is a question of class war, it should be looked as such, thats why I think syndicalism is the way to go, empower workers to do their own regulation, i.e. give them more power over the Capitalists, be it through unions or whatever, unless the power balance shifts, regulation is'nt gonna help.

[Dean]

Actually, through my discussions here, I've learned that economic power, and power structures in general cant and don't influence other power systems.

But joking aside, you're correct. The most important step would be to liquidate the assets of the finance sector, the productive industries and the state, and redistribute them in accordance within a syndicalist paradigm.

[RGacky3]

You cant do that at once though. You have to put the working class in the position to start to do something like that first.

To do that the first thing that needs to be done is strengthan democratic unions, encourage workplace organizing, stregnthen alternative community banking (local credit unions), and things like that, once they are not held totally captive by to the Capitalist class then they can start to change things seriously.

As was said before by someone who I don't remember who "A worker with debt and a morgage is much less likely to go on strike." We need to have the working class and the poor in a position of strength.

[Dean]

You cant do that at once though. You have to put the working class in the position to start to do something like that first.

To do that the first thing that needs to be done is strengthan democratic unions, encourage workplace organizing, stregnthen alternative community banking (local credit unions), and things like that, once they are not held totally captive by to the Capitalist class then they can start to change things seriously.
Labor unions and thrifts (credit unions and the like) have both been in decline. Does that mean revolution is becoming less likely? I don't think so.

I think it represents a shift - since the 70s and among a lot of other changes - away from socially responsible economic policies. I believe that this has to do with the failure of the USSR, which rhetorically reflected worker's interests domestically, and internationally materially supported workers' organizations when they were at odds with western-backed powers.




As was said before by someone who I don't remember who "A worker with debt and a morgage is much less likely to go on strike." We need to have the working class and the poor in a position of strength.
Perhaps it says something that the housing market is now in such decline. It seems like the financial capitalist system has finally shifted its weight against broad consumerism, in favor of more narrow business models for consumer sales - iPhones instead of houses.

[RGacky3]

Labor unions and thrifts (credit unions and the like) have both been in decline. Does that mean revolution is becoming less likely? I don't think so.

I think it represents a shift - since the 70s and among a lot of other changes - away from socially responsible economic policies. I believe that this has to do with the failure of the USSR, which rhetorically reflected worker's interests domestically, and internationally materially supported workers' organizations when they were at odds with western-backed powers.

I somewhat agree with the second part of that. As far as the decline, thats not supprising. In the 1980s under Reagen, there was a concerted effort to dismantle ANY grassroots opposition to COrporate power, look at the farm workers in California, or the air traffic controllers, Reagen supported corporations in union busting, he made public policy which gave huge competative advantage to banks, and made it harder for credit Unions.

The decline of unions and credit unions and other democratic economic organizations were due to class warfare, now in the early 2000s, unions have been on the rise, for a couple reasons, 1 was the economic boom in the 90s which took the buisiness class' focus slightly off class war, and another one was the rise of non traditional unions.

The USSR did fund leftist organizations, however it was very selective, and demanded loyalty, so in the end I don't think the USSR helped that much.


Perhaps it says something that the housing market is now in such decline. It seems like the financial capitalist system has finally shifted its weight against broad consumerism, in favor of more narrow business models for consumer sales - iPhones instead of houses.

The housing market was'nt a class descion, it was inevitable, now they are making a LOT of money on the crash and continue to make it, but the iPhone thing is not really a base for class power.