Posted by Editors on April 20, 2008 at 09:30:51:
Anyone who claims that socialism has never worked anywhere IS absolutely CORRECT, but only because socialism has NEVER been implemented and/or practiced anytime or any place in our human history.
To claim that socialism HAS, in fact, been used in societies such as the USSR, or is the system used in China (Because China is still referred to as a "Communist" society) or Sweden's "Welfare" system is "socialism," reveals a common ignorance (no pejorative intended) which has been planted and encouraged by the corporate media and all other educational institutions which have an abiding interest in maintaining capitalism as our economic system.
A brief explanation is in order. DEMOCRACY IS THE KEYSTONE OF A GENUINE SOCIALIST SYSTEM…both in our civic affairs as well as in our economic interactions. In addition, the mechanics of a democracy, which are embedded in genuine socialism..., have no parallels in a system of capitalism.
For example: We all can recognize THE BASIC MECHANISMS OF CAPITALISM because we live with it each day of our lives.
1.PRIVATE OWNERSHIP of our industrial and service corporations..., our society's tools of social production.
2.COMMODITY PRODUCTION: Goods and services produced primarily for sale in a competitive market with private profits being the primary goal.
3. Use of the SYSTEM OF WAGES to buy necessary labor power to run our needed industries.
4.A POLITICAL STATE form of GOVERNMENT in which territorial designations are the construct of a Federal System subject to a central authority .
5.Private money capital is necessary to jump start social production .
6.Corporate government , subject to the vagaries of the competitive market, dictates production and distribution.
7.We, THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE PRIVATELY OWNED INDUSTRIES HAVE NO VOICE in determining the conditions under which they work. They are subject completely to the corporate authority which is exercised by the corporate managers.
For those who have been led to believing the erstwhile USSR was a “socialist” system…ANY ECONOMIST will acknowledge that THE SOVIET SYSTEM EMPLOYED COMMODITY PRODUCTION, WAGES SYSTEM AND A POLITICAL STATE…., THE SAME AS ANY SYSTEM OF CAPITALISM. THE USSR WAS NEVER A SOCIALIST SOCIETY…, yet its dictatorial political system has been presented to us as a society of SOCIALISM, which is the big LIE we have been exposed to for years.
SOCIALISM HAS YET TO BE IMPLEMENTED ANYWHERE.
Today’s U.S. industrial technology has all the necessary instruments for its implementation. Our American democratic values support it.
The BASIC mechanics of SOCIALISM are:
1.SOCIAL OWNERSHIP of society’s necessary industries and services.
2 Commodity production is replaced with PRODUCTION FOR SOCIAL NEEDS and wants, NOT FOR PROFITS.
3.The WAGES payment system is REPLACED with an EQUITABLE voucher system in which all VALUES PRODUCED ARE FULLY RETURNED TO THE PRODUCER DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY…, with NO production values being set aside for PRIVATE PROFIT GAINS.
4.WORK PLACE DEMOCRACY, in which PEOPLE in their industrial and service work places, and in their civic arrangements (communities) HAVE A DIRECT VOICE AND VOTE IN ALL MATTERS THAT AFFECT THEIR LIVES.
5. POLITICAL GOVERNMENT IS REPLACED by an elected Society Coordinating Congress, whose constituents are the people who work in socially necessary industries, and from their communities. THE WORK PLACE AND THE COMMUNITY FORM THE BASIC UNITS OF THE GOVERNMENT. All primary policy decisions emanate from the industrial and service work places…, and from the communities.
5. The Industrial and Community Congress is composed of REPS ELECTED FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE LOCAL WORKPLACES to coordinate the industrial activities of all the regions involved in the same service or industry.
6. The Industrial and Community Congress unifies the resources of all national production to meet society’s requirements as formulated on the local community levels.
7. PRIORITIES AND POLICIES AGREED UPON BY THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES ARE CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED TO EACH REP ON EACH LEVEL OF INDUSTRIAL AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION.
8. INSTANT RECALL of SCC members who do not perform according to the agreed upon policies and priorities established by the local industrial and community constituents insures community and workplace decisions and decisions are enacted accordingly.
GENUINE SOCIALISM, as contrasted with consciously distorted and effectively traduced versions which have been peddled to us by the corporate think tanks such as the Hoover Institute and the Heritage Foundation, and other similarly financed corporate mind-setters, REPRESENTS A NEW, REFRESHING , DIFFERENT CONCEPT OF SOCIAL INTERACTION AND RESPONSIBLE INDUSTRIAL AND SOCIAL SELF GOVERNMENT.
For the first time in human history, WE WILL HAVE THE POWER TO DETERMINE OUR OWN SOCIETAL AND INDIVIDUAL WELL BEING, rather than have it determined for ourselves by DISCONNECTED POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVES AND CORPORATE GOVERNMENTS.
IN A GENUINE SOCIALIST SOCIETY, WE CAN SENSIBLY ADDRESS PROBLEMS and set priorities to clean up the airs and waters, produce clean and healthful foods, manufacture safe, durable housing and transportation, and other important, vital products and services such as health care and retirement facilities without the disconnected profit market standing in our way.
A genuine socialist society will enable us to use the technology we , and our working class forefathers have created TO MINIMIZE THE WORK WEEK TO A FEW DAYS, AND THE WORK DAY TO A FEW HOURS , and enable us to have flexible career changes.
SOUNDS INCREDIBLE? NO! Not if we really think about it! We have ALL the conditions TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!
WE HAVE the working class people numbers…. We are the electoral MAJORITY!
We have the U.S. CONSTITUTION which GIVES US THE LEGAL RIGHT to change the system to one for our best interests. The only thing preventing it is our own lack of knowledge and initiative to make it happen.
OVERCOMING THE daily corporate and political government MISREPRESENTATIONS OF GENUINE SOCIALIST SOCIETY is OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM.
Today, We have all the industrial and service tools for our immediate use . Despite capitalism’s limitations which have prevented us from using our technology to build a peaceful and prosperous society of democracy and societal well being, We, have built a modern industrial network capable of producing an abundance of products and services that can eliminate most of our present social ills in an amazingly short time.
With the deadly, WAR BREEDING AND POVERTY PRODUCING PROFIT MOTIVE REMOVED from for our social production, We have here in America, an ENORMOUS POTENTIAL for PEACEFUL, COOPERATIVE INTERACTION with OUR GLOBAL NEIGHBORS…
We would be failing today’s and future generations if we allowed ourselves to be deterred by the possibilities of a genuine society of socialism being implemented because it appears as too “idealistic,”
which is precisely the aim of the corporate propagandists who do all they can to KEEP US BELIEVING THAT CAPITALISM IS THE ONLY WAY FOR A SOCIETY TO FUNCTION.
We are not living in a time warp . . Conditions are rapidly changing, domestically, internationally, and NOT for the better. Global market competition has been responsible for our World Wars, and the same competitive profit market antagonisms are building today, as we hear more and more about the “China” threat.
We would be remiss were we not to recognize ourselves as very distinct and gifted inhabitants of this earth, in that WE have an embedded optimism of for our humanity which has enabled us to survive the worst moments of our existence on earth , mostly because there has always been a small group of individuals who have introduced new ways to avoid catastrophic systemic disasters…
Today, WE HAVE THE IDEAS AND INSTRUMENTS t which can save whatever we value as a people… At our peril we have been dissuaded from pursuing “ideals” whose realizations are possible and necessary.
Albert Einstein, no small thinker, often pointed out that SOCIALISM WAS THE ONLY WAY WE WILL EVER RESOLVE OUR PERENNIAL SOCIETAL PROBLEMS. He also said:
“WE CANNOT HOPE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS WE FACE TODAY WITH THE SAME LEVEL OF THINKING THAT CREATED THEM.
“THE MIND IS LIKE A PARACHUTE. IT WORKS BEST WHEN IT IS OPEN.”