Posted by Lillia Frantin on May 31, 2009 at 11:32:18:
In Reply to: Re: Money as the root of all evil? posted by David Searles on May 30, 2009 at 08:53:51:
David,
Your ideas are interesting and I have a question before we go on. ...Can you explain abit further you're thinking about how 'exchange of time/labor' for governance reps in a new democratic socialist society
would work? Why would it b e connected to 'cash' distinct from the 'time/labor credit card' transzactions for other workers?
Also, I agree (and Wally Petrovich often tried to envision it as well) there might be a
combination, mixed' remuneration system along with the 'industrial/mass production system' based on time/labor for those doing handcrafted things....
to allow more freedom & diversity....and not being 'exploitive' and based on mutual agreement between parties...could work without impinging on the integrity of the other time/labor 'parallel system'.
Lets think it thru, but one thing we considered was
who would 'purchase' these goods IF they were also being produced 'socially' & at a rate that better utilized the TimeLaborCredits (TLC)? What if, instead,
'artisans' produced things (paintings, pottery,poetry,
dance,etc) in their 'own' time....in other words when they were not 'working socially to contribute to society-as-a-whole'....so that whatever one chose to do -raise pumpkins, take walks, play tennis,cook, raise your children, make candles or weave a rug,write a book or read one- would all equally be a personal choice and respected,regarded & treated as wonderful a thing as any other activity.
In other words, if Socialism & Democracy are to actually work, they would have to rest on the underlying assumption that all of our activities --called art, life, games or whatever you prize & cherish- are of equal value, because human. Then our work-life, with rotated jobs, life-long skill training,
variety of work types--intellectual vs. manual, repetitive vs. challengingly changing...ALL necessary social, human contributions (from clerk to surgeon, from housepainter to landscape gardener, from recycling worker (garbage,sewer,water,etc) to journalist.....shared according to social needs but also individual capacity & interest-area....)could truly be included in a 'pure' time-labor remuneration
system.
Was I clear? Complicated when all this is pretty 'new' and certainly without precedence within this contemporary setting.....
Thanks Dave, looking forward to yours...and anyone else's contributions.
Lillia, member, Editorial Committee