Economic and Political Reorganization

As Socialism/Communism and Capitalism are terms that address the the way that economies are organized, I believe that too much emphasis is placed on political organization and not anywhere near enough on economic reorganization.

As an anarcho-syndacalist of sorts, I believe, in theory, that we should focus primarily on economic restructuring and let the political organization evolve concomitantly on an ad hoc basis. The basic problem related to the necessary reallocation of resources for acheiving socialism is that Capitalists hold a oligopolistic virtual monopoly with respect to the ownership of assets, and are not very likely to do an about face and decide to share ownership with workers, the indigent, and the oppressed.

Whereas, current Capitalist dominated States stand as major obstacles to forming a socialist economy in that the States have Capitalist supporting financial resources whose representative democracies and executive administrations are bought by Capitalist interests. States control military resources (or does the Military/Police/Prison/Security Industrial Complexes control the States?). Capitalists control the press, the media, educational institutions both private and "public" both directly and through the effectiveness of their generations of propaganda. The only positive development relative to the past is that States have very little prestige left, though "socially liberal" Capitalists and, in America the Democratic Capitalist Statists work diligently to recapture that prestige at least with a ruling plurality.

So, socialist economic reform, restructuring, will not occur without a concomitant change in the political composition of the states. It has been pointed out that the objective of Socialists (I guess of the anarcho-syndicalist sort) is to gain control of the States "in order to dismantle them". I would modify this statement to read "in order to minimize them". I believe that States can play a minimal role of government to help foster and facilitate the evolution to a socialist economy, BUT in the meantime we need to have a well developed plan as to how that economic democracy is going to evolve. We need guiding values, principles, a mission, a methodology for formulating, inculcating, and assuring policy. We need strategies and tactics for implementing the planned economy of a local/inter-community/inter-regional/worldwide organized economic democracy. We need to change the way in which resources are allocated to and within communities and we need to change the way that resources are allocated among and within economic sectors.

But if that seems impossible, think about the concomitant need to change the leviathan corrupt Capitalist states, through the "democratic" political process.

As a lover of life, and a believer that modus operandi persists, I do not advocate violent revolution. Besides, even if worldwide violent revolution could work politically, it would not change the economic system, at least in a manner that would be consistent with a smoothly functioning economic democracy. It would be economic anarchy also.

Mass strikes are not likely at this time in the United States. Safety net programs, desperate stimulus programs and their accompanying promises of recovery, and deeply ingrained propagandized and misinformationed mentalities all are working sufficiently to provide a situation for which there is not even a spark of such.

In the longer run, education about economic democracy and its potential for a better life and the role of the States in inhibiting such progress is the first order of business. Maybe somewhere down the road, mass strikes, and bloodless coups (or a peaceful cooperative transition) of both the means of allocation, production, and distribution and the obstructionist states could occur.

Keep hope alive!


Mike Morin