Their system is getting worse.

Lenin said that marxism was the science of perspectives. What did he mean by this? By perspectives he meant an understanding of the developments in the world around us. And he was talking about the objective world, the objective processes, that is the world and the processes which are independent of our will until we become a mass revolutionary force. 

Here in the US as socialists we have been trying to win more support for our ideas over the past years when capitalism has been able to deliver the goods for most working class people. Yes they have had to work very hard, but nevertheless they have in the main been able to get by. So when we suggested that they change their way of looking at things and get involved in studying history and politics and economics and how to fight capitalism and in fighting for socialism the overwhelming numbers of workers looked at the alternatives. One was getting by as they were at the moment even with having to work harder. The other was continuing to work hard but alsoget involved in socialist politics and organizing and take the risks that this involved. Mccarthyism is still remembered in this country, so is the repression and killing by the state of the leaders of the black revolt and other movements such as AIM which challenged US capitalism. 

Then there is the other factor. The union movement is twelve million strong and could lead and organize the working class and challenge the system. But rather than do this the union leaders hold the movement paralyzed. They do not believe there is an alternative to capitalism. They themselves are doing well out of capitalism. They show no way forward to the organized working class. The union leaders play the role of betrayers. But not only do the union leaders do this in the general struggle with the employers, but they also consciously and viciously repress and drive out union activists and socialists from their ranks. This puts the working class off fighting. 

The result has been that very few workers have been prepared to be involved in struggle. But to go back to perspectives. And also that basing ourselves on perspectives we can see that things are going to change. For the past almost seven decades US capitalism ruled the world, looted the world and its economy with only the occasional bump delivered the goods. So for us socialists it has been very hard. Capitalism was delivering the goods. Then almost two decades ago Stalinism collapsed and the capitalists were able to claim this was socialism and this got us a bad name. However what we have to see is that things have changed dramatically in our favour in the past two months. 

The US and world capitalist financial system is in in a state of collapse. Following fast on its heels is coming the economic collapse. Look at what top spokespeople of capitalism are saying. Former Goldman Sachs Chairman John Whitehead says the coming economic crisis could be "worse than the great depression." Merrill Lynch CEO said Tuesday the slump would be more like the 1929 period than the dislocations of 1987, 1998 or 2001." These are the mouthpieces of capitalism speaking, not some left wing anti-capitalist. 

The perspective ahead is going to be very different from the perspective of the past.  Capitalism is going to take the bread out of the mouths of the US workers, the roof away from their heads, and the health care and education away from themselves and their children. It is a system in extreme crisis and which will seek to solve this crisis on the backs of the working class. 

This is an objective process. It is also the perspective that is now agreed upon by the capitalist class. For years they believed their boom would go on for ever. But now they see the game is up and their system is crashing. And they will try and make the working class pay. But there has already been a major shift in consciousness in the working class. They see the system does not work and they blame Wall Street and Washington in the main. this is a major step forward. The working class while not yet lining up to get involved in the struggle to change society is beginning to see that the old way will soon not work anymore and we will have to get involved in struggle. This is a huge step forward. 

When the working class was able to get by it was very hard to convince them they had to take action. But what is unfolding now is that capitalism is moving to convince the working class that they can no longer get by through keeping their head down and working harder. they are  going to have to take action and organize. Capitalism is moving to convince the working class through its attacks on the workers living standards. As Marx said sometimes the revolution needs the whip of the counter revolution. 

We take no pleasure in the fact that the workers living standards will come under even greater attack before they conclude they have to take action. If the union leaders would organize the resources they control and give leadership the working class would have been in offensive fighting action long before this and have been able to hold onto all its gains and beat off all attacks.

The perspective is clear. the crisis of capitalism will seek to impoverish the working class. This in turn will force the working class to realize they cannot act as they have been doing. They have to fight. And from this a new movement of the US working class will be born. This is where socialist like Labors Militant Voice and Facts For Working People come in. We intend to help this movement be built and develop, but we also intend to be part of it. And as such we will explain our socialist alternative, our direct action methods of struggle, our criticism of the role of the leaders and their refusal to challenge capitalism and offer an alternative and we will fight for the world socialist alternative.