The advantage of reading the discussions between the capitalist class in their serious journals has many aspects to it including revealing the true nature of society, its economic and political structure, but also the difference between what they really think and what they say, or write to convince us that their system is driven by individuals who have the interests of the rest of us at heart.
Let's take the question of the state, or what we would call government and all its agencies and departments. The German economist and socialist Karl Marx explained the role of the sate in one short sentence. He wrote that "The executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie."
In other works both Marx and Engels outlined in more details the role of the state and how it arose. But that short sentence is pretty clear; the state is not neutral, it has class content. A slave system has a state apparatus or government the purpose of which is to protect and maintain the system and interests of the slaveowners. The same with a feudal state and a capitalist state.
In yesterday's Wall Street Journal, Jim McNerney who is the CEO of Boeing Corp and the Chairman of the Business Roundtable shares his definition of the role of the state in society:
"America works best when American business and government complement one another: Business plays the vital role in economic expansion and job creation, while government oversees the environment in which business can innovate and compete."
See, McNerney confirms Marx's analysis, he agrees.
McNerney, like many of his class colleagues is concerned about the political crisis in Washington, what we always hear being referred to as gridlock and sometimes a lack of "effective governing". The US is not only in an economic crisis but a political one as well. The economic crisis and the anger and frustration beneath, and increasingly rising to the surface of US societ,y is causing divisions among the ruling class and its body politic.
Throughout McNerney's op ed piece he stresses, as they all do, the issue of jobs."What we face is a jobs crisis" writes McNerney. Workers like us face a jobs crisis among many others but that is not what the chairman of the Business Roundtable faces. What the capitalist class faces is a profit crisis. Not a windfall or short term profit but profitability, a stable, long term period of profitable economic activity.
The Business Roundtable just like the Chamber of Commerce or Wall Street is not confident that such a period is possible under the present conditions and wants its state, its "executive committee" to do something about it. It wants its body politic to quit squabbling, get of their asses and create more favorable conditions for making profit before they throw money in to the economy or invest in production.
The problem is that even without a political party of our own, the working class places tremendous pressure on the ruling class and its political representatives. The theoreticians of capital know history and are aware of the dangers that can arise from a working class forced in to action through the austerity measures and offensive they are waging on us at the moment. They are waiting out the OWS movement hoping that it will soon ebb but made a serious blunder in Oakland Calif attacking Occupy Oakland and seriously wounding an Iraq veteran. However, they are forced by the system to drive our living standards to the levels of China and India and will use increased violence and brutality to do so.
If US capitalism is not successful in driving US workers backward. If the folks in Washington don't enact pro growth reform, which means keeping regulation to a level that doesn't hurt profit taking cutting entitlement programs, public services and any other social benefits like retirement which is "money out" for them, they will fall further behind their global rivals. Driving down wages and eliminating Unions is a necessary factor in all of this, "Failure to govern wisely means losing out in the global competitive struggle." writes the Boeing CEO and governing wisely means creating a stable and profitable environment for the 1%.
So despite being saddled with leaders of our organizations (Unions in the US and Unions and political parties elsewhere) that have the same world view as the capitalist class---the market is god and profit is sacrosanct---the bosses' have to choose their language carefully for fear of arousing the sleeping giant that can consume them, the US working class. Jobs as opposed to profits are the reason they participate in economic activity and using a different example, wages increases are blamed for price increases and for job losses. We always hear that increasing the minimum wage will mean job losses. In other words, it is against our interests to increase the minimum wage as the boss will simply lay us off. That is not the case as raising wages cuts in to profits and if the market doesn't have room for wage increases or layoffs (competition too fierce) the capitalist will eat increased wages in a fall in profits.
I was in my bosses' office one time in my capacity as a Union steward when he had to go out to get something from his secretary. I glanced over at the bookshelf and saw this management "how to" book and it fell it to my backpack. I had a bit of a read of it at home just to see what their thinkers were saying before I snuck it back there but the quote at the beginning said it all:
"If you're going to strive to motivate workers through autonomy and empowerment, it's important to remember that the primary burden is to make sure employees believe what you say.
Don't tell them you want them to be empowered to increase the company's profits. Tel them you want them to be empowered because it's the best way to remain competitive and guarantee everyone their jobs." Carl Robinson, Vice President, Organizational Psychologists
Can't be any plainer than that. That's why Marx is demonized by them; he tears down the curtains.
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