Forum Post: Replace Capitalism With Economic Democracy
Posted 10 years ago on Jan. 21, 2014, 11:44 a.m. EST by struggleforfreedom80
(6584)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Capitalism is a system in which the means of production are owned privately. In other words, some people own the economic institutions, while others don't. The owners then pay people -- the workers -- to produce the goods and services that the institutions are in the business of providing. Even though the workers are the ones producing the goods that the institution offers, they don't have any say in how the business is run. The ones who make the decisions are the ones at the top: the owners, the CEOs etc. In other words, the institution has a top-down hierarchy, in which a small group make the decisions, while the rest of the ones involved don't have a say and instead have to take orders.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYW1SdQCM7s
This way of organizing production is very undemocratic.
So why should it be this way? Why should we allow the institutions in society to be run by a non-elected elite? If we believe in democracy, people having a say in the things they're affected by, shouldn't the economy then be democratized?
If democracy is implemented into the workplace, it means that capitalism and the tyrannical hierarchies that go along with it, will be dismantled. Implementing democracy into the workplace means that the means of production are owned collectively by the ones involved in the business.
Capitalism should be dismantled and replaced by democracy -- including workplace democracy; a real participatory democracy.
A large scale society like this won't come over night, it's going to be an ongoing process -- and the work has already begun:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA6jWAYzTIJfb-LPnn8FhTwF8KWCldeGt
Here are some others things that can be done in the struggle for a free and democratic society:
Richard Wolff on Workplace Democracy
Gar Alperovitz on Workplace Democracy
The crux of our problems is capitalism which focuses on the extraction of profit at any cost. We need an economic system that has the objective of serving the people, not profit for the wealthy and corporations. There is nothing in our Constitution that says we must have a capitalistic economic system. In fact, capitalism is obsolete and will eventually peter out on it's own because it no longer works in the global and technological world in which we now find ourselves. Capitalism grew out of the Protestant Reformation and the Industrial Revolution, it is tired and out of date and clearly not working when you look at the income inequality here in the U.S. and around the world. It would be better, however, if we could speed up the end of this heinous system that exploits and harms the many people that live under it. Thanks for all the great links and information on how we can actually do that.
"We need an economic system that has the objective of serving the people, not profit for the wealthy and corporations."
Yep. It's called libertarian socialism :)
"There is nothing in our Constitution that says we must have a capitalistic economic system."
But even if there was, capitalism should still be dismantled -- and the constitution changed. Capitalism is illegitimate.
"it is tired and out of date and clearly not working when you look at the income inequality here in the U.S. and around the world."
Capitalism works, and has always worked -- for the rich. Capitalism is, and has always been an undemocratic destructive and unsustainable system. It should have been strangled at birth.
"Thanks for all the great links and information on how we can actually do that"
glad you liked it:) Please contribute with your own thoughts and ideas in the comment section
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Who cares what is in the constitution. That was then this is now. stop the exploitation!!!
Are you this "Trashy" guy?
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I'll take that as a yes. Bye.
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