When worker co-ops can compete in the marketplace (they often can), I'm all for that....just not forced socialism.
Is that the best you can do? Get off your butt and look into coops like Mondragon and Arizmendi Bakery and 1,000 others.
Hitler liked communism and read Marx. He was highly impatient and wanted to help the poor German population. Can't blame him for that in particular. Then, he needed to reduce healthcare costs, so he started with mentally ill and those with birth defects. Eliminating them was easy. After, they looked at others, blamed Jews for their plight, which may or may not be partially true, since there is always a grain of truth in a good lie. Fired up the population and young folks had meetings and then went out looking for folks they thought were causing their perceived pain, and some real suffering. They decided they had to get them out of there, but no one really wanted them. They decided to start taking them away and murdering them as quickly as they could. The war raged on and they couldn't use bullets anymore. They needed them for war. ;They developed gases, like sarin, to use. They burned as many bodies as possible and buried the rest in huge graves. Rotting, stinking flesh on corpses filled with maggots were piled on carts and wagons, waiting for burial. It was genocide and murder. As it got easier, they looked at others, like Huns. They started murdering them, too. Communism, or socialism also allowed many to starve to death because they were a nuisance. This was eastern Europe, as well. They numbered in the millions. I believe that was under Stalin. Socialism usually goes very badly, in the end. Folks have to be eliminated cause there isn't enough coming in like with capitalism. Though capitalism produces greedy wealthy classes and disparity, they don't try to kill folks like socialism seems to generate. What happened is laws were changed to accommodate the wealthy and make them wealthier. Part of this was due to those in academia who were guiding Congress. Part was due to simple greed. Our republic could fail, if it hasn't already. I think it has.
Why do we do that, guys? Why do we talk about him but not have a conversation with him? Let's talk about this, guys - he brought up a good point.
And so, there is the Scandinavian model, with a mix of capitalism to bring in money and socialism to feed the human cattle. It isn't all that bad, but it is not good.
because smart. also because I lived in a 'from each, to each' styled commune for a few years when I was in my late teens-early twenties
A Rutgers University study found that worker-owned co-ops are 4% more productive, and 14% more profitable, than their traditional top-down counterparts. They compete just fine. And there are enough of them that Rutgers could do that study.
Exactly. There's the fly in the ointment. It can ONLY work when 100% of members keep up their end of the bargain, 100% of the time. The problem is that those currently championing co-op based socialism or communism, are the least able to make such commitments themselves. In fact, most reject with extreme prejudice, conformity and 'conservatism' - both of which are essential to the functioning of a co-operative.
I agree... not as good as it could be. The right seems to be winning more politically right now as the pendulum swings, but it will reverse before long.
And that is a distorted view that is skewed by the fact of it having been "artificially" imposed rather than evolving naturally.
Because they're voluntary. I know a very successful (with better percentages than above) collective which is actually common purse, common property, common housing etc. They are doing incredibly well. But all members are voluntary. Those who decide that they don't want to work are asked to leave.