Bureaucracy

[Robert Peter Burns <rburns@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Louis criticizes Nove for allegedly failing to recognize
that capitalist firms (and government agencies) handle
many complex tasks with the aid of computers.  But is
it not the case that these same firms and agencies
employ millions of people in offices to do essentially
bureaucratic work with or without the aid of computers?

I know there has been a lot of corporate and government
downsizing lately, but is Louis saying that if only we
got rid of capitalism all these tasks could be accomplished
with far fewer people and more use of computers?  Is this
an attractive slogan for socialism--"Join the Anti-Market
Revolution and Downsize Faster!"  Capitalist or Communist,
modern production is immensely complex and requires an
immense amount of beauracratic labor.  Sure, hours could
be cut and employment redistributed so as to perform
that labor with less hassle for all concerned, but it
would still be an immense and immensely complex task in
the aggregate.

2 year countdown starts now, Uncle Lou.

Peter
rburns@xxxxxxxxxxx


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