[PEN-L:2440] Re: women & technol

["Peter.Dorman" <23215MGR@xxxxxxx>]

A quick reply to Blair, who says that environmentalism encourages people to
create more markets rather than search for alternatives to capitalism.

I agree that most *economists* who become exercised over environmental issues
look for market-like solutions.  In some cases they are even right to do this.
But the more committed environmentalists tend to see the shortcomings of this
approach, recognizing that changes in the direction of economic development
require a more coordinated form of intervention.  Even where new markets are
appropriate -- e.g. applying the polluter pays principle to create new taxes
or marketable permits -- the political process fails to act because, under
capitalism, the concentration of wealth in the hands of those who benefit from
pollution eviscerates democracy.

By the way, it seems that Blair and I have had very different experiences in
environmental groups.  Most of the environmentalists I've worked with think
economists are either lackeys or out to lunch.  This seems to be the case the
closer one gets to grass roots (and working class) activists, such as the
anti-toxics folks.

As for the question, what is socialism.... well, that's another thread, to put
it mildly.  I'll just avoid all the hard questions and say that socialism is a
system under which "society" has determinate control over "the economy".

Peter Dorman