Re: [Pen-l] Pardon me?

[Carrol Cox <cbcox@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dan Scanlan wrote:
> 
> 
> We now know that the organizational part of the Constitution is a
> dismal failure: representative government can be purchased; 

I think leftists should cure themselves of the practice of ascribing
"failure" or "incompetence" or similar terms to capitalism, its
institutions, and its political managers. An act succeeds if it acheives
its purpose; the constitution is surely one of the most successful
political acts in modern history. It was intended to preserve the power
of commercial interests against threats from the struggle of the 'lower'
classes. It has acheived that goal, and is continuing to be a mighty
fortress of capitalism. What more can one ask of it.

Our complaint against capitalism is not that it fails; it is that it
succeeds all too well.

And incidentally, it is not capitalism that is (so far) threatened, in
the least, by the current crisis. There is no mass movement or effective
organization moving to destroy it, and capitalism will live forever
unless overthrown by a mass movement, regardless of how many times it
"crashes' into mass misery and financial panic.

Carrol

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