[americandream]

I intend to post excerpts from a variety of sources, without comment where I deem more useful. It is all the more productive to put ideas out there and see what comes back with the tide. The core thrust behind this thread of course being for me is to also better understand history and learn from others...either from their misinterpretations or interpretations, the end result being to understand how we got to this impasse as a world at a fork in the road. Other threads take their own views but I welcome contributions from their authors.

I am not here to make friends who agree with me, but to be equip myself in developing the projects I have in mind. I will occasionally get exasperated as we all do, but that does not signify any attempt at censorship. Roar back if you wish, even to take me down a few pegs more. No one is too high that he or she cannot learn:

In bourgeois society, therefore, the past dominates the present; in Communist society, the present dominates the past. In bourgeois society capital is independent and has individuality, while the living person is dependent and has no individuality.

[americandream]

These are not books debunking creationism, nor an item-by-item critique of the factual plausibility of holy writings, nor a demonstration of their historic shortcomings when compared to current notions of progressive humanist morality, nor are they an overt attack against religion. Since you are already an atheist, I assume you don’t need convincing anymore. Rather, they are about understanding your world and yourself without religion.

http://www.atheistrepublic.com/blog/dea ... er-reading

[onlooker]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P97r9Ci5Kg
I think AD will approve of this video which summarizes and explores concepts of Capitalism and Communism such as historical materialism and dialectical materialism. Fascinating and I have learned from this not too long video. Basically, the the problem with Capitalism is inherent within it. So the problem is the system itself. All systems have inherent seeds of their own demise especially contradictions. Dialectics studies the ideas which shape the world and how the material world in turn shapes ideas. Thus dialectic materialism. So, Capitalism for example seek to maximize profits by cutting labor costs. Eventually, however this backfires as masses are unable to afford the products and services that Capitalist sell. Thus, oil is relatively cheap but many cannot afford it even at current price or somewhat higher.

[evilgenius]

At this time in history the working class in America is in a very disadvantaged position. The rule of the ten dollar an hour wage has persisted for a very long time now. That is to say, that wage has at once both seemed like a sufficient amount of money when such things have been discussed publicly and it has been more or less a kind of benchmark for what uneducated, or menially trained working class people can enjoy. I think this is in great part due to America's lack of interest in recognizing class as a distinguishing factor. There is marketing at work here too. Chances are it is Cold War related, but has outlasted its origins.

I believe that the options before us are to either shed the ten dollar an hour wage as such a benchmark, moving on to higher pay, or that deflation will make ten dollars buy what it once did. The annoying vacillation around the benchmark, though, is probably about to burst. I'm not placing my bets in either direction. Both futures seem equally plausible, for varying reasons.

It's plain to see that the Fed has staked out the campground and want to defend the ten dollar an hour position. They don't want an average base or introductory worker wage of fifteen or twenty dollars per hour, not for the uneducated or the menially trained. I don't know if this is because they too are subject to the same marketing that fostered the ten dollar an hour paradigm for such a long time, or if they really are paying duties to their inflation control mandate. I suspect it's a little of both. I think it's very hard to escape the psychology that develops around such things, and is reinforced by the doubly damaging, for wage's sake, round number that ten dollars makes.

[ralfy]

In addition, for most of the world's population, the wage is around three or so dollars a day, with costs for food, medicine, etc., roughly the same.

[evilgenius]

In addition, for most of the world's population, the wage is around three or so dollars a day, with costs for food, medicine, etc., roughly the same.

Yes, which makes a great point: the change that seems like it is coming is more about push back over wage inequality in comparison to the very well off, or to the salaried classes that are more able to write their own tickets. Writing one's own ticket only works as long as you don't forget the others who got you there when you do. They must exist on more than table scraps. Otherwise, they eventually will want theirs too.