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marjaerwin1. A government can't solve systemic unemployment through stimulus. It can create temporary boosts which *mask* systemic unemployment; it may even have significant effects depending how easily it responds to spending and how slowly the unemployment rate approaches its normal level relative to the economic system.
2. A functioning economy has an unemployment rate arbitrarily close to zero. It translates increased productivity into more ownlife - better pay and shorter hours, improved quality of life, including greater social/cultural freedom.
3. The present economy translates increased productivity into increased profits for the ruling class, but not more ownlife for everyone. It isn't functioning for everyone. It is only functioning for the ruling class.
4. Systemic unemployment and systemic poverty are two of the symptoms of the fact that the economy serves the ruling class at the expense of the rest of society.
5. I'm sick of arguments over whether more stimulus will repair the economy. In the short run, it may well help people. In the long run, it can't repair the economy, and the political apparatus exists to rig the economy, so we can't trust it to repair the economy.
6. A voluntary, decentralized, and egalitarian economy may not work perfectly, but it's likely to work better for more people than the present economy. I don't think that necessarily requires market-oriented mutualism; I suspect that such an economy is likely to adjust its balance between cash-based and non-cash-based structures, in response to the needs of various members, the range of calculational issues, etc.
P.S. Getting into the slightly-less-obvious:
7. A functioning economy means, among other things, that anyone can support herself, and no oligopoly controls access to work. As such, it has no underclass. And it is no longer possible to use someone's race, sex, gender, religion, sexuality, etc. to force anyone into a nonexistent underclass. Being able to flee discrimination is good, but with the borders closing shut, it's harder and harder. Being able to demand equality is better.
2. A functioning economy has an unemployment rate arbitrarily close to zero. It translates increased productivity into more ownlife - better pay and shorter hours, improved quality of life, including greater social/cultural freedom.
3. The present economy translates increased productivity into increased profits for the ruling class, but not more ownlife for everyone. It isn't functioning for everyone. It is only functioning for the ruling class.
4. Systemic unemployment and systemic poverty are two of the symptoms of the fact that the economy serves the ruling class at the expense of the rest of society.
5. I'm sick of arguments over whether more stimulus will repair the economy. In the short run, it may well help people. In the long run, it can't repair the economy, and the political apparatus exists to rig the economy, so we can't trust it to repair the economy.
6. A voluntary, decentralized, and egalitarian economy may not work perfectly, but it's likely to work better for more people than the present economy. I don't think that necessarily requires market-oriented mutualism; I suspect that such an economy is likely to adjust its balance between cash-based and non-cash-based structures, in response to the needs of various members, the range of calculational issues, etc.
P.S. Getting into the slightly-less-obvious:
7. A functioning economy means, among other things, that anyone can support herself, and no oligopoly controls access to work. As such, it has no underclass. And it is no longer possible to use someone's race, sex, gender, religion, sexuality, etc. to force anyone into a nonexistent underclass. Being able to flee discrimination is good, but with the borders closing shut, it's harder and harder. Being able to demand equality is better.
