[OPE-L:5122] Re: Re: Re: waste, value, and potential

From: glevy@pratt.edu
Date: Thu Mar 08 2001 - 15:17:54 EST


In [OPE-L:5121]:

> Jerry
> has said that because the infrastructure built for the state that
> will not take the commodity form the surplus value incurred in its
> construction have been wasted.

My position is rather that if the surplus value is transferred
to the state, then it is unproductively consumed. I.e. instead of
using the s for productive investment in c & v it is spent instead
as revenue. As for the wage-workers building the infrastructure it
depends fundamentally on whether they are employed by capital or the
state. It is important to remember that workers producing the same
use-value can be either productive or unproductive (of s) depending
on whether they are employed by capital to produce commodities.
The infrastructure from a social perspective (from the standpoint
of whether it contributes to an increase in social wealth) is
not "waste". But the question is whether it represents additional
value and wealth or wealth alone.

In solidarity, Jerry
 



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