From: Jerry Levy (Gerald_A_Levy@MSN.COM)
Date: Tue Dec 05 2006 - 07:49:13 EST
> The main difference between us seems to be that I don't think we have > time to first abolish capitalism and institute socialism, and then we > can fix the environment. We have only about 10 years to start the > economy on a radically new path. This has to be done under > capitalism, but a capitalism which is much different than the > free-market capitalism from today. Hi Hans: This global problem must be solved globally. With all due respect for Paul and Scotland, it's not going to be resolved there alone. For there to be change enough there must a commitment by the US and the major capitalist powers to *radically* cut environmental damage. There *must* also be *radical* and effective global initiatives to combat world poverty since it is the combination of pollution caused by capitalist (product and process) technologies and the consequences of mass poverty which are the causes of the environmental devastatation. Do you *really* think this can be done in the next 10 years given the concrete nature of the class struggle internationally? It's easy enough to say that it *must* be done (even Gore says that) but *how* exactly? I think it is unrealistic to expect the initiatives to come from state and capital: the working class (broadly defined) must lead that struggle. But, I don't see a whole lot of indication that this social movement will take on a scale large enough internationally for it to happen in such a short time. Do you? > Monbiot uses the war economy in > the US during WWII as an example. We do have the strength to see to > it that this capitalism will be penetrated by many more socialist > elements than even the Swedish welfare state model. In the further > course of events it will become clear that socialism is the only > option forward. In the next 10 years? Globally? In solidarity, Jerry
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Dec 31 2006 - 00:00:04 EST