Saturday, February 04, 2012
One size, old and new
Various socialistic forms of governance are famous for applying "one size fits all" ... but the old Marxian forms of socialism and the new Gramscian forms make very different shoes.
Marx shoved everyone into a dull brown oxford, sized for an average foot. Most people were close to a fit, and the shoe was durable enough that you could get used to it.
Gramsci shoves everyone into a Chinese knockoff of a Manolo Blahnik spike-heeled pump. Only a few anorexic aristocrats can fit into the shoe, and it lasts a few days.
Let's look at three American examples.
1. Housing
FDR introduced Marx to America. His WPA built lots of housing projects for farmers and city people who were living in tumbledown shacks or rat-infested tenements. Many of these projects still exist, like Cherokee Village in Enid on the left. It has been maintained over the years, and is now an assisted-living facility for older folks.
Bush The Father introduced Gramsci to America. His version of accommodation was the ADA, which requires everyone to shape their buildings, public works, and daily habits to suit the needs of wheelchairs and schizophrenics.
= = = = =
2. Electricity
FDR built lots of dams. These brought electricity to farmers and city people who had been burning kerosene or rags. Many of these projects still exist, like Grand Coulee here in Wash. It has been maintained and expanded over the years, and still provides reliable cheap power and jobs to Americans.
Bush The Father enacted the Clean Air Act; Bush The Son expanded it into Cap-n-Trade and subsidies for wind turbines. This provides profit for speculators and General Electric, jobs to Chinamen, and unreliable expensive power to everyone else.
= = = = =
3. Money
FDR closed down the banks and re-opened only the solvent ones. He then outlawed abstract speculation. Ordinary people were able to trust the money system; super-rich people were forced to do something productive if they wanted to stay super-rich.
Bush The Son and Obama gifted infinite rewards to the insolvent banks and the abstract speculators who had just finished destroying the economy. Ordinary people are able to starve; super-rich people don't even need to run their usual murderous criminal frauds. They can simply sit back and watch the trillions and trillions and trillions and trillions roll in.
= = = = =
In short:
The Marx shoe fits ordinary folks, leaving the elite to buy their own.
The Gramsci shoe fits the elite, leaving ordinary folks to buy their own.
¶ 3:38 AM
Marx shoved everyone into a dull brown oxford, sized for an average foot. Most people were close to a fit, and the shoe was durable enough that you could get used to it.
Gramsci shoves everyone into a Chinese knockoff of a Manolo Blahnik spike-heeled pump. Only a few anorexic aristocrats can fit into the shoe, and it lasts a few days.
Let's look at three American examples.
1. Housing
FDR introduced Marx to America. His WPA built lots of housing projects for farmers and city people who were living in tumbledown shacks or rat-infested tenements. Many of these projects still exist, like Cherokee Village in Enid on the left. It has been maintained over the years, and is now an assisted-living facility for older folks.
Bush The Father introduced Gramsci to America. His version of accommodation was the ADA, which requires everyone to shape their buildings, public works, and daily habits to suit the needs of wheelchairs and schizophrenics.
= = = = =
2. Electricity
FDR built lots of dams. These brought electricity to farmers and city people who had been burning kerosene or rags. Many of these projects still exist, like Grand Coulee here in Wash. It has been maintained and expanded over the years, and still provides reliable cheap power and jobs to Americans.
Bush The Father enacted the Clean Air Act; Bush The Son expanded it into Cap-n-Trade and subsidies for wind turbines. This provides profit for speculators and General Electric, jobs to Chinamen, and unreliable expensive power to everyone else.
= = = = =
3. Money
FDR closed down the banks and re-opened only the solvent ones. He then outlawed abstract speculation. Ordinary people were able to trust the money system; super-rich people were forced to do something productive if they wanted to stay super-rich.
Bush The Son and Obama gifted infinite rewards to the insolvent banks and the abstract speculators who had just finished destroying the economy. Ordinary people are able to starve; super-rich people don't even need to run their usual murderous criminal frauds. They can simply sit back and watch the trillions and trillions and trillions and trillions roll in.
= = = = =
In short:
The Marx shoe fits ordinary folks, leaving the elite to buy their own.
The Gramsci shoe fits the elite, leaving ordinary folks to buy their own.
¶ 3:38 AM
