SPC Newsletter for 1st Nov 2015

The Socialist Party of Canada

Secretary's Report for November 1, 2015.

Email Report

– WSP India EC meeting minutes for October received with thanks.

Good of the Movement

– Three introductory packages sent out on request.

– The Fall issue of Imagine has been mailed out. Anyone left out or requiring more copies for distribution, please let me know.

Finances

– Secretary's expenses for October, $88.61. As usual, cost of printing Imagine stretches our finances. Donations gratefully accepted.

Karl's Quotes

– What makes a capital or a capitalist? Marx writes, "If one day's work were necessary in order to keep one worker alive for one day, then capital would not exist, because the working day would then exchange for its own product, so that capital could not realize itself and hence could not maintain itself as capital. The self-preservation of capital is its self-realization. If capital had to work in order to live, then it would not maintain itself as capital but as labour. Property in raw materials and instruments of labour would be merely nominal; economically they would belong to the worker as much as to the capitalist, since they would create value for the capitalist only in so far as he were a worker. He would relate to them therefore not as capital, but as simple material and means of labour, like the worker himself does in the production process. If, however, only half a working day is necessary in order to keep one worker alive one whole day, then the surplus value of the product is self-evident, because the capitalist has paid the price of only half a working day but has obtained a whole day objectified in the product; thus has exchanged nothing for the second half of the work day. The only thing that can make him into a capitalist is not exchange, but rather a process through which he obtains objectified labour time, i.e. value, without exchange. Half the working day costs capital nothing; it thus obtains a value for which it has given no equivalent. And the multiplication of values can take place only if a value in the excess of the equivalent has been obtained, hence created. (from "The Grundisse" as reported in "The Marx and Engels Reader, second edition, page 248). In other words, capital can only become capital and a capitalist can only become a capitalist if it, (he) get something for nothing, a free lunch, a theft, any way you look at it! After discussing socialism with a friend, he parted with the words, "But don't tell me I'm exploited." Look closely, it's as plain as the nose on your face!

Food For Thought

– One thing nobody hears about today is "Freedom 55", a smart financial way to retire early, though I did hear someone joke about having "freedom 95". People invested in it believing they would retire at 55 and live comfortably for the rest of their lives, but when the economy went belly up, so did their illusion. This shows that there is no such thing as security under capitalism.

Volkswagen sold 50,000 diesel cars with software that automatically cheated on air pollution tests leaving the company vulnerable to billions of dollars in fines and criminal prosecution. The company sold Volkswagen and Audi cars with a sophisticated algorithm that turns on full pollution controls only when the car is undergoing official testing, the Environmental protection Agency reported. During normal driving the system does not operate so that the cars pollute ten to forty times the legal limit. The company's purpose for using this sophisticated technology is because it was cheaper to install than producing low emission vehicles, so the bottom line is higher profit and to hell with the environment. Just another day in capitalism!

In an article on income inequality (Toronto Star September 26) a columnist reveals that "overall, CEO pay climbed 937 per cent between 1978 and 2013, while the pay of the typical worker rose just 10.2 per cent" (quoted from "Saving Capitalism" by Robert Reich) and in Canada the one hundred highest paid CEOs made 195 times the average Canadian income of $47,358. Unfortunately, this just leads to the call for a slightly more equitable split instead of the cry for the abolition of the wages system.

Socialists say the war is endemic to the capitalist mode of production, stemming from its competitive nature. One example is that of the Philippines who expelled the Americans from its naval bases twenty-five years ago but is contemplating inviting them back as China lays claim to lays claim to almost all the South China Sea in some of the world's busiest shipping lanes. China is currently putting military installations on many of the islands there even though many nations claim the same territory. Sharing the benefits, not surprisingly, is not an option.

Statistics Canada revealed that for the second quarter of 2015, household debt hit a record high. The ratio of debt to disposable income reached 164.4 per cent as debt loads grew faster than incomes. This means that for every dollar Canadians earned, they owed nearly $1.65 in credit debt. This included mortgages and other kinds of consumer loans. So things are not getting better, nor does there seem to be any relief in sight. It's a case of abolish capitalism and the money system, or suffer under it.

On September 13, twenty-eight people seeking a better life in Europe drowned as they attempted a wind-swept crossing fro m Turkey to Greece. The Greek coastguard said the twenty-eight, including four infants and ten older children, died when their wooden boat collapsed near the island of Farmakonissi, which is one of the favoured places for smugglers sending thousands of people daily to the Greek islands. From the beginning of time people have wandered the earth searching for a better life, but today the consequences are more severe than they have ever been. Better a world where people can wander at their leisure in security.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO and author of "Lean In" released a women-in-the-workplace study of one hundred and eighteen companies and 30,000 employees and concluded, "At the current pace of progress, we are more than a hundred years away from gender equality in the C-suite." If capitalism lasts that long it's a good bet that she (or somebody) will be saying the same thing then

As proof of the above, tens of thousands African Americans converged on Washington calling for justice and equality. It came twenty years after the Million Man March and fifty-two years after the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Anyone taking bets that it will be necessary to do it all again? Maybe it's time to drop performing the same experiment and getting the same results and try a new experiment!

Posters calling for the formation of a white students' union at the University of Toronto have been removed after student union reps called them "triggering". The poster featured the pictures of two blond white guys staring into the sky flanked by the CN Tower. They directed people to a web site supporting students for a western civilization. A post on the site calls multiculturalism an undemocratically imposed immigration culture policy that is rapidly reducing white people to minorities, and calls for a students' union that promotes white people's interests. This is just another incident of racism and emphasizes to all who can see clearly that a society based on private property interests will always turn people against each other until they realize they only have one enemy – the economic system that creates racism and other divisions. How else can the one per cent rule the ninety-nine per cent?

So now it is back to school and for parents it means dipping deeper into their pockets, especially if the kids want whatever is considered 'cool', hence expensive. A Fraser Institute paper said, "Between lunches, clothes, extra-curricular activities, and birthday parties, parents are likely to spend $3,000 to $4,500 a year. Furthermore, fifty per cent of secondary students will end up asking their parents for additional support because they've run out of money. Another example of how life is getting harder for every one under capitalism.

There is another climate change conference coming up in December in Paris. Some countries appear to be getting more serious. Perhaps they see that eventually it will cut seriously into profits, especially when half the world is under water! However, there are still plenty of idiots trying to deny the science. The New York Times (Oct.11) contains an article entitled, "Stuff Happens, Like Climate Change". In it they quote Republican presidential candidate, Marco Rubio, "We're not going to destroy our economy the way the left-wing government that we are under now wants to do." Meanwhile, Governor Christie said about George Schulz (Reagan's secretary of State who now proposes that Republicans start to come to terms with climate change), "Listen, everybody makes mistakes once in a while." Hurricane Sandy caused $36 billion in damage in Christie's state!

As an example of what nations are doing, developing nations are being called to address their contributions to climate change. In addition, Barack Obama has announced a plan to reduce carbon emissions from power industries by 32% from 2005 levels by 2030. China expects emissions to peak by 2030 and expects plans to be in place by 2017 for emission reductions. These are only goals and are very modest and subject to all kinds of opposition and trimming, so do not hold your breath!

Discussing the Trans Pacific Partnership, Tony Burman (Toronto Star, Oct. 10) reports the World Bank as stating that the number of people living in extreme poverty world wide has dropped below ten per cent for the first time, but added that 900 million still live on less than $2 a day. On the other hand, UNICEF reported that in the world's most affluent countries the number of minors living in poverty has increased to 76 million. You win some, you lose some in capitalism's casino economy.

At "The Word on the Street" book fair that SPC members attended on September 27, the so-called communist party were handing out literature, most of which was about what they would do if elected. Some of these pearls of wisdom were – raise the minimum wage to $20 per hour; employment benefits to be at ninety per cent of previous earnings for all workers; nationalize banking and insurance; reverse privatization of all programs and services: no new fighter jets; cut the military budget by seventy-five per cent; progressive tax reform based on ability to pay; double the corporate tax rate; invest heavily to create jobs by expanding renewable energy and conservation programs. There were many other proposals but this should be enough to show anyone where the CP stand. So, if elected, there would still be money, wages, taxes corporations, banks, military etc. All of which are a part of a private property-based society. So the CP are trying to outdo the leftish New Democratic Party and are vying to run capitalism. Nowhere do they advocate changing the economic base of society where the majority control the tools of production and run a system in the interests of all.

In 1995 the then Conservative government of Ontario gutted the provinces welfare system. The social services minister claimed that a single person could exist on a food budget of $90.21. He even included a list of what could be bought for that amount but forgot things like butter for the bread and sauce for the pasta, among other wonders. Since then, inflation has risen forty-five percent but when a social worker recently tried to buy the same list, he found this 'welfare diet' had spiked one hundred and seven per cent to $189.91. The Conservatives were ousted and the governing Liberals have spent a decade of yearly rate increases but have failed, obviously to get back to pre-1995 levels. In fact, since the Liberals began increases welfare rates have increased just thirty-one per cent, below even the official inflation rate. You can cut this any way you like but there is only one way to solve this – and many other inequality problems – free access for all to all goods and services available.

The New York Times (October 18) reported on on the worst drought in Brazil's history. Huge reservoirs are depleted and water rationing is in place in Rio, Sao Paulo and other cities. Experts are looking at the rapid deforestation in South America as the culprit. Cutting down forests releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and increases global warming. Forests also absorb more solar energy than grasslands and release vast amounts of water vapour driving the rainfall amounts. Each fully grown tree releases one thousand litres of water a day and the entire Amazon rain forest sends up twenty billion tons a day, more water than the mighty river itself. But these staggering figures and the common sense they should engender are ignored in the race for profits and the need to keep up with the competition that is the crazy mantra of the capitalist mode of production. Brazil must destroy its resources or be left behind. Sooner or later, the world's ninety-nine per cent will take over!

The refugee crisis continues apace in Europe. As an example of the lengths that some desperate migrants have gone to escape war, some, including women and children, have found a back door into Norway riding bicycles from Russia across the arctic circle to Storskog, located four hundred miles above the circle.!

"Mississippi Yearning" is an article in The Toronto Star, October 19, that describes that the state is America's poorest and sickest state but where, unbelievably, opposition to Obama's health care reforms are fierce. A comment in a barber shop gives some indication of the level of understanding of health care, "Nobody should be handed high quality (health care) coverage simply because they happen to live in America. If you want insurance, get a damned job and pay for it. That's the way I look at it, it's not my job or anyone else's job to pay for their insurance." Unfortunately that's a pretty typical attitude showing a complete lack of understanding of the situation. Presumably he is quite happy to drive on roads that somebody else has paid for and will accept government social programs. Eighty- nine per cent of those who have fallen into the 'health coverage gap' are from the South. The Republican ideal scores heavily in such areas of extreme ignorance!

For Socialism, John & Steve

Happy Hallowe'en, a very scary time ,but not nearly as scary as what the capitalist mode of production is doing to our planet!