RE: The New Panglossianism and Baby's bathwater

Dear WSNers: Elson Boles wrote, in defense of Alan Spector, and apparently
contrary to my post that:

"And we don't necessarily need "central planners."    Minimum wages that are
humanely set, organized/unionized workers who raise wages to levels
approaching that of the "owners," rights to democratic decision making in
the work place, and global price and pollution controls etc. could allow
people rather than commodities and capitalists to control market relations,
but only if done on a world-systemic scale.   Call this what you will:  it
simply boils down to extending democracy to the economy and globally."

Actually, I agree with much of the above with some qualms over the price
controls and the idea of workers' wages approaching that of owners. Even 
then,
however, I could imagine circumstances where the price controls could make
sense. Heck, even Nixon used price controls! (to little effect, 
however)None of
the above seems remotely Marxist, which was what I was really arguing 
against.
My guess is that we might differ on the meaning of "world-systemic scale," 
with
my view being that a wp exert pressure on nations to comply with democratic
international organizations. On workers' wages approaching owners', I'm not 
sure
I would regard that as a just outcome given that the owners must be 
compensated
for the risks they take and for their initial and on-going investment. (I 
say
this as a person who has been on strike within the last two years)Besides, 
who
wants to go around and tell the local Coffee Shop owner he must pay his
coffee-jocks roughly equal to what he or she makes?

On "panglossian," again I must reiterate that I have no illusions about the
state of world. I've been to India and poor parts of Mexico and seen 
desperate
poverty and degradation. I also live in the poorest county in Michigan. I 
would
even admit that some of this is caused by capitalists and international 
economic
organizations like the World bank. Nor am I a free trader. There has never 
been
a free market. The market does some things well, like pricing wingtips, but
other things, like providing an economic safety net, infrastructure or 
health
care rather badly. That is where government comes in. The key is to 
determine
those functions the market does well, moderately well and badly and respond
accordingly. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater.

Randy Groves