[net.politics] redistribution of wealth

amh (12/07/82)

The recent discussion on redistribuition of the wealth via taxes
caused me to stop and think about the marxists view on
redistribution.  Standard Marxist rhetoric maintains that workers
will not work as hard as they should since the bosses are skimming
the profit off of their work.  This sounds very much like the
arguement against progressive taxes.  Workers will not work hard
since the government is skimming off the value of ones work.
     I would like to propose a theory which is a combination of the
two.  That is that most people are just lazy greedy b*st*rds that
will make up one excuse or another for not having things their way.

Aldon Hynes
BTL Pisc.
harpo!pyuxjj!pyuxcc!amh

edler (12/07/82)

I am not exactly an expert on economics, but I do know
a few things about Marxism.

Marx said that the working class is alienated because
their surplus value is stolen from them by the capitalists.
Their surplus value is (roughly) the difference between the
value of the products of their labors and the value of their pay.
Note that the surplus value is expropriated for the private
benefit of the employer.  It seems clear to me that
if, on the other hand, the working class itself controlled the
state and owned the means of production, they would not be
alienated by having part of their surplus value go to the state,
because that is for the social good.  Furthermore, they
would have a good deal to say about the kind of policies
used to spend that surplus wealth.
There is a big difference between taxation for the public
good and profit taking for the wealthy.

I don't think people are inherently greedy or selfish.
Some would like us all to believe it though.

	Jan Edler		cmcl2!edler	(nyu)
				pyuxll!jse	(btl piscataway)