within_epsilon

I am a worker under capitalism. The owner tells me how to work. I sell my time for money. I produce value for the owner. The owner keeps the difference between the value I produce and the money for which I sold my time. The excess value after paying for my time is kept by the owner. I have money to buy products.

I am a worker under socialism. I decide how to work with other workers. I produce value. I provide my value to those in need.

I prefer to own my time and value. I do not want to pay a state to give money to owners. I do not want to empower a state to use violence if I do not comply.

I am not sure how communism, socialism and capitalism are being used here. I am an anarchist. I would say states are bad, owners are bad, heirarchy is bad.

You caught me. I’m old, write software and regularly use Linux.

Star Trek is an example of a post scarcity society. I worry about persisting military rank instead of a horizontal power structure.

If I spent the time to dump the human boss off my back, I would not turn around and give that power to a computer. Worker controlled labor puts the power in workers’ hands.

Computers can help with communication of needs, but power should stay with workers.

I want more candidates like Cornel West.

I am excited to vote. Maybe another candidate can catch my attention too… please? The one party system outside of swing states is boring. Biden was a not Trump vote which is also boring. We can do better than the current voting arrangement.

I want to own the value I produce. Currently I sell my time to an owner. The value I produce through my work is sold by the owner. Any excess after costs goes to the owner. The owner did not work to produce the value.

Why should owners be supported by the excess value produced by workers?

Absolutely. Capitalism enforces a different heirarchy where power resides with owners. The owners then suppress the power of the workers.

Can we do better? I hope so.

The best capitalist society still imposes a class division between owners and workers. Owners want to maximize profit by paying as little as possible for labor. Workers want to get paid as much as possible for doing the least work.

I am looking for a system where workers gets to keep the value of their labor. Owners lack a place in such a system.

I would build software even if I was not being paid for doing the work. I am lucky to trade my time for money in something I would be doing anyway. I have less say over my projects than I would like, but at least I get to make projects that make me happy.

I seem to be bad at making money when owners make my yearly salary per hour.

Owning stock in Disney would give me a share in the profits. I could also possibly vote when Disney lets shareholders do so. As a worker for Disney, I could receive money for selling my time and a portion of the profits via shares. I would thereby be a worker/owner. I would reduce that to worker, but lets entertain worker/owner as a class.

However as a worker/owner, I would not be able to make decisions that change cost. I would not own anything other than the share which is placing faith in the company. I would still try to do as little work as possible for as much compensation as possible since I am still primarily a worker.

Maybe my passive income stream will someday overcome the cost associated with meeting my material needs. I could then graduate from worker/owner to owner.