Mitt Romney on more than one occasion has said that his business experience would make him a good steward of the economy if he were elected president next year.
Really? Maybe I’m missing something, but I find that hard to wrap my head around.
After all, people with business experience brought the economy to its knees; threw millions out of their homes; gutted good paying jobs; tore up collective bargaining agreements; lacerated pensions and savings of working people; pushed our nation’s finances deep into the red; and shredded the social safety net.
If justice had its day (and it seldom does), the titans of business would be arraigned in court, tried and sent off to jail for high crimes against the American people.
What they did was not petty theft, but larceny on a grand scale. One might call it “The Great Heist of the 21st Century.” But so far barely a one has been indicted, let alone imprisoned.
Now there is probably nothing we can do about this travesty of justice at this point. But it should disqualify Romney and his crowd from any stewardship of the economy either now or in the future.
Indeed if I had my druthers, I would favor working people owning, occupying and running the economy. I have a lot more confidence in the 99 per cent than the 1 per cent as far as economic stewardship is concerned.
Especially now when the system of capitalism whose hallmark is the unending search for maximum corporate profits is at such loggerheads with the pressing needs of working people and the health of the overall economy.
What we need is democratic planning and a operating system that puts people and nature before profits and war making. I call it socialism, but you can call it whatever you like. The name is secondary to the economic and political dynamics and institutions that govern its functioning.
Realistically speaking, socialism isn’t on the action agenda at this moment. But, on the other hand, we will never get there if we fail to link our vision of socialism with the immediate struggles of our multi-racial working class and its allies.
For more information about socialism, click here.
Photo: Teresa Albano/PW
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