Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles; site ea.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!ea!mwm From: mwm@ea.UUCP Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Enforced socialism?!?!?!? - (nf) Message-ID: <10100046@ea.UUCP> Date: Wed, 9-May-84 11:02:00 EDT Article-I.D.: ea.10100046 Posted: Wed May 9 11:02:00 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 18-May-84 00:41:23 EDT References: <519@mprvaxa.UUCP> Lines: 43 Nf-ID: #R:mprvaxa:-51900:ea:10100046:000:1789 Nf-From: ea!mwm May 9 10:02:00 1984 #R:mprvaxa:-51900:ea:10100046:000:1789 ea!mwm May 9 10:02:00 1984 /***** ea:net.politics / mit-eddi!lkk / 8:45 am May 7, 1984 */ The point here, which is a paraphrase of MARX, is that there is a form of coercion in society which is extralegal. This is called economic coercion. Because humans have certain needs which must be fulfilled in order to live (food, shelter, etc.) they often have no choice about what to do in certain situations, even though there is NO LAW requiring them to do it. For instance, if I live in a town which is dominated by one very large corporation, and I am poor and unskilled, I have very little choice but to work for that company, ON ITS TERMS. No law requires me to, except the law of biology which requires me to eat. Larry Kolodney (The Devil's Advocate) (USE) ..decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!lkk (ARPA) lkk@mit-mc /* ---------- */ All well and good - but why is this bad when a corporation does it, and good when a union does it? For instance, I need something foobared. But foobarists are a powerful union, so it's *illegal* to hire a non-union person to do it, or to do it myself. So my choice is to pay a the union wage (which is set ON THEIR TERMS) or do without (in some cases, even *that* is illegal!). Similarly, your poor unskilled laborer can work for the wage the corporation sets, or do without money. The difference is that the corporation doesn't send the police around to arrest you if you try to buy outside their monopoly; nor do they threaten the life & limb of their competition. The point is that coercion is bad. I don't like monopolies, corporate or union, as they tend to coerce their customers. The government likes unions, so laws get passed supporting union monopolies, and dislikes corporations, so corporate monopolies get outlawed. This imbalance needs to be redressed.