The first act by virtue of which the State really constitutes itself the representative of the whole of society-the taking possession of the means of production in the name of society-this is, at the same time, its last independent act as a State.Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto, footnote (1888 edition).By proletariat, the class of modern wage laborers who, having no means of production of their own, are reduced to selling their labor power in order to live. By bourgeoisie is meant the class of modern capitalists, owners of the means of social production and employers of wage labor.Albert Einstein, Why Socialism? (1949), Monthly Review New York (May 1949).It is important to understand that even in theory the payment of the worker is not determined by the value of his product. In so far as the labor contract is free what the worker receives is determined not by the real value of the goods he produces, but by his minimum needs and by the capitalists' requirements for labor power in relation to the number of workers competing for jobs. The essential point about this process is the relation between what the worker produces and what he is paid, both measured in terms of real value. By using the means of production, the worker produces new goods which become the property of the capitalist. The owner of the means of production is in a position to purchase the labor power of the worker.Debs, The Socialist Party and the Working Class", opening speech delivered as Presidential candidate of the Socialist Party, Indianapolis, Indiana (1 September 1904) The capitalist class is represented by the Republican, Democratic, Populist and Prohibition parties, all of which stand for private ownership of the means of production, and the triumph of any one of which will mean continued wage-slavery to the working class.The means of production includes two broad categories of objects: instruments of labor (tools, factories, infrastructure, etc.) and subjects of labor ( natural resources and raw materials). Want More on Health Policy? Read David Nash's blog.In economics and sociology, the means of production are physical, non-human inputs used for the production of economic value, such as facilities, machinery, tools, infrastructural capital and natural capital. In fact, many Medicare services are administered currently by Blue Shield and other private insurance companies.Ĭombining a single large insurance pool with private administration is a nice mixed economic insurance solution.Ĭertainly this is not as crazy a scheme as the status quo. The larger the pool, the broader the risk is spread, and the lower the cost.Ī federally provided public insurance option covering all Americans would spread the risk as broadly as possible. The premise of health insurance is that a risk pool with a large number of people reduces the cost of protecting any one individual from the consequences of a serious health problem. Historically, the government (in the form of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) has led the way to cost and quality reform through various demonstration projects and programs involving "Value Based Purchasing." Private insurers have followed the government's lead. Who will provide guidance toward better outcomes in healthcare? We have many government run services - the military, highways, public education, the Postal Service, Social Security, and Medicare to name a few. It should be clear to any objective observer that the U.S. In socialism, the government owns them.Ĭuriously, socialism is rarely used to describe Medicare, Medicaid, and the various other government sponsored plans that account for roughly half of the healthcare dollars spent in this country and that are bona fide examples of socialist services. In capitalism, individuals own the means of production of goods and services. Socialism is most commonly invoked when the healthcare reform discussion turns to whether or not we should have a government funded public insurance option. It is used almost pejoratively, as if it is the worst thing that could possibly happen in America. In the current healthcare reform discussions, a single word - "socialism" - seems to have triggered the most emotional responses.
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