more on How the permissive capitalism of theboom destroyed American equality.

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Dana Blankenhorn <danablankenhorn () mindspring com>
Reply-To: Dana Blankenhorn <danablankenhorn () mindspring com>
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 08:21:46 -0400
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: <[IP]> more on How the permissive capitalism of theboom destroyed
American equality.

Dave:

I seldom see an educated person grossly over-simplify on behalf of
ideological shibboleths. So let me just go through this slowly.

1. Created the U.S. railroad system, requiring the creation of the
Interstate Commerce Commission (which they fought against tooth and nail).
2. Made us the world's greatest industrial power, but only on the sweat of
their workers.
3. Built an oil refining and distribution system that had to be dismantled
by the U.S. Supreme Court. The only person who knew the good of this was
John D. Rockefeller himself, who on hearing the news just urged a friend to
"buy all the Standard you can get."
4. Provided the telephone and telegraph infrastructure. Telephony was a
regulated monopoly whose regulation was necessary to its formation. That was
Theodore Vail's deal of "universal service."
5. Built and distributed automobiles to the masses...and Ford goons killed
how many auto workers resisting labor laws in the 1930s?
6. Provided widespread electrical service, which didn't reach rural areas
until the TVA and REA of the 1930s, which were government projects.

The point is that to credit wealth or plutocracy with all the gains of our
time is misleading in the extreme. The hand of government was required to
keep these "gains" from running over people, and to make sure they went to
everyone. The courage of individuals and groups of political activists was
necessary to make this so.

That's the lesson of the Gilded Age. The Mugwumps, the Populist and
Progressive movements and the rise of big government were all necessary
reactions to unfettered power, created by people who weren't afraid to risk
life and limb on behalf of their rights.

And so it is again...

Dana Blankenhorn   http://www.a-clue.com
@Have Modem, Will Travel  dana () a-clue com
Ph: 404-373-7634   fax: 404-378-0794



-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
To: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Date: Monday, October 21, 2002 5:40 AM
Subject: <[IP]> more on How the permissive capitalism of theboom destroyed
American equality.


> ------ Forwarded Message
> From: "Jonathan M. Smith" <jms () central cis upenn edu>
> Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 05:33:11 -0400 (EDT)
>
>
> Of course, in exchange for their mansions, those plutocrats variously:
>
>    1. Built the US Railroad system
>    2. Made us the world's strongest industrial power - able to win WWII
>    3. Built an oil refining and distribution system
>    4. Provided the telephone and telegraph infrastructure
>    5. Built and distributed automobiles to the "masses" - the Model T
>    6. Provided widespread electrical service
>
> The biggest myth, currently reinforced of course by the
> newsworthy stories of some modern crooks,
> is it was "money for nothing". Not necessarily so! None of the
> above was done with capital from Washington, although there were
> subsidies, e.g., of the railroad system, to provide incentives. A
> justice system built on envy is what many desire, but is that what you
> really want?
>
>                                -JMS
>
> ------ End of Forwarded Message
>
> -------------------------------------
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