THE SPINE APRIL 26, 2009
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This is the famous slogan of Marx put at the end of an argument in the
1875 Critique of the Gotha Program which no one has read
since. Suddenly it has reappeared in the annals of real life
today.
I suppose it's the depression. Three Harvard graduates who got
their B.A.'s last June are working in New York and living in the same
Greenwich Village apartment. Two are in journalism being paid just
about the living wage for the city, maybe a bit less. The third is
working for one of the big international consulting firms. He is on
a handsome salary.
How did they divvy up the rent? From each according to his
ability...
This is not the first such arrangement I've heard. A small blow for
rational egalitarianism.
3 comments
From Each According To His Ability To each according to his contribution
- jacobt1
April 27, 2009 at 1:31am
What was once considered the epitomical "proof" that pure socialism could work, the kibbutz, has of course fallen on hard times. Many have privatized fully or partially, some have converted to moshavim, still others have given up their land rights to builders (after re-zoning agricultural land to residential use). One or two were turned over to the Gush Katif refugees who are now busy recreating their highly successful agricultural enterprises on the barren lands of the formerly failed kibbutzim.
It turns out that fir kibbutz-style socialism to "work", they had to be provided with subsidies from the government. Those ended during the Begin era which began the steady decline of the kibbutz as a viable institutiion.
Those kibbutzim which are still surviving do so by combining differential salaries and budgeted living allowances. The former rewards those jobs & performance in those jobs contribute more to the general economic welfare of the kibbutz, the latter encourages thrift and most of all puts the breaks on the pervasive waste of resources that used to characterized the kibbutz.
Now, what was that about "From Each According To His Ability, To Each According to His Needs"?
Hershel Ginsburg
Jerusalem / Efrata
- ginzy
April 27, 2009 at 7:31am
Please, that guy is set. He rules the roost. Nobody will be drinking his last beer, I can tell ya that.
As for the other two, maybe they should consider careers in something less useless. Especially if they lack family moneys.
- selish70
April 27, 2009 at 9:51am