What has been lost in all the hysteria of Trump winning the presidency, as far as the socialists are concerned, is the fact that it will not make one whit of a real difference to the workers of America.
Whoever won November’s election was always going to be running the United States in the interests of the capitalist class, as they are duty bound to do. The capitalist mode of production will continue, backed by the state legislation, enforced by the army, police, and judicial system; the theft of the surplus value created by the worker will continue; the profit system that benefits the owners at the expense of the non-owners will continue; the further accumulation of capital on behalf of the capitalist class will continue; and the current recession, as a natural consequence of capitalist production, with its attendant worker lay-offs and belt-tightening will continue. In fact, none of the above will disappear until the capitalist system itself disappears no matter which of the capitalist supporting parties is in power. And this won’t happen until the working class comes to realize that this current system does not work for us.
People are judged more by their actions than their words. The make-up of Trump's transition team and rumored appointments speak volumes. It signals to the ruling elite that it is ‘business as usual’ and that Trump is ready to defend their interests while his campaign promises are already being put on the back-burner. This is no surprise to socialists. The World Socialist Party of the United States has always claimed since its inception that governments are a necessary part of capitalism which must give support and succor to the ruling class and act their collective interests at all costs. It is the government that legitimizes the private ownership of the world’s riches and the means of producing goods by the capitalist class through its legislation, thus legalizing the exploitation of the working class through the appropriation of the surplus value created by the workers. It is the state government that creates the mechanisms (the army, police, the law/court/prison system, the educational system, etc.) for maintaining the system of a tiny minority controlling the vast majority in that minority’s interest. In fact, clause six in our Declaration of Principles says:
“That as the machinery of government, including the armed forces of the nation, exists only to conserve the monopoly by the capitalist class of the wealth taken from the workers, the working class must organize consciously and politically for the conquest of the powers of government, national and local, in order that this machinery, including these forces, may be converted from an instrument of oppression into the agent of emancipation and the overthrow of privilege, aristocratic and plutocratic.”
This holds as true today as it did when it was first written at the turn of the 20th Century.
It can be deduced that, until a party such as The World Socialist Party of the United States (WSPUS), that represent the interests of the working class is on every ballot, and the majority working class become conscious of these facts and choose socialism, elections will come and go, hopes will be raised and lost, but there will be no fundamental change in the composition of our socio-economic system and the present one that is run in the interest of the owning class will continue ad infinitum. Trump may well bring a crude and blunt style of administration, but we can confidently say that eight years from now the American people will be seeking change and hope once again, as do the voters of all the world’s countries in their elections.
Some will be surprised that the WSPUS does not blame the rich (well, not all of them) for our monstrously stratified society. Rather we blame, and wish to change, the system that allows this to happen. Nor does it make sense for the super-rich to give away their wealth to the poor. This would only be an equalization of poverty. The call of the Left to tax wealth more wouldn’t eliminate poverty either. Seeking answers in capitalism is not, never has been, and never will be, the answer to the problem. It should be obvious to all that, given the state the world is currently in with its financial crisis, energy crisis, armed conflicts, and global warming, that capitalism cannot possibly provide a secure, poverty-free, and fulfilling life for all. If that is the desired goal, and who wouldn’t want that, then we must strive to establish a society based on the common ownership and democratic control of the earth’s riches and production of wealth. Perhaps then we could all enjoy a healthy, full lifestyle of the Trump dynasty.
With universal suffrage, we have the potential for democracy, but our convoluted system, the influence of money, and the bias of the media all converge to prevent any chance of real democracy. When socialism and common ownership are established, there will be no need for political parties as they are expressions of the class system. Socialist parties around the world, when elected to power will use state legislatures, presently the tools of oppression and repression of the working class, as an instrument of emancipation, ending private property, giving power to various types of local councils, and then disbanding. We do not attempt to lay down any blueprint for future generations to follow as that would be undemocratic, but it seems plausible that local elected, accountable, recallable, councils would organize production and distribution of goods based on needs, and their decisions and performances would be subject to daily scrutiny. In other words, real democracy, from the people up will be the order of the day. This can only happen, though, when fellow-workers agree with our position and decide to do something about it.
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