Peace, Plenty and Prosperity

We want socialism. We want the land and the means of production and distribution held in common. We want a society free of the State—a society without rulers and ruled. We want political institutions created out of free association and not coercion. We want autonomy and self-government for all peoples and for all people. We want local, regional and global solidarity and mutual aid. We want the means of development provided to all. We want a society free of classes.

We are opposed to capitalism. The economic system based on private property and production for a profit literally creates poverty by depriving the poor of the means of subsistence. The poor are then exploited by the rich as a source of cheap labour. As long as there is capitalism, there will be poverty, misery, and exploitation.

We are opposed to war. Wars are fought to expand empires and to protect the interests of the rich in one country. Those who suffer and die are the poor in all countries involved. Nevertheless, we are not pacifists.

We are opposed to borders. Borders are artificial barriers that divide us and facilitate our exploitation. They allow the rich and their investments to pass easily while impeding the free movement of people. Borders allow humans to be labeled “illegal” and exploited as cheap labour.

The problems that make living so difficult today—problems of poverty, crime, unemployment, air and water pollution, and much more—have been with us for a very long time. These problems exist in varying degrees in every country in the world. Every politician who has stood for election has promised to do something to alleviate or eliminate these evils. Despite the promises, these problems have not only remained but often have gotten worse.  Recall these promises and ask yourself, has the general quality of your life improved or deteriorated? The truth is that these social ill evils are still present. In fact, conditions have gone right on getting worse and worse. Despite the best of intentions, no politician can prevent conditions for workers from worsening. Politicians persist in dealing with effects and ignoring the cause.

So great is our capacity to produce an abundance that we can easily ensure that our youth will be educated, the aged provided for, and the sick given the finest care possible. All this will be done without depriving anyone of a fair and more than adequate share. It will not be charity but the rightful share of every human being in the affluent socialist society. In the socialist abundance and cooperation, we shall achieve the highest standards of mental health and physical well-being. We shall enjoy great material well-being individually and collectively, but it will not be at anyone else’s expense. We shall be secure, healthy, happy human beings living in peace, harmony, and freedom, in marked contrast to the capitalist jungle of strife, misery, and insecurity in which we live today. In a socialist society, there can be no poverty or involuntary unemployment. The more producers, the better for all. Technological improvements will be a further blessing. The greater the number of workers, the better the tools, the more modern the methods, the greater and more varied will be the wealth we can produce, and the shorter the hours each of us will have to work. We shall all be useful producers, each contributing his or her fair share to the total product. In return, each of us will receive directly and indirectly all that we produce. 

 Socialism is a society of peace, plenty, and universal freedom.