Capitalism is the Cause, Socialism is the Solution

Today, thanks to capitalism, society stands divided into two distinct conflicting classes. Over two centuries of economic development under a system based on competition and production for private profit have divided society into a majority class of propertyless workers who must sell their labour power to survive, and a tiny minority class that owns and controls the means of life, lives off the labour of the majority and exercises virtual monopoly control over the reins of government. Through its control of the State and its coercive power, the capitalist ruling class subjects the rest of society to its private interest. At its behest, laws are written and workers are marched off to jail for any signs of opposition. With no solutions to its system and the problems it breeds, all the capitalist class can do is increase its political stranglehold and circumscribe individual rights and liberties. Politicians of all stripes jump at the opportunity to shore up capitalist rule.

The theft of time is important to the working class. The capitalist class steals more and more of the value of our labour, saps our energy and destroys our family ties, by confiscating our time. Now it wants to sell some of this time back to us -- at a profit, of course. What a scam! They steal our very lives from us and then try to sell it back to us, a piece at a time! This is such an old game -- to steal from a person and then sell the stolen goods back to the victim. Agents of the law used to hang people for doing exactly that. But in a capitalist society, the law is a servant of the ruling class, and such crimes go unpunished. 

What are we to do? If we managed to "reform" this particular bank, or even put it out of business altogether, the situation would not change. Another corporation, every bit as criminal, would take its place. What we need to do is to get rid of the capitalist system that depends on this type of theft to support profits. What we need to do is take control of the economy and design it according to socialist principles. Then we could all work much less than we do now, still produce enough to supply our needs and have time left over to devote to that neglected activity -- living. 

The democratically determined message of the Socialist Party is that it is still the only party educating and organising for the revolutionary self-emancipation of the workers, loud and clear. The Socialist Party stands fully vindicated today, having withstood every attack. Socialism constitutes the only hope of the world and we are privileged to play a part in bringing that hope to fruition.