AskProfWolff: Worker Co-ops in Massachusetts

A patron asks: "Prof. Wolff: Trump is depriving Massachusetts of supplies and equipment essential for coping with Covid-19. I imagine he's doing the same to other blue states. Could a state like Massachusetts foster the development of worker coops to produce these goods - in our current state of emergency?"

Follow Wolff ONLINE:

[B]

Good morning from the Midwest! (Cool threads, by the way). Purchased and I am currently indulging in "Contending Economic Theories (Neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxian)." Have learned more in the first three chapters than I gleaned from early 80s (high school/university) Economics classes--period. Of course, only the stagnant Macroeconomics/mandatory courses offered at that point in time, as in "What we didn't know wouldn't enlighten us, " apparently. Thank you, Dr. Wolff, for filling in that gap of nearly 40 years. #workingyourpurpose ;)

[antiwar]

Love listening to you Sir. Truthful, realistic, educated & sincere delivery. Bless you & yours ❤️ From New Zealand

[NoleYoda]

Support down ballot progressive candidates. We need more progressive people in Congress and in State Legislatures.

[trinamurray]

Democracy at work could we also start coops to clean the stores and streets

[joseperez]

Sounds fine but wouldn't it be better to create a worker coop to run airlines?

[miguelthealpaca]

Worker co-ops are still interested in profits and need to manage finances, so how are they going to help with stockpiling medical items? I can see how a lot of workers, rather than a few, would agree to help the rest of humanity rather than just themselves, but is there any other reason?

[pinnaclepottery]

Do we really need the federal government?

[nthperson]

One of the great historic advantages of the system of governance within the United States is the free movement of people and commerce anywhere within the nation (subject, of course, to reasonable oversight to protect the health and safety of citizens). The framers of this nation, who negotiated with one another to come up with the Constitution as the framework, thought of the states they represented as sovereign states and so forged a national government with limited authority to intervene in the affairs of the individual states. Much has changed, of course. The free exchange of goods and the free movement of people has expanded to a truly global circumstance. Today, every part of the globe is struggling to deal with invasive species and the invasive diseases they carry. On our own, we do not develop immunity or resistance except over many generations and large numbers of deaths among our populations. Medical science has advanced to (mostly) prevent the kind of death rates that occurred in the past when a pandemic occurred. The Second World War has meant constant preparation for an end of the world scenario caused by an exchange of nuclear weapons, and most nations have certainly devoted huge resources to biological and chemical weapons that will kill all life on the planet but leave our structures undamaged. But, we have been unwilling to devote the resources to anticipate and prepare for the kind of risks not associated with war.

[clarestucki]

For once Prof Wolff is spouting sense, rather than nonsense. He's advocating specialization and the other fundamentals that underlie the principle of the 'Law of Comparative Advantage', where every person, every region and every nation specializes in the areas where they have an economic "comparative advantage", such as large labor pool, natural resources, technical expertise, etc.

[aschu]

I wonder what wolff thinks about prices law. It's basically that the square root of the number of workers do half the amount of work. So if there are 25 employees than 5 people do half the work. If there are 100 employees then 10 people do half the work. Kind of throws a monkey wrench in his whole worker co OP thing.

[lloydmoore]

I wonder if the cost to live can't be lower? all of those brilliant economist do the math, the employers are crying not being able to pay more, the employees need the extra money to offset rising costs.every one keep running to the government.employer and employee, i thought capitalism was supposed to triumph over all according to free-market principles, what a failure, one can only say what you seeing.

[jgalt]

And now the numbers for the Italian area co-op of the region is co-op,
and produces 1/3 of it's GDP ( omitted by Wolff that looks like a 7% loss in real terms, to the region,
and since what GDP actually is has also been exposed, as providing an inaccurate economic picture as it
would apply to POSITIVE systemic gain, the reality does not reflect any sort of positive future, but a continually
worsening one.


Now for a real ask Prof Wolff question....Social Security did


The Social Security Act (1935 ) was one of the biggest scams ever perpetrated on the american people...as it pretends to be a it is in fact a tax on wages for employees, as well as a corresponding "excise tax" on employers.


It's real purpose was to provide complete information on both employees and employers through the w-4 with holding under penalty of perjury and treated as mandatory by employers even thought it's implementing regulation states it is voluntary.


w-4 Voluntary Withholding Agreements





The program itself did not begin until 1939, and since there would no benefits to be paid out, all of the money was available to the federal government to use any way it liked, and bonds deposited as an IOU ( accounting entry ).


The information, however, provided the means to impose an additional tax on wages, as income, which began with the "Victory Tax" in 1942, which was supposedly temporary, but never went away, and is now the present "income tax". ( wages were not taxable as income prior to 1939, and according to Title 26, are still not taxable as income, but this "statutory" reality is "buried" in Section 83, and is omitted if one attempts to discern "tax liability" by following the "legal arguments" used by IRS in the determination of who is liable. The section is "ignored" by the IRS, tax court, and so far the appellate courts of the 5th and Ninth circuits, and these cases will probably be denied cert by the Supreme Court, since they threaten, the entire "statutory" system, which replaced "law and equity" in 1939, and essentially rendered the "constitution" a dead letter, since those courts are essentially non existent, along with all enumerated rights, as well as any limitations on the authority of the federal government, and what remains of them are now, benefits, privileges and immunities which are slowly being eliminated, while allowing the pretext that "rights" still exist, and the "constitution" matters, when this has not been true for 80 years, and becoming more obvious.


The process itself was a gradual one, taking until 1970 to complete, and every year allowed the "fraud" to be perfected with sufficient complexity and propaganda, that the "general public" could not be motivated to examine the facts, even though conditions have worsened continually and have become "intolerable", and government is now FORCE and no longer has any claim to the "legitimate authority" were it to abide by the 'constitution" as intended.


Clearly the principle that "governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed" has become a bad joke, as is the notion that we are a government of, by and for the people.

[respobabs]

wolff is a grifter who asks for upwards of $5000 for speaking appearances