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[Flying Circus:]The difference in wages should be purely a function of the difference in productivity and quality, if the third world worker can deliver the same quality and productivity then they wages should be equal. The American worker should only earn twenty times the wage if a third world worker if they can be twenty times as productive.

The main error of the freetraders is that they see the human labor as a mere commodity. They see the wages as a cost, as a necessary EVIL. The profit for the owners they see as a gain, as GOOD.

This is the foundation and declaration of the class warfare: One class of human beings is depicted as a burden almost like parasites the other more fortunate as the embodiment of merit and virtue.

The efforts of the working men should be seen as something noble, as creative activity of their minds, bodies and souls. They should not be forced into subsistence level by the merciless competition.

In this aspect slavery was superior to the free market fundamentalism. Slave owners could not HIDE (before others and before their own consciences) the fact that they BENEFIT from the labor of slaves, and that they OWE them moral debts as to fellow human beings. When slaves were sick or infirm owners had to provide for them, they were obliged to make sure that they do not go hungry and that they get enough rest.

The free market racket disguises the relationships which are inter PERSONAL under the cover of pseudo-scientific abstractions. It changes people into mere THINGS.

The efforts of the working men should be seen as something noble, as creative activity of their minds, bodies and souls.

BRAVO!

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness -- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it

My Dear Herr Marx:

I was rather astonished to discover, upon reading you latest missive, that the rumors of your death were greatly exaggerated. I am impressed that you remain as spry as ever, even at the age of 187. Will the miracles of modern medicine never cease?

Just a few minor points before I go on my way back to my business endeavors.

1. Capitalists do not view labor as evil, nor do they view it as a commodity. It is work - human activity that adds value by creating products and services for people.

2. As you note, profit is good. It is the reward one gets for taking risk.

3. People who offer their services in a free market are not slaves or servants - they are traders. Work - and you are paid. You do not need to work for me or anyone in a free society. If you choose, you can learn how to create things that other people desire. If you choose, you may risk your capital by creating a business and hiring others to work for you in order to create value that did not exist before. If you make a profit - you have earned it.

4. The honest efforts of working people is always noble because it reflects the desire to earn things rather than demand them by reason of need. One person's need is not a claim on another's rights. There is a name for the activity that results from such a belief: it is called Theft.

5. Every advance in the human condition since the beginning of time is due to three things: the rule of law, the right of property, and the free exercise of the human mind. These have been guaranteed in practice only by constitutional republics, democratic institutions, and by competition.

6. People who take risks that others do not, and work harder than others do, and make better choices and plan more effectively than other people are entitled to the fruits of their labors. To involuntarily deprive them of such, (as is most often accomplished in this world by threat of force) is to enslave them. The purpose of such thievery matters not: the essential nature of one's action is not changed or ennobled by motive.

I certainly trust your living conditions have improved marginally since I last heard from you in the 1880's, and please send my regards to Herr Engels (assuming that the old man is still with us).

Regards,
Andy

The efforts of the working men should be seen as something noble, as creative activity of their minds, bodies and souls. They should not be forced into subsistence level by the merciless competition.

I'm with ya, buddy! I think a lot of the times, people who do not see or understand what you just posted are just as guilty of class warfare as Karl Marx is. In short, I do see a lot of the "Ayn Rand," free trader types as sort of the different side of the same coin where Marx is heads and Rand is tails. In a way, they bring it upon themselves, Marx is wrong but I don't deny that his works were a counter reaction to the abuses of the time. You have a choice between the two of getting shot in the left or right hand basically. Put it another way, they both see human beings as a commodity, a resource and ignore the spiritual aspects of all of this.

All workers from the CEO to the janitor add value. The ratio of value added to wage is a key metric (but is very, very difficult to measure!). In a healthy cooperation, the focus should be on improving the value add of ALL employees. The CEO should come under the most scrutiny and the top 10% of wage earners should be managed on an "up or out" basis. Any CEO who views profit as good no matter how it was gotten (or, witnessing recent accounting scandals, how REAL it is!) and all labor / overhead as evil is essentially a simpleton and has no place being a CEO. Sadly, all too many corporations have apparently given up on these sorts of simple and effective standards. Ultimately, I say, shame on the boards of directors and shame on shareholders for not cracking the whip.