Celebrating, and fighting For Workers

ACCORDING TO THE THEORY BEHIND CAPITALISM, as long as everybody behaves in a rational, reasonable manner, economically, in his or her own best interests, capitalism works. And that right there, dear reader, is the problem with capitalism. When is the last time you saw anybody acting rationally lately? All kidding aside, people demonstrably do not always act in their own best interests; they drink like sailors, and spend money on booze and other crazy, irrational pursuits. Most people squander a good part of their personal wealth. Adam Smith, the godfather of modern capitalism, understood that. That's why he was careful to point out that the government exists, should exist, for the primary reason of protecting the average citizen, the worker. Any government action on behalf of the poor is beneficial, said Smith, and any government action on behalf of the wealthy businesses is undesirable. Smith wrote "The Wealth of Nations" in 1776 mainly to protest against European governments assisting the big corporations (mercantilism) and aiding them in exploiting the working poor. In perfect, theoretical, government-less, free market capitalism, the workers get paid exactly what they produce, with profit for the owner. but perfect markets do not exist, can never exist. There are too many unintended factors that get in the way. In reality, all throughout the history of capitalism since 1750 or so, the workers have been, in general severely exploited. A quick history of the labor movements in Europe and the United States plainly show a constant struggle of the working class against extreme exploitation by the wealthy owner class. Even a cursory glance at contemporary America reveals this. The current federal minimum wage of seven twenty five clearly reveals the persistence of worker exploitation. On this labor Day it is appropriate to remember that the majority of working people have never been treated fairly, and history has been a long, slow, painful fight on the part of working people to achieve basic fair treatment. Let us together celebrate the dignity and nobility of labor. Workers of the world unite; celebrate your own worth, and work together to make it even greater.