Economic Stimulus Package- Ha!

The country is currently entering a depression such as has not been seen since the Great Depression of almost one hundred years ago. The more honest of the bourgeois economists admit this, while qualifying the statement that this depression is expected to be more intense. In fact, they cannot see any way out of this depression, this crisis in capitalism, if only because there is none.

This has not stopped the monopoly capitalists, the imperialists, the bourgeoisie, from making an attempt. They have come up with a two trillion dollar -that is two thousand billion dollar- ”economic stimulus package”. This is tax payer money, which they do not have, which is being given away to citizens and businesses. Each American will receive a rather small check, that of their own taxpayer money, while the vast majority, the ”lions share”, will go to businesses. This is known as ”corporate welfare”.

These corporate welfare checks, to some of the biggest corporations in the country, as well as to ”small businesses”, are supposed to prop up these companies until the corona virus ”runs its course”, and things ”return to normal”. In the simplicity of their souls, the capitalists have defined any business which employs less than 500 workers as a ”small business.” Small business, indeed!

The idea is that the owner of a ”small business” will trust this ”mild recession” to be over in the third quarter, with a recovery ”later in the year”, as was predicted by a top economist. Accordingly, it is expected that this starry eyed optimistic businessman will keep paying his workers, even though they are idle, as well as paying the rent, utilities and taxes on all his stock and supplies, patiently waiting for the corona virus to run its course, the country to ”get back on its feet”, and customers to return. This begs the question: Just how stupid does the government think these ”small business owners”are?

All such business people are small time capitalists, petty bourgeois. This is not to suggest that they are entirely stupid, as they are not. They are well aware that it is the opinion of the more honest economists that we are entering a depression, things will never again return to ”normal”, and it is therefore time to ”cash in their chips”, otherwise known as ”liquidating”, ”cut their losses”, and ”run like hell”. In other words, they will fire their workers, close up shop, sell whatever they can for as much as they can, throw away the rest, and if need be, file for bankruptcy. At the same time, they will grab as much cash as they can, including the government hand outs. They would be fools to do anything less.

I have deliberately phrased this in very popular language, so that the average working person can understand it. It is very important. We are entering a depression, and we had best be prepared for the worst.

Allow me to stress that this crisis in capitalism, this depression, did not come about as a result of the corona virus. It is a natural result of the development of capitalism. As Marx pointed out, capitalism proceeds in a natural cycle of boom to bust. The boom is over, the bust is here, it is world wide, and in my opinion, there is no way the capitalists are going to get out of this one.

This brings us to the corporate executives, the ”big business” people. These are the people who control whole branches of industry, which include airlines, hotel chains, auto manufacturers, restaurant chains and various other branches of business. The idea that they are prepared to get their hands on tens and even hundreds of billions of dollars -this they refer to as capital- and waste it on ”stimulating the economy” -well, lets just say that the thought would never occur to them. It would simply never cross their mind. Instead, they are sure to look for opportunities elsewhere, probably overseas, with the idea of getting a better return on their invested capital. Bear in mind, this ”capital” is nothing more than American tax payer money, which has generously been donated to them, by Trump and the Washington politicians.

As a result of this ”economic stimulus package”, the country is being driven ever deeper into depression, ever closer to bankruptcy.

This in no way changes the fact that the most immediate, pressing concern, is that of dealing with the corona virus. The United States now has the dubious distinction of being the country with the greatest number of reported cases of people infected with the corona virus. The American medical system is in danger of collapse! The health care workers are exhausted. Many have come out of retirement to assist in the crisis. They are scrambling for personal protective equipment, risking their health, in danger of contracting the virus and spreading it to others, their families as well as other patients. There is a desperate shortage of ventilators. Refrigerator trucks are being pressed into service, in order to store the corpses, as the morgues are filled to overflowing. The hospitals are expected to run out of beds in a few days. They are expected to need over twice as many beds as they have now. The doctors are describing the situation in the hospitals as ”apocalyptic”.

As that is the case, the governors of the states which are most hard hit by the virus are appealing to the federal government for help. In other words, they are appealing to Donald Trump! There is no one more indifferent to their suffering than Donald Trump! His main concern, if not his only concern, is to funnel as much tax payer money as possible to the members of his class, the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. The suffering of the ”little guy”, the ”common people”, does not concern him.

In all fairness, it is true that Trump has activated the Defence Production Act, which gives him the authority to force businesses to produce emergency medical equipment, such as personal protective equipment, hospital beds and ventilators, among other items which are so desperately needed. He activated this Act under great pressure, but is reluctant to use it. The last thing he wants to do is to force corporations to produce such articles, as this ”smacks of socialism”.

In this, he has a point. Under socialism, or at least under scientific socialism, people are placed before profits! This stands in sharp contrast to capitalism, especially under the current state of medical emergency, where it is clear for all to see, that profits are placed before people!

It is very likely that Trump, as well as the journalists who report such news items, are not aware that they are condemning the system of capitalism!

The journalists are torn between reporting the devastation caused by the deepening depression, the havoc caused by the corona virus, and the glowing economic forecasts of the officials who serve the capitalists so fervently. The Treasury Secretary, Steve Mneuchin, says that the 3,280,000 new jobless claims, in merely one week, are ”not relevant”, that the ”fundamentals of the economy remain strong”. Tell that to the people who are now unemployed! Tell that to the millions more who are about to become unemployed!

Trump is living in his own little dream world, far removed from reality. His latest brain storm is to classify counties under new guide lines, that of ”low risk, medium risk and high risk”. The level of risk will in turn determine the degree of ”social distancing”, so that the economy can ”come raring back in time for Easter”. Perhaps he should relocate from the White House to the insane asylum.

In all fairness to Trump, he is aided in his delusions by the bourgeois belly crawling boot lickers. There is no shortage of the vermin, and they go to great lengths, even absurd lengths, to protect their lords and masters, the bourgeoisie. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve has announced that ”we may well be in a recession”. He went on to say that he expects a ”robust recovery in the fourth quarter”. To think that this is announced, by one of the most highly respected economists in the country, at the beginning of a depression!

At the rate the corona virus is spreading, it is very likely that soon, people will be dying while waiting to be admitted to hospitals. The hospital staff cannot provide them with beds which they do not have. Nor can they place them on ventilators, when they have no ventilators. It is doubtful that the family members, those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones, will take a great deal of comfort in the fact that the corporations were not forced to manufacture these medical items, as that smacks of socialism!

There is a limit to that which people are prepared to tolerate, and the American people are close to that limit. We are entering a depression, the corona virus is ravaging the country, common people are suffering terribly, the country is on the verge of bankruptcy, the medical system is about to collapse, and the only thing the government can think about is stimulating the economy!

It is clear that their idea of ”stimulating the economy” is merely giving the super rich, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, ever more billions! The country can go ”down the tubes”, but as long as the billionaires amass an even greater fortune, that is perfectly acceptable!

The differences now are at least sharp and clear. As Dickens would say, ”it was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. He was of course referring to the situation in France at the time of the French revolution, in which the nobility never had it so good -the best of times- and the ”lower classes”, the peasants and workers, never had it so bad -the worst of times.

A similar situation now exists in America. In this country, the nobility was overthrown many years ago, but they have been replaced by the bourgeoisie, a class which is every bit as reactionary as the nobility. The peasants are almost completely wiped out, and now the middle class, the petty bourgeois, is following suit, being forced into the ranks of the working class, the proletariat. One difference between America of today and France at the time of Dickens, is the fact that the class conflict is now much simpler. Now there is essentially two classes, the working class or proletariat, and the capitalist class, or bourgeoisie. All other classes have been destroyed.

The country is a ”powder keg”, set to explode. A spontaneous uprising, a revolution, could break out any day. As yet, the working class is not aware of itself as a class, not aware that it is at war with the capitalist class, the bourgeoisie. This awareness can only come from Marxists. It is up to Marxists to make the proletariat aware of the fact that it is destined to overthrow the bourgeoisie, smash the existing state apparatus and crush that class of parasites, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

As yet, the Marxists are not providing that service. For that reason, I can suggest that working people who are reading this article make haste to educate yourselves. Time is not on our side, so by all means, read the Essential Works of Lenin. That should provide workers with a solid background in Marxist theory.

A Communist Party is desperately needed. It must be exclusive, restricted to only the most dedicated Marxists, those who are committed to revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

During the time of revolution, leaders will emerge. These leaders will be true Marxists or they will be totally unprincipled, those committed to seizing the opportunity to set themselves up as the new rulers. As we live in a class society, those are the options. Proletarian or bourgeois, there is no middle ground.

Now that this depression is destroying so many members of the petty bourgeois, the middle class, perhaps those among you who are Marxists will become active and carry the message to the working class. That is up to you. Bear in mind that in a revolution, no one can remain ”neutral”, or ”straddle the fence”. The last thing you want is to become a target of the revolution.

In summary, the ”battle lines are being drawn”. It is workers versus billionaires, proletariat versus bourgeoisie. Socialism or capitalism, a war to the finish. No quarter. Victory or death. The working class has nothing to lose but its chains.