Recently released data from the Bureau
of Labor Statistics show that workers’ share of the U.S. national
income has decreased significantly during the economic crisis. At the
same time, corporate profits are exploding, reaching $1.67 trillion
in the third quarter of 2010.
This illustrates a key feature of the
capitalist system: The interests of workers and capitalists are
opposed and irreconcilable. As the recent data show, less wealth for
the working class means more wealth for capitalists.
It also disproves the myth that
economic growth is good for workers and bosses alike. The BLS data
show that the most precipitous decline in workers’ share of the
national income occurred between 2002 and 2007, when the economy was
expanding.
Aside from nature’s contribution, the
working class creates all the wealth of society, but the capitalists
appropriate the goods and services we produce for their own profit.
We will not enjoy the full fruits of our labor until the capitalist
system itself is overthrown.
