Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-10-05
Technocracy Bids
For Mass Support
BY JOHN THOMAS PAINE

Teehnocracy, as represented by the COntin-
entail Committee, the commOnest variety in the
Northwest is making bid for mass support.
In order to win the support of any considerable
number of people, 1t is necessary, of course. to
make them believe that Technocraey will serve
their economic interests. Consequently, the
leaders of Technocracy thunder against the
price system" and pretend to show great con-
Germ over the misery of the workers poor farm
ers and the ruined lower middle class
This Technocratic weeping is distinguished
chiefly by its crocodile tears, but nevertheless
such demagogy is capable of misleading. Its
danger lies in halfradieal set of phrases. in
a mild denunciatiOn of crop-destruction and
restricted industrial production as something
stupid" and finally the rosy promise of $1,000
a year income for everybody.
But the proof of the pudding is in the eat
ing The Continental Committees plan of
Plenty" pamphlet, the bible of Teehnocracy, is
checked against another. A great pow-wow is
carried on over "ergs' electrical dollars" an
economy of abundance" and other theoretical
hocus-pOcus. These things, it is hoped by the
leaders, will persuade people that TechnOcracy
is the creation of intellectual giants In plain
Idtt HOHtNtl lHcSt WOIuS IepItstHl Oily mass
of confusion which is intended to breed more
confusion and inactiOn at the very moment
when these exploited people should be occu-
pied with the problems of class action against
the capitalist enemy.
The TechnOcrats blame our social miseres
on the price system" i.e., the system of private
capitalism or the profit system as it functions
in what they call an economy of abundance"
the result of highly developed industry and
mechanical agriculture. In plain words this
simply means the breakdown OF capitalism.
Now what does TechnOcracy propose to do?
Why, acquire the factories etc, and operate
them "for the benefit of the entire population"
This sounds good, but how is it to be done?
The answer is to buy out the present owners
Everything is to be done in strictly legal,
constitutional manner. If this were done Ia flat
impossibility) the capitalists would still have
the population in bondage in paying the debt,
and these same parasites would suck the peO-
pies blood. The capitalists are not to be inter-
fered with in the enjoyment of their enormous
incomes, as is stated (Plan of Plenty D. 81:
Since it is important to keep goods moving,
and factories producing during the transitional
period, it is advisable to protect present own
ers OF income bearing property from curtail-
ment of their expenditures for consumption of
goods and services"
So Technocracy promises to guarantee the
continuance of present incomes to the capitalist
class.
Because labor is the source of all wealth,
the capitalist gets his present enormous in
come through exploiting creative labor, and to
guarantee the continuance of this income is
simply to guarantee the capitalists power to
exploit labor.
There is no amount of squirming that can
get the Technocrats out of this difficulty. There
can be no transition" to industry run in the
interest of the whole population so long as the
capitalists incomes are guaranteed. Even at the
present time the government does not guaran-
tee these incomes. To have the state pledge
itself to pay these incomes regardless of every
thing, is simply to rivet heavier chains of slavery
upon the masses.
This is Technocracy's great promise of plen-
ty': Plenty of income for the capitalists and
more than plenty of slavery for the masses.
This is part of the program of Shwellenback,
Stevenson, Commonwealth Builders & Co. By
it they hope to fool the people into giving them
mass support.
Get an income of $4,000 year by seeing that
Rockefeller, Morgan and all the other rObber
barons do not lose cent of theirs! Great stuff!