Political economy for poor Americans is being revisited as we are getting closer to the 2007 expiration of the Voting Rights for African Americans as well as the drop of liveable wages for that same group.

The Political Economy for Poor Americans: Then and Now

As I reflect on the structural imbalance of the political economy during and after the civil war in the United States, I think of the feudal system in Europe. Both system controlled the production of goods and services while maintaining a low quality of life for the farm workers or property-less workers.
In the United States, the issue of race, class and economic status seem to be a layer of distraction to the real truth, which is the owner of lands control the owner of no lands. Nevertheless, the lords in the United States were able to find a scapegoat, the Blacks possessed a double inferiority, they had neither political power nor economic power. Operating on this evidence, the political economy of the South was simple, exploiting the labor of the farmers, especially the Black farmers through the production of cotton. As the managers of the farms began to realize the profits gained through the harsh treatments of the cotton growers, they (managers) became more severe in exploiting the poor workers.
During my exploration of the various events that occurred at the plantation, I experienced a sense of shame for the cruelty and the greed shown by the landowners. They exploited the black female farmers even more than the black males, white males or females. I could not imagine how these minority groups were able to survive the marginalized lifestyle they were forced to live. The political economy in the South was modified when the North business owners promised to ameliorate the conditions of the slaves. However, this attempt proved to be a bluff. The lives of the poor did not transform. Their hopelessness did not stop. I am not proud of the excessive exploitation of young girls in the name of capitalism. I am not proud of knowing the sacrifice of the lives of slaves for the welfare of a few heartless capitalists. I am for a society where all the lies and layers of injustice are removed. I am for a capitalist system that rewards hard work on the basis of proportionate efforts. The abuses go on today at the dawn of the age of information. As a society, we failed to adjust the wage calculations resulting in trans- generational poverty in America. Families of farm workers, maids, drivers, among other service jobs are struggling to make ends meet in the largest economy in the world. In the information age, we must find ways to ensure that, for the first time, in American history, real wages can be earned based on the capacity of the worker to compile information effectively in order to maximize production, regardless of one’s social, racial or economic background, that is making livable wage available to all. If we realize that dream, then we can say that we have an effective capitalist system. When we can eliminate poverty and racial tensions based on equal opportunity for all, we can have a better political economy, a political economy that all Americans can be proud to embrace.
In 2007, the Voting Rights Act, should become a permanent right for African Americans. We should not turn back the clock. We should not revert to a political economy that resembled the feudal system of the Middle Ages. America must do better and can do better if we are to compete in the global economy. Voting rights and the right to a livable wage are indispensable to the survival of the capitalist system of today. A young inner-city black boy should not only hope to become a NBA star in a country that could offer so much more.
© 2001 Manes Pierre