Reply #66: Of course

[manic expression]

it is possible for small businesses to survive, and possibly thrive, but small businesses a.) will never have the same power and influence and control as big businesses (the bourgeoisie) do; b.) will only be able to find niches and use them to stay afloat. These two points (among others) are essential, in that small businesses are what they are, and that is nothing remotely close to the force that the bourgeoisie is. It would be foolish to pretend small businesses don't exist, but it is a mistake to think of them as having a very significant role in society when it seems that big businesses do.

Also, for a small business to do well, it is up against enormous odds. That, in itself, is significant and is indicative of a system that is unacceptable.

First, if you define exploitation simply as being poor, that is not getting entirely all of the picture. While I would reserve "exploitation" for cases where it is more appropriate, a well paid worker still has their labor sold, which means many things. First, the wage can change; second, the labor of the worker is still being used by someone else (which is technically "exploitation", although I won't call it that), which lends for an unequal relationship between employer and employee (Marx said that even if workers got the same wage as their managers, it still wouldn't solve all the problems). So while good wages are great and beneficial in every way, this only tells part of the story. In addition to a relatively well-to-do worker still selling their labor, an important factor to recognize is the fact that the US is seeing an influx of affluence due to its position in the world. Imperialist actions, such as the ones in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Chile, Greece, Cuba, Mexico, etc., etc.... have afforded the American market the ability to exploit other markets. The US creates the situation it wants in a certain market (through belligerent actions), and uses this situation to its advantage. Without imperialism, neoliberal trading policies and otherwise, workers would not be able to afford the benefits you cited.

I hope that makes sense. Thanks for the reply.