Is America Heading Towards the Tyranny of Underemployment, Unemployment, and a Disappearing Middle Class
by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny
Capitalism is the economic system responsible for the United States of America becoming the great economic power it did. Our democratic republic is the system of government that gave us great liberty and freedom from oppressive governmemnt. The dynamics of the two systems together gave us the greatest middle class the world has ever seen and resulted in a measure of economic freedom only dreamed about in other lands.
Today these realities seems to be rapidly slipping away. Perhaps We the People took too much for granted, and thought we need not keep a watchful eye on government. The result over time has been an unholy alliance between corporations and government. The crony capitalism, corporatism, government bailouts of private sector companies, the impact of pull peddlers and lobbyists has changed the dynamics of our once capitalist system and our democratic republic form of governmemnt. We are heading towards a fascist oligarchy.
Tyranny can be defined in many ways I suppose. When one who enjoyed a comfortable middle class life style finds themselves financially strapped because they lost their job through no fault of their own, and can't find another well paying job because no one is hiring, well... I guess it could be considered the tyranny of a possibly approaching poverty.
We hear about the 9.1% unemployment rate in the country and we see how things haven't improved. That unemployment number folks is a bogus number, and we all know it. The real unemployment numbers are upwards of 16%. If I were a betting man I'd bet we will see an unemployment figure of 20% plus before this great recession burns itself out. That of course is making the assumption it will. The possibility exists it may not.
Our nation is without a doubt undergoing tremendous fiscal and political strain. The Tea Party movement and now OWS are both indicators of these growing realities.
Americans innately understand there are serious fiscal, tax, regulatory, and governance issues that s must be dealt with if we are to preserve our economic place in the world. Most importantly they understand the need for businesses provide the opportunity for good paying secure jobs upon which the can build a future for themselves and their family.
There is room for both the wealthy class of Americans and a broad and successful middle class to flourish together. After all it was the contributions of the wealthy industrialists, the bricklayers and carpenters, the iron and steel workers, the engineers and scientists, the machinists and plumbers, the auto makers and the construction workers, and the list goes on that resulted in our nation's rapid growth. Unified in a common cause to build a better future for all... this nation did great things.
It is now the 21st century. Globalization, as inevitable as it was should not deter us from rising to the modern realities of our present day existence and proving yet once again we are a truly exceptional people.
But of course first we must begin to realize and accept that the rational self interest of all Americans rest in a strengthening and expansion of the middle class I was fortunate enough to spend my entire life enjoying. Today that same reality does not exist for many. Through no fault of their own.
Ayn Rand taught what rational self interest meant, and its value to an individual. The realities of my business and personal life only served to solidify the validity of Rand's teaching, and that rational self interest can and should be applied to matters of national interest as well.
So crony capitalists, corporatist(s), oligarchs, and statist beware. Because the current mood of the American people is not moving in your favor. Continuing to divide, with the idea of ultimately controlling all the wealth and power is not in your rational self interest. It will backfire. As all ill conceived and irrational things eventually do.
Oh, and one more thing. To accomplish breathing new life into our national well being WILL require, whether both sides of the political aisle like it or not, actually sitting don with the intention of fining common ground and working out the myriad of problems our nation faces. Just a hint... Think long term.
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny
Today these realities seems to be rapidly slipping away. Perhaps We the People took too much for granted, and thought we need not keep a watchful eye on government. The result over time has been an unholy alliance between corporations and government. The crony capitalism, corporatism, government bailouts of private sector companies, the impact of pull peddlers and lobbyists has changed the dynamics of our once capitalist system and our democratic republic form of governmemnt. We are heading towards a fascist oligarchy.
Tyranny can be defined in many ways I suppose. When one who enjoyed a comfortable middle class life style finds themselves financially strapped because they lost their job through no fault of their own, and can't find another well paying job because no one is hiring, well... I guess it could be considered the tyranny of a possibly approaching poverty.
We hear about the 9.1% unemployment rate in the country and we see how things haven't improved. That unemployment number folks is a bogus number, and we all know it. The real unemployment numbers are upwards of 16%. If I were a betting man I'd bet we will see an unemployment figure of 20% plus before this great recession burns itself out. That of course is making the assumption it will. The possibility exists it may not.
Our nation is without a doubt undergoing tremendous fiscal and political strain. The Tea Party movement and now OWS are both indicators of these growing realities.
Americans innately understand there are serious fiscal, tax, regulatory, and governance issues that s must be dealt with if we are to preserve our economic place in the world. Most importantly they understand the need for businesses provide the opportunity for good paying secure jobs upon which the can build a future for themselves and their family.
There is room for both the wealthy class of Americans and a broad and successful middle class to flourish together. After all it was the contributions of the wealthy industrialists, the bricklayers and carpenters, the iron and steel workers, the engineers and scientists, the machinists and plumbers, the auto makers and the construction workers, and the list goes on that resulted in our nation's rapid growth. Unified in a common cause to build a better future for all... this nation did great things.
It is now the 21st century. Globalization, as inevitable as it was should not deter us from rising to the modern realities of our present day existence and proving yet once again we are a truly exceptional people.
But of course first we must begin to realize and accept that the rational self interest of all Americans rest in a strengthening and expansion of the middle class I was fortunate enough to spend my entire life enjoying. Today that same reality does not exist for many. Through no fault of their own.
Ayn Rand taught what rational self interest meant, and its value to an individual. The realities of my business and personal life only served to solidify the validity of Rand's teaching, and that rational self interest can and should be applied to matters of national interest as well.
So crony capitalists, corporatist(s), oligarchs, and statist beware. Because the current mood of the American people is not moving in your favor. Continuing to divide, with the idea of ultimately controlling all the wealth and power is not in your rational self interest. It will backfire. As all ill conceived and irrational things eventually do.
Oh, and one more thing. To accomplish breathing new life into our national well being WILL require, whether both sides of the political aisle like it or not, actually sitting don with the intention of fining common ground and working out the myriad of problems our nation faces. Just a hint... Think long term.
It is already backfiring, Les. The Plutocratic crony crapitalists have crashed the system, and they are now trapped like the rats they are, with nowhere left to go.
ReplyDeleteWhen you look back through history, military empire is the number one killer of great nations. Few have been able to retract their over-extended military in time to reverse the consequences, Britain being the one modern exception to the rule.
ReplyDeleteWhen you look at military spending since WWII, you see the root of our ever-expanding debts and deficits. Yes, there are other causes - monetary policy, free trade, etc., but the military empire dwarfs all those - in fact, it dwarfs all other military spending throughout the entire world.
Federal entitlements are direct taxes, so the people see what they are paying and for what on every pay stub. They are truly democratic programs - at least in concept. Military spending is hidden in general treasury.
I wish we could agree to have a military payroll tax, so people could see just how much of their paycheck goes to the military empire.
Maybe then the jingoism would finally subside, and America could get back to investing in itself again. Because we can not grow without development, and developing other countries is not going to cut it.
JMJ
"I wish we could agree to have a military payroll tax, so people could see just how much of their paycheck goes to the military empire.
ReplyDeleteMaybe then the jingoism would finally subside, and America could get back to investing in itself again. Because we can not grow without development, and developing other countries is not going to cut it."
jmj - Interesting thoughts you have there. It is unfortunate more don't realize these facts and consider them in who they support for Congress, the Senate, and the Presidency.
But then again most people who run for national offices don't think this way.
Silver- I am not convinced that it really is backfiring yet. Not given the rhetoric of many of the potential Presidential candidates.
ReplyDeleteEven Obama is just a puppet controlled to a great degree by the monied puppeteers behind the curtain.
"When you look back through history, military empire is the number one killer of great nations."
ReplyDeleteJMJ, I agree with this statement as it's written, but the rest of your comment suggests that you think the U.S. is a military "empire" and you equate military spending with imperialism.
The U.S. is not imperialistic. It's one of the most ignorant lies told on the left and by some libertarians.
Jonah Goldberg had an editorial on this topic just yesterday, if you're interested in some contradictory evidence.
Heathen, American imperialism is a fact. It's not some academic theory. When you study American history, and our entanglements abroad, you see a powerful nation imposing itself on weaker states for resources and labor, over and over and over again. From the slave trade, to United Fruit, to the Vietnam war, to the very founding notions of Manifest Destiny, empire has always been there.
ReplyDeleteIt is most similar to the British Empire, and in that I feel some hope. The British were able to (relatively) successfully divest their empire and maintain their nation and culture. We could follow their example. It wasn't just WWII that move Britain that way, as it did the French, Dutch, and Italians. The British people came to realize the national cannibalism that is empire, and demanded it ended. This is why, if you ask a Brit, they will tell you Churchill was a great leader during WWII, but a completely out-of-touch, 19th century, Disraeli-esque failure afterwards.
You don't think we're an empire? Ask most the rest of the world. They'd disagree.
JMJ
"American imperialism is a fact."
ReplyDeleteSorry but no. We didn't invade Vietnam or Korea or Japan or Germany or Poland or Afghanistan or Iraq for their natural resources. Imperialists invade for resources.
We do not install our own people as leaders; we allow civilians to choose their leaders even when they are not friendly to the U.S.
I get the talking point, and I know there is a minority radical opinion that the U.S. is imperialist, but the U.S. does not meet any definition of imperialist.
If you don't like how involved we are in other nation's politics, if you don't like the ways we use our military, if you think we are too economically dominant in the world, please voice your complaints. But don't misappropriate the word "imperialist."
>It's not some academic theory.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! As if you would even know.
Jersey said: "When you look at military spending since WWII, you see the root of our ever-expanding debts and deficits. Yes, there are other causes - monetary policy, free trade, etc.,"
ReplyDelete1) The military budget is STILL just a small perecentage of the entire budget. Consider that the entire Iraq and Afghanistan wars since they started in 2001 TOTAL are the same as the amount President Obama chooses to run up in new national debt IN JUST ONE YEAR.
2) Free trade improves the situation overall. It is insane to pay way too much for stuff out of bigoted nationalist/racist reasons. The best deal, which free trade rewards, lowers costs and improves the economy.
---------------
"Heathen, American imperialism is a fact."
Now you are totally nuts. American imperialism ended around the time of WW2. You really have no idea what you are talking about in all of your examples. "to the Vietnam war"? That was a failed effort at anti-imperialism. The USSR took over North Vietnam. We tried to help South Vietnam fight off an extension of that annexation, and failed. You are rewriting history. The Soviet conquest of South Vietnam was a very bloody holocaust. And when the US troops left? The Vietnamese did not say "Yankee go home". They tried to leave WITH us. As South Vietnam fell to the invasion from the North in as brutal a fashion as Poland fell to Nazi Germany.
If you look at history from an accurate and factual basis, you will find precious few examples of American imperialism after WW2.
The US is not an empire, despite the uninformed ravings of a few people you might find in the world who don't know history or definitions.
Heathen said: "I get the talking point, and I know there is a minority radical opinion that the U.S. is imperialist, but the U.S. does not meet any definition of imperialist."
ReplyDelete"But don't misappropriate the word "imperialist."
Is it too much to ask for accuracy from JMJ? I think it is. It sounds like he is reading from a 1987-era Soviet text book. You know, from an actual imperialist power. One which labeled efforts of the US to stay independent and to help other nations stay independent as "imperialism".
JMJ should realize that Brezhnev-era lies don't fly anymore.
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ReplyDeleteWe have a crumbling infrastructure, too many crappy schools, and way too many teen-aged girls having children (I'm obviously not running for office). Until we fix these problems (and God only knows how), I really don't think that it matters much who we elect anymore. Sadly.
ReplyDeleteThere s an old saying, goes something like this... A fish rots from the head down.
ReplyDeleteOn that basis I must respectfully differ Will.