America Has The Government We Deserve
“Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.” — George Bernard Shaw
How Much More Is America Going To Take?
ISMS, ISMS Everywhere!
There have been a lot of big scary words thrown around the last few months everything from SOCIALISM!, COMMUNISM!, MARXIST!, FASCISM! YIKES! Those are some scary “ISMS”! The Reality is most Americans couldn’t explain the difference between these “ISMS” if their life depended on it, which I guess explains why these fringe groups accuse our president of being them all, even though they are contradictory philosophies! But that doesn’t matter because we know one thing… WE HATE ALL THOS “ISMS” and love CapitalISM and free marketISM! So Turn off the brains and SHOUT! Oh and paint big red letters on poster boards!
Shhhhh! Don’t tell these people, all americans are all secret socialists! With Our Police Departments, Fire Departments, Public Highways & Roads, Postal Service, City Governments, Public Education, Public Libraries, Parks, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, HUD, Unemployment Insurance, Education Grants, Business Grants, Minimum Wage, Graduated Income Tax, Disability, Public Utilities, Science Grants, Labor Unions. I could keep going, but in America Socialism seems like something people aspire too! When you reach 65 years of old, you are eligible for Social Security and Medicare! So I guess, Socialism is a reward for surviving till 65 years in the United States.
You can’t throw a rock without hitting a Republican that would love to make the claim that America is the BEST country on the planet! YET not be able to explain WHY they believe AMERICA is the best, besides WE SAY SO? They have been fed and dare I say INDOCTRINATED to believe that everything America does is always right and justified! We are always the good guys! DAMN! Anyone that would criticize this great nation and find ways that America could possibly be better is Nation. This got me thinking what really makes a country great? Is it the Wars they Fight? The Type of Government they have? How they Treat their enemies? The Freedoms they provide? The Countries they Help? The Opportunities they provide? Is it the legacy they will be remembered for?
What about the Quality of Life they Provide?
So does America have the best Health Care?[*] Well most Americans know the answer to that question, we are somewhere around 37 in the world and dropping. But what is with the claim by the conservatives like Glenn Beck that say leaders from other country come here for medical care? Well he is right, 30 of the top 50 best hospitals in the world are in the U.S, to go even futher the top 6 in the world are all in the U.S.![*] So we have the best hospital facilities, doctors, nurses in the world, yet we allow 120 people die every day from not having proper health care? How does that make us the best? Does any middle class family benefit from knowing that the rich and elite in our country have the advantage of getting taken care of by the best hospitals in the world, while most of us go to small Kaiser Clinic where we need to fight for any specialist care? NO!
Ok so America doesn’t have the best Health Care, we have some awesome hospitals only most of America have no access to them. But what about our quality of life, obviously we have capitalism and our quality of life is better then everyone else RIGHT? Actually NO, We are 13th overall in quality of life, Norway has the best quality of life in the world.[*] I guess, I am just confused about what gives us the right to make the claim, We are the best country in the world? We are like the school yard bully that will beat you up if you don’t say we are the BEST! I think it is just arrogant propaganda without any substance! I saw and example of this last week after I attended an amazing Pearl Jam concert at the Gibson Amphitheater here in Los Angeles. I was waiting for the crowd to disperse when I heard a couple start talking to the two guys who sat in front of me. They asked them where they were from and one of the guys said, Canada. The Woman replies by saying “I am Sorry!” My jaw hit the floor!, I couldn’t help but, pipe up! I said, “Are you kidding me? Canada has the 4th best quality of life in the world, America should be more like Canada”. I apologized to the guys for the arrogant American!
Ok so America doesn’t have the best Quality of Life or Health Care, but surely we great because of Democracy right? Maybe Not..
Welcome To The Plutonomy Machine
What is a Plutonomy? Well Let’s let Citigroup explain it.
“Our whole plutonomy thesis is based on the idea that the rich will keep getting richer. This thesis is not without its risks. For example, a policy error leading to asset deflation, would likely damage plutonomy. Furthermore, the rising wealth gap between the rich and poor will probably at some point lead to a political backlash.Whilst the rich are getting a greater share of the wealth, and the poor a lesser share, political enfrachisement remains as was – one person, one vote (in the plutonomies). At some point it is likely that labor will fight back against the rising profit share of the rich and there will be a political backlash against the rising wealth of the rich. This could be felt through higher taxation (on the rich or indirectly though higher corporate taxes/regulation) or through trying to protect indigenous laborers, in a push-back on globalization – either anti-immigration, or protectionism.We don’t see this happening yet, though there are signs of rising political tensions.” - Secret Citigroup Memo March 5 2006
I have attached a letter put out by Citigroup, which was featured in the Michael Moore Documentary Capitalism: A Love Story. These “leaked” letters were only sent to the Citigroup “elite”, and boast that America has turned from a Democracy into a Plutonomy. What is a Plutonomy? It is a return the Guilded Age where the Robber Barrons ruled the country. Where the Rich Get Richer and the Poor get Poorer. These letters basically lay out how a society could be stupid enough to allow this type of system to continue and exam other failed Plutonomies and how they can continue to preserve this system in America!
Perhaps one reason that societies allow plutonomy, is because enough of the electorate believe they have a chance of becoming a Plutonomy participant. Why kill it off, if you can join it? In a sense this is the embodiment of the “American dream”. But if voters feel they cannot participate, they are more likely to divide up the wealth pie, rather than aspire to being truly rich.
Ahhh so I get it, for one group of middle class mules you hold out the “AMERICAN DREAM” carrot to keep the plutonomy cart moving and for the the other more religious middle class mules you hold out the “FAMILY VALUES” carrot! It all suddenly becomes crystal clear! American will put up with just about any abuse and even vote against their own interested, if you stuff them full of Hope that the hated abortions will be outlawed and Gays will never be able to marry, and for the other poor saps, make them think they have shot of being one of the Plutonomy participant!
“Countries and regions that are not plutonomies: Scandinavia, France, Germany, other continental Europe (except Italy), and Japan.”
Now for me, France sticks out the most in that group, because they have had several revolutions since we established our country. These are the people America made fun of because they didn’t want to run into the quagmire that is the Iraq War. Why was the French Government so afraid? Because in France, the Government serves the people instead of the people serving their Government and it Plutonomy ruling class. No massive bail outs for French Corporations, because their people would burn down their Parliament building! In America, keeping the people afraid and getting them to believe you are the only one that can protect them is a lucrative political strategy! I am beginning to think we need to change our national anthem from, “the home of brave”, to “the home of paranoid”. Which doesn’t quite have the same ring, but rings much more true to reality. So until America, quits wasting their votes on hot button topics which will never go away and demands that their government regardless of the political party quit selling them out the the Plutonomy Machine that is Wall Street and Big Biz, WE DESERVE THE GOVERNMENT WE GET!
Citigroup Oct 16 2005 Plutonomy Report Part 1
Citigroup – Mar 5 2006 – Plutonomy Report Part 2
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Yep, I want the teabaggers to cough up the sheckles for FedEx every time they send their inbred (not-so)grand-children a birthday card.
“They have been fed and dare I say INDOCTRINATED to believe that everything America does is always right and justified!”
It’s called Manifest Destiny, and its been around since the expansion west of this country. Now, we (the “middle class”) are the Natives, while the big corporations are the “conquering Americans”. We have to get out of the mentality that they have the right to do this. Sad, but true…we are just as much a part of this and need to finally grow some balls and stand up to them.