TBD

TBD on Ning

This is an argument that will probably continue for the next 100 years.

What are your thoughts?

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/running-in-the-red-h...

Tags: Retirement, Taxes, War, entitlements

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Borrowing $363,000,000,000 from China, and $1,492,000,000,000 from Japan to fight the Iraq war didn't help matters much. Insisting on cutting taxes and/or continuing subsidies/bailouts for cash cows like oil companies and Wall Street only makes it worse. Expecting the elderly to give up health care and not get sick for the rest of their lives really won't make a dent in the debt, especially not when they stubbornly disobey conservative orders and start getting sick anyway. Donald Stupid Fucking Trump suggesting that this is all somehow CHINA's fault and announcing his if-elected intentions to default on the loans from them (And to hell with the consequences) would seem to be the icing on that shit cake - But I never underestimate the American people's ability to vote somebody into office who can make things UNIMAGINABLY worse.

 

(And no...That does NOT include Obama. Before you right-wingers who elected the goons that caused all of this wreckage reflexively leap to the attack. I was DEFINITELY referring to Dubya. It still amazes me the way the Dumb Right can wave off Bush's responsibility for this disaster and blame it all on Obama for not having fixed it by now. I know the classic mixture of sheer stupidity, craven ignorance and trying-to-dodge-the-blame cowardice when I see it. I was raised by catholics, and I'm quite familiar with the tell-tale signs.)

 

-manipulation of the economic system by Wall Street

and other bad capitalist economic practices

 

 

very nicely expounded on in: http://www.squidoo.com/No-more-american-dream

Capitalism relies on the idea that we are not enough in and of ourselves, but that we can increase our happiness by purchasing material goods. The root of this issue is that it depends on the consumers having little self esteem. It is the job of the advertising industry to force this idea into the mainstream. And then continually reinforce that if the last purchase bought no gain, the next one will. Similarly, modern managerial practices demean employees with base policies such as drug testing, broadcast suspicion, and micromanaging the work day for exactly the same reasons. It is intended that we continue to act as cogs in the capitalist machine whether or not it is just, or in our best interests.


The fact that advertising demeans the value of human life and emphasizes possessions over true self-created happiness highlights the parasitic nature of the capitalist system. It thrives on the sense of inadequacy that it creates and reinforces, thereby continuing a vicious cycle of resigned participation in American consumerism.


Capitalism is run by corporations which by nature exist solely and unapologetically to make a profit. These profits are generated by mass producing manufactured goods at the lowest possible cost then inflating the price when selling the goods back to the people who helped create them. Wall Streets demand for earning drives corporate direction but it would be wrong to say that corporations have no interest in the consumer. They are concerned with fulfilling the customer's every desire, for a price. And we pay dearly for the choices they offer.


Capitalism is said to provide the opportunity to achieve the American dream. With good work ethic, financial sense, and a little bit of luck, you too could become a wealthy entrepreneur. But this dream is hopelessly outdated and becoming increasingly difficult to achieve

Got that right. The "America" that was supposed to be the goal wasn't a Third-World wage-slave state, with a few plutocrats controlling every one else's well-being and happiness.

 

We irrevocably started downhill when we started shipping our jobs overseas - All, of course, in the name of a culture of money managers attaining "The American Dream". The analogy would be that of a herd of fleas that, instead of ingesting the blood they suck out of their host, spit it out, suck out more mouthfuls, spit THOSE out, and they all continue to do that until the host dies - And then they blame the host for letting them down, for not "working hard enough". Then the fleas, with totally clear consciences, go looking for another free ride.

In my opinion we started down this slippery slope with the election of Ronald Reagan. I also believe that Reagan, if he were still alive and able to reason,  would see that. But he did say "govenment is not the solution, government is the problem" and people bought it. It was also during his administration that deregulation fever took over and big business got bigger and more powerful.

It was also at this time that people on the right became convinced that cutting taxes would somehow raise revenue. It didn't work and the deficit began to grow by leap and bounds. In spite of the failure of these policies the right has continued to impliment them whenever they get the chance. They are also somehow able to convince large numbers of regular people to vote for them. Usually by using sound bites and outright lies.

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