Big-Time Trouble, but Why Worry?

[Guest guest]

http://www.alternet.org/story/23670/

 

Big-Time Trouble, but Why Worry?

 

By Molly Ivins, AlterNet. Posted July 22, 2005.

 

 

 

As most of the country focuses almost entirely on social issues and

culture wars, our economic problems are threatening to bring the

country down by its foundations.

 

 

If you had done a poll in November 2000, or in November 2004, I don't

think you would have gotten out of single digits with this

proposition: " George W. Bush wants to radically revise American law,

including complete repeal of the New Deal, and take us back to the

economic legal system that prevailed at the turn of the 19th century

-- Robber Barons Redux. "

 

During the past five years, both media and political circles have

devoted an enormous amount of attention to social issues and culture

wars -- rise of the Christian Right, anti-abortion groups, our debates

over moral decline and moral relativism, prayer in the schools, school

vouchers, displaying the Ten Commandments, sex and violence in

entertainment, bias in the news media, gay marriage and all the rest

of it. I sometimes think all of it amounts to a bunch of people

saying, " The world would be a much better place if everybody else

thought exactly the same way I do. " Reminds me of Dr. Henry Higgins in

his famous philosophical disquisition, " Why Can't A Woman Be More Like

A Man? " Higgins finally discovers the ultimate problem: " Why can't a

woman be more like ME? "

 

Then, of necessity, we have spent huge amounts of time on Sept. 11,

terrorism, Iraq, and related and ancillary problems. It is not

necessary to review the bidding here, but Iraq is becoming as divisive

and unpopular as the Vietnam War.

 

While we have been absorbed in the silly circus of cultural issues and

the riveting questions of the war, we've also been getting our pockets

picked. Big time. I am impressed that cartoonist Lloyd Dangle in the

strip " Troubletown " managed to get the whole problem into 12 panels,

each announcing some piece of economic news accompanied by an American

saying, essentially, " What, me worry? " The U.S. is over $7 trillion in

debt (no problem); China buys $1 billion worth of U.S. treasury bills

a day (thanks for floating us); Americans love the prices at Wal-Mart

(made in China, cute!); the Chinese save 50 percent of their domestic

product; the average American has $9,000 on his credit cards; our

economy is fueled by a fragile housing bubble; the minimum wage is

$5.15 per hour ... ; taxpayers who earn over $1 million saved $30K

under Bush tax cuts; the war in Iraq costs $9 billion a month; by

2040, our kids will be unable to do more than pay the interest on the

national debt ... ; bankruptcy reform makes it impossible to escape

your debts; in Darfur [sudan], people earn $1.25 a day.

 

For those who prefer to get their economic news from a more

respectable source than a cartoon, I recommend Bill Greider's op-ed

article in the July 18 New York Times, " America's Truth Deficit. " He

begins with the startling thesis that we face structural economic

problems as serious as those that destroyed the late Soviet Union and

that, like the USSR before its breakup, our leaders cannot talk about

these problems honestly. " [Our] weakening position in the global

trading system is obvious and ominous, yet leaders in politics,

business, finance and the news media are not willing to discuss

candidly what is happening and why. Instead they recycle the usual

bromides about the benefits of free trade and assurances that

everything will work out for the best. "

 

It is a curious thing that as the disadvantages and, indeed, perils of

globalization become clearer and the subject of ever-more worried

books by respected economists, the mainstream media keep treating the

whole problem as though it were about a bunch of protesters in turtle

costumes at the G8 summit. If it were not for Lou Dobbs on CNN, one

would never even hear it mentioned on television.

 

Forget what the Supreme Court thinks about teaching creationism in the

schools: Think about what it will contribute to the spiraling

disasters of globalization by dismantling the entire economic

regulatory system built up over the past 100 years. As Greider notes,

" Washington defines 'national interest' primarily in terms of

advancing the global reach of our multinational enterprises. " Problem

is, our multinational corporations increasingly work against the

interests of Americans themselves. In addition to outsourcing jobs,

the companies locate sham headquarters in off-shore tax havens to

avoid paying taxes. The only restraints we have ever had on

multinational corporations are government regulation and the right to

sue the bastards for the various kinds of harm they cause. It is

precisely those two forms of control that are being not just

undermined but tossed out entirely by an increasingly activist

right-wing judiciary.

 

Recommended reading: Greider's " One World, Ready Or Not " ; David

Korten's " When Corporations Rule the World " ; and Paul Krugman's " The

Great Unraveling. "

 

Molly Ivins writes about politics, Texas and other bizarre happenings.

[Guest guest]

It's appalling and depressing to hear Ms Ivins suggest that we had no way of

knowing what a scoundrel Bush would turn out to be. That Bush was a dangerous

fool, was instantly obvious to me, the first moment I saw him, in 1999. This

absolutely did not require some sort of penetrating political acumen and

insight. It seemed like something the average person could have and should have

known, by simply hearing this half-wit utter a few sentences, and by watching

him move, grimace, etc. The man's whole being exudes untrustworthiness and

dishonor. It isn't that the people that saw Bush's depravity, had any special

sight, it's that nearly all those people that gave him the benefit of the doubt,

or saw nothing to fear in fhe first place, had blinders on. They refused to

look squarely at this man. They wanted to believe his bullshit.

 

JP

-

califpacific

 

Big-Time Trouble, but Why Worry?

By Molly Ivins, AlterNet. Posted July 22, 2005.

 

As most of the country focuses almost entirely on social issues and

culture wars, our economic problems are threatening to bring the

country down by its foundations.

 

If you had done a poll in November 2000, or in November 2004, I don't

think you would have gotten out of single digits with this

proposition: " George W. Bush wants to radically revise American law,

including complete repeal of the New Deal, and take us back to the

economic legal system that prevailed at the turn of the 19th century... "

(snip)

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Bush awarded Dick Cheney's failure to find Bush a running mate by

making Cheney his running mate. Or did Cheney appoint himself?

Either way, this pretty much sums up everything. Either way, neo-con

criminals and screw-ups get a second chance, thanks to Bush.

, " John Polifronio "

<counterpnt@e...> wrote:

> It's appalling and depressing to hear Ms Ivins suggest that we had

no way of knowing what a scoundrel Bush would turn out to be. That

Bush was a dangerous fool, was instantly obvious to me, the first

moment I saw him, in 1999. This absolutely did not require some sort

of penetrating political acumen and insight. It seemed like something

the average person could have and should have known, by simply hearing

this half-wit utter a few sentences, and by watching him move,

grimace, etc. The man's whole being exudes untrustworthiness and

dishonor. It isn't that the people that saw Bush's depravity, had any

special sight, it's that nearly all those people that gave him the

benefit of the doubt, or saw nothing to fear in fhe first place, had

blinders on. They refused to look squarely at this man. They wanted

to believe his bullshit.

>

> JP

> -

> califpacific

>

>

> Big-Time Trouble, but Why Worry?

> By Molly Ivins, AlterNet. Posted July 22, 2005.

>

> As most of the country focuses almost entirely on social issues and

> culture wars, our economic problems are threatening to bring the

> country down by its foundations.

>

> If you had done a poll in November 2000, or in November 2004, I don't

> think you would have gotten out of single digits with this

> proposition: " George W. Bush wants to radically revise American law,

> including complete repeal of the New Deal, and take us back to the

> economic legal system that prevailed at the turn of the 19th

century... "

> (snip)

>

>

>