United StatesAny vision for America going forward must be articulated as part of a global vision. As this global recession has so forcefully reminded us, we all intertwined. The world today faces at least six key economic challenges, some of which are interrelated. Their persistence and depth is testimony to the difficulties that our economic and political system has in addressing problems at the global scale. We simply don't have effective institutions to help identify the problems and formulate a vision of how they might be resolved, let alone to take appropriate concrete actions. (Joseph E. Stiglitz from his book, Freefall, pg 188) America: Hooked on War and Getting Poorer (7/15/2010) The American Century is so Over (5/27/2010) The Grim Truth (4/8/2010) The Economic Elite vs The People of the United States. Republicans own US media, but their message is not just wrong, it is catastrophic. Right-wing demagogues on talk radio are promoting a regressive agenda that can only lead to an imperial state defending an empire that robs the people and can destroy the planet. What's the Matter With Republicans ? Their values are mostly about money, not people. Their agenda is more about accumulating money than working for the public good. Their economic agenda is counterproductive. Their attitude toward government makes failure a self-fulfilling prophecy. They oppose measures to provide a social safety net, ameliorate racism, and in many ways foster divisiveness using religious bigotry, dirty election tactics, and the big red scare. While demonstrating xenophobia they have also oppose measures to protect civil liberties with the possible exception of the Second Amendment. They are completely oblivious of global challenges. They spurn international law, and attempts to reach international consensus...unless, of course, it is to the advantage of Corporate multinationals. The Critical Unraveling of U.S. Society HistoryRepublicans, like the Bush family, were supporters and financiers of Nazi Germany. They nearly accomplished a coup during the Roosevelt administration and they continue to promote policies that lead to fascism. History of the National Security State Shunning Howard Zinn's History Republican Misguided AssumptionsTaxes are the problem The business cycle is no longer operating. There is no need to be concerned with the distribution of income There is no need to worry about the environment. The Military is the only legitimate government function. Government is the enemy. (Republicans make it so.) The private market (the wealthy) should decide. We should not tear down the wall between Church and State. Freedom from religion was a fundamental founding U.S. principal. Our religion is better than their religion. Vouchers are a good way to improve schools. The War on Drugs is not like Prohibition. The monetary economy is more important than the real economy. The President should be the decider. Everyone has a right to carry guns War is an effective instrument of government policy Torture is ok The unborn have rights more important than the living. The death penalty is effective. The free market makes great decisions and it is always right. Prisons need to be funded at higher levels than education The US has no need to be guided by international law Global warming is a hoax The Bible is the absolute truth Evolution is just a theory US media tells the truth Regulation is always a bad idea IgnoranceUS media, particularly broadcasters, see no obligation to serve the public. Since concentrated media controls almost all information, the US is mostly run by corporations. That is, by definition, Fascism. They have demonstrated the ability to create storms of misinformation that trigger protest mobs. Because most of the economy is corporate, they also can buy the Congress. About Republican Misinformation. The Republican Scam all but makes the US ungovernable. Congress is money driven, so decisions are often not the right ones. Religion is an important tool for Republicans to keep real issues out of the public mind. Media is key to keeping people ignorant. It is largely responsible for our failed schools. If people are reminded of any history, they would know we are on a rapid path to the bottom. DivisivenessRace Right to LifeRepublicans champion the death penalty. They only seem to care about the 'right to life' for the unborn. For the 16,000 children who die each day of starvation, they have said little. In their trade-mark hypocrisy they strongly favor the death penalty. Religious groups, including Roman Catholic Bishops, have been willing to
block any meaningful health care reform in order to have their way on
abortion. They are not nearly as vocal about the
16,000 children who die each day of starvation. All major religions make women second class citizens. Dirty TricksThe Republican agenda is a scam. FearThe W administration used 9/11 to push through an agenda that had been a Neocon dream for decades: invading Iraq, rolling back civil liberties. The US has become a leader in incarceration of its own people. Military/Industrial ComplexThe US was the last advanced country standing after WW II. As a result it became the leading supplier of product to the world and its currency became the most important. It was predictable that this status would not last in the long run. As its industry has migrated to low wage countries, its economy has visibly weakened, the currency is facing competition and its misguided concept of itself as a superpower is no longer defensible, it has continued to fund the military at levels that exceed the rest of the world's combined. Democracy will not be spread with guns and bombs. In short, the US has become an empire, it's President a strong-man head of State increasingly unaccountable, the Congress a quaint, (and corrupt) irrelevant appendage of dysfunctional government, and a foreign policy that mostly works at the point of a gun. Since corporate war profiteers are running the show, it is by definition, fascist. It has all but bankrupted itself. The Forecast is very bleak. Reform may be possible, but is highly unlikely. Follow the links to get an idea. Use feedback to comment or fill in the gaps. LinksU.S. Social Forum 2010 (June 22-27, Detroit) BibliographyIll Fares the Land: Tony Judt Deer Hunting With Jesus: Dispatches From America's Class War: Joe Bageant (an excerpt) The Bubble of American Supremacy: Correcting the Misuse of American Power: George Soros 100 Ways America is Screwing Up the World: John Tirman. A People's History of American Empire: Howard Zinn Failed States: Noam Chomsky See Books for additional Bibliography |