New Year, Same Old Politics

Finally, someone else has written about something that I have been only thinking, or is it having nightmares, about. I guess it's comforting in an odd way that the rich white guys in Grand Old Party aren't about to change with the times and break with the failed policies of their leader. Nope, they don't want to change, in fact they want to go further to the right economically, and I guess it's because there are a few of us that are not slaves to some corporation and there is a bit of land that has not been sold to the latest multi national corporation du jour.

Have you ever wondered what a free market low tax on the rich paradise might look like? You may be asking has there ever been such a wondrous place on this green earth?

Well, actually there has been a country that tried all the things that the current crop of Republican Presidential goons want to do here. This country in question slashed taxes on business, they privatized schools with the use of vouchers, the took all price controls off food and essential items, they swung their borders open wide for foreign investment, they cut off all "socialized" health care and put the hospitals in the hands of private companies, and they did all this in the name of making their country a capitalist paradise on earth.


What happened in this magical country that tried all these wondrous free market tactics? Well, first off inflation spiraled out of control, unemployment shot through the roof, unions were busted, and since the governments economic policies were wildly unpopular with the people of that country, the government kidnapped and or murdered most all it's internal opponents. They then took all rights of protest away from the rest of the populace and they abused the human rights of any one who dared question them. Most of the country suffered greatly, with the exception of the people who were behind the free market policies and the corporations who swooped in and built factories in this new repressive country that now had a docile fearful workforce.


The ultimate betrayal that the people of that country had to endure was that the democracy and freedom loving US government stood by and let all those horrible things happen. In fact, they not only stood by and let the torture and murder of innocent people happen, they actually helped the leaders of that country do those things. And many American corporations took a hand in helping terrorize the citizens of that country as well, companies like Ford, ITT, and General Motors.


So, by now I'm guessing you're asking, "What country tried all the economic policies that the GOP candidates want us to have here int he USA? What country had to suffer through years of repression so that their government could make them a test case for these ruthless "free market" experiments?" Well boys and girls, that country was Chile in the 1970's and '80's.

General Pinochet, with the help and blessing of the US Government, overthrew legally elected President Salvador Allende because they said he was a threat to world peace due to the fact that he was a socialist. Never mind that his policies threatened only multinational corporations and US business interests, and that he had the support of the overwhelming majority of the people. He was not pro ruthless free market so he had to go. And after he was murdered and Pinochet and the army took over, the people and the economy suffered for over 20 years. The unrestrained free market policies they tried failed miserably, except for the corporations and the junta leaders that is. This is all documented in depth in the great new Naomi Klein book. which I highly recommend, The Shock Doctrine.

Now, have you ever wondered if there is a economic system that has been tried that is somewhat equitable? One that helps more people than it hurts? One where business is restrained a bit? One where the workers benefit as well as the corporations? Yes there is. And the good news is it's one we already tried in this country. It's the system that took our grandparents and parents out of poverty and elevated them to the middle class, it's the system that FDR put into place in the '30's and '40's. Under that system companies made money, workers rights were protected, people bought homes and raised families, and most people, though not all, did relatively well.


Now, my question is after you see what they had to do in Chile to get the people there to accept the free market economy that the GOP loves so much, why would we want that in our country? Why would we not do the kinds of things that FDR did to make this country a decent place for all Americans? Why are we supposed to follow more of the same failed policies of the Bush years when we could follow what they did in the post war boom of the '40's and '50's? Our government has become government by the corporations for the corporations. How about we stand up and end this shitty cycle and make 2008 the year we started to take our country back from the greedy corporations and their stooges in our government.