I just now finished watching long excerpts of Obama's State of the Union Address and discussion of same on Democracy Now. While realizing that all such speeches basically are little but propaganda, I have to say that the current President's effort was over the top in that regard. It was the most disgusting display of half-truths and unadulterated propaganda that I've seen in quite awhile...actually, since Bush. Obama: "All our troops are out of Iraq"... that's not even a half-truth; it's a blatant lie. Not only do we still have a few thousand combat troops as "trainers" there, the para-military arm of the CIA also has people there. Obama: "Our economy has been growing steadily for four years"...maybe, but only with low-paying jobs for the majority of working Americans and billions for Oligarchs.
The worst thing that Obama touted and promoted was Neoliberalism. Of course, he didn't use that term. Instead, he talked about Trade Agreements and how they would benefit "small business"; the implication was that jobs would be created. This is exactly the same unnamed Neoliberalism concocted, promoted, and implemented by Reagan, Thatcher, and later, Clinton in the '80s and '90s. It's global in nature. It's all for the benefit of mega corporations, and involves the oligarchical tools of the WTO, the IMF, the World Bank, and so-called "Free Trade Agreements". Rules are written which trump national laws, implement a totally non-democratic economic policy, benefit Big Business, and screw over Third World countries. It's backed by economic and military threats from the USA and the UK.
Most all educated people in the developed nations of the world, except the USA, are familiar with Neoliberalism to one degree or another. At a fundamental level, it means the privatization of government services and the creation of a worldwide economic structure run by unelected business elites. It's David Rockefeller's wet dream. Here in this country, it's rarely ever even mentioned. That's because both branches of the Big Business Party, meaning the Democrats and the Republicans, completely support the whole concept. They appear to believe that it's a good thing... it is... for the Oligarchy. I've discussed it in some depth elsewhere in this blog. If interested, use the Search function at the upper left corner of this page and look for: Globalization (Parts I, II, and III).
Obama didn't mention them by name, but it was crystal clear that he was promoting both the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade Agreement (TATA). Either one absolutely dwarfs NAFTA and CAFTA...think how they affected our economy. Jobs and manufacturing went South of the border. Our President wants so-called "fast-track" authority to approve TPP and later, TATA. Both will accelerate the transfer of wealth from the Middle Class to the Upper One Percent. The only jobs that will be created most likely will be low-paying and menial, and even more manufacturing will shift to offshore locations. Don't buy the propaganda. If the TPP and TATA are adopted---or worse, approved and signed as Treaties---our grandchildren will be adults in a USA that will be even more of a Feudal Society than it is today...much, much more.
So, are you beginning to see how propaganda from the Oligarchy operates in this country? Ask yourself why it is that most folks in the developed world know about Neoliberalism, but it's rarely ever mentioned here. It's despised by most commoners (for good reason), but we know nothing of that...unless we broaden our sources of information. Jeremy Scahill, whose film Dirty Wars has been nominated for an Oscar, discussed it in some depth on the 1-29-14 broadcast of Democracy Now...but how many viewers of Fox News or CBS News ever take in an alternative point of view? Not many, I would venture to guess. Scahill is of the opinion that, in a very real sense, mega corporations have launched a silent coup in this land. I agree, and they've done it with their Cronies in DC...from both so-called "Parties".
Again, both Democrats and Republicans promote Neoliberalism. Obama helped to prove that in his State of the Union Address. So-called "Conservatives", who really are NeoConservatives, help to prove it on an almost daily basis. This concept is the most important political issue of our times, but it's rarely ever discussed because "voters" purposely are distracted by hot-button issues that have nothing to do with jobs and the economy. Wake up, America...please.
Just my opinion.
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