"France's Start-Up Nation is a Neoliberal Hell"

 https://techwontsave.us/episode/206_frances_start_up_nation_is_a_neoliberal_hell_w_nastasia_hadjadji?emci=10369721-2fd0-ee11-85f9-002248223794&emdi=fdc8a869-ebd0-ee11-85f9-002248223794&ceid=6171896

The neoliberal Macron, elected in 2017, has more or less teamed up with portions of the neoliberal High Tech Industry to transform France into something akin to a "start-up" corporation.  [It began as only efforts to attract High Tech investment, but morphed into working toward the instituting of a full-blown Corporatocracy.]  For details, copy & paste on a new page (or do a Search for the title) the link above.

In the name of "efficiency", the team (so to speak) is working to privatize public services and basically dismantle or drastically reduce France's social safety net.  That's the common objective and function of neoliberal policies instituted by Establishments in most "democratic" countries all around the world.  

What boggles the mind is this:  in the past several/many years, neoliberalism and the associated corporate globalization have shown themselves to be an abject failure relative to benefits to Main Street.  The failure has been ecological, social, and economic, never mind psychological and political.  If you're in the top twenty percent (or so) of income earners, then the whole thing has been great for you.  The rest of us have not fared so well.

Except in my country, the USA, most of the world has recognized the harm done by privatization, deregulation, austerity for Main Street, job insecurity, reduced retirement benefits, monopolization in High Tech, stagnant wages, and the like.  So, it's no wonder to me why Main Street in France and elsewhere has been protesting neoliberal policies and the continuing transfer of wealth to the Upper Crust.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

The Good Side of Nixon, the Scourge of Neoliberalism, & Why Climate Change is so Political

 All in less than six minutes---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8MOJAMbzKs&list=WL&index=68

Believe it or not, Richard Nixon was good for our environment.  After him, though, things started going downhill.  That's especially true with Reagan's brand of neoliberalism.  From then up to present-day, eco-regulations have been diluted or scrapped outright, while politicians continue to favor the fossil fuel industry, factory farming, and Big Biz in general.  Once in awhile, they throw a bone to the health of our habitat.

Largely through Edward Bernays style propaganda, environmental issues have become politicized to the Nth degree.  Too many voters have been indoctrinated to believe that environmental laws and regulations are "socialism", rather than protection for our health and the health of our common habitat.  Surely they don't believe various industries would - on their own initiative - never pollute our air, water, and land, eh?  Surely those voters don't believe emitting 36 billion tons of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere per year (worldwide) is good for our habitat, eh?  If they don't believe those things, then why do they keep voting for politicians who apparently do believe such?  Here's a big reason why:  propaganda from Mega Biz and the politicians in their back pockets.

So, step one in shifting to a sustainable existence on Earth:  stop drinking the Propaganda Kool-Aid supplied by The Establishment.  Those who are serving it up are ecologically ignorant beyond the pale.  They are technocrats with little-to-no knowledge of Nature, and apparently zero knowledge of how our existence depends upon the proper functioning of natural ecosystems.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Part II: ANOTHER BIG reason why the U.S. Empire is nearing the end of that road

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C47uM-Ieyc&list=WL&index=73

Pay particular attention to the woman who is a former diplomat for the African Union.  She pulls no punches.

Like the South and Central American situation in the post immediately before this one, the African dissatisfaction with the U.S. Government's hubris goes way back.  It's not only the fault of Biden and Obama.  It goes back to at least just shy of JFK's Administration, and for all I know, further back than that.

Whether they mean to or not, our politicians seem to project a "holier-than-thou" image  all around the world.  Exceptions to that general observation certainly exist, but they are few.  I've watched it ever since 1956 (that date is not a typo).  Countries put up with it for many decades, but it appears that's over.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

A BIG reason why the U.S. Empire is nearing the end of that road

 A brilliant analysis---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsVSC54VfqI&list=WL&index=86

p.s.  Reminder:  I love the Land in which I live (the USA), but that doesn't mean I have to support the neoliberal incompetents (or their puppets) in Power here.  They continue to ruin my country, and it doesn't matter much at all whether Repubs or Dems are in the Oval Office or in control of Congress.  99% (+/-) of them promulgate a foreign policy which is arrogant, hostile, and generally harmful to the world.  They all should be voted out of office ASAP.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Here's why Biden is in a pissing contest with Putin & Xi Jinping

 Preface

This is not being presented as "fact"; I can't "prove" it to be true.  Being steeped in the scientific method of inquiry, I offer it as another untested hypothesis of mine.  Nevertheless, it makes sense.

1.  Having studied Joe Biden's 50-year voting record, it's obvious to me he's either a neoliberal, or a puppet (wittingly or unwittingly) of neoliberalism.  [He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, about a year prior to the first practical implementation of neoliberal economics via Pinochet in Chile.]

2.  Neoliberalism is failing all around the world, but still remains as the dominant political philosophy and economic system in most  democratic countries.  WHY is detailed elsewhere on this blog.  Without going into those details, here are two bare-bones, broadly stated reasons:  unrelenting propaganda; and challenges to the system are viewed as sacrilegious.

3.  The "American Empire" is in decline; it's on its last legs.  We replaced the old British Empire, and for some time now, we've been heading down somewhat the same path they took.  We'll still be around, just not King of the World (so to speak).  Again, WHY is detailed elsewhere; many articles and books have the details.  And again, in broad strokes, the reasons are political, economic (see number 2 above), social, ecological, cultural, and ethical.  It's an old cliche, but we really are disintegrating in a manner highly similar to the ancient Roman Empire.

4.  As Naomi Klein pointed out in The Shock Doctrine, when neoliberalism's failures start becoming apparent to Main Street, the Establishment looks for and promotes distracting shocks which engender misplaced PATRIOTISM.  Beating the War drums is a good shock.  Going to War is even better.  Promulgating false narratives about "enemies" also works.  It all causes Main Street to temporarily forget about inflation, economic insecurity, outrageous health care costs, the fact that our economy is booming for only the top 20% of income earners, the fact that the Middle Class still is shrinking, environmental pollution is rampant, eco-crises are not being dealt with sufficiently, and more.  Plus, it's all good for weapons-of-war manufacturers, who happen to donate big bucks to political election campaigns.

All the above explains why Biden is beating the War drums.  He's not the only one in DC doing it.  [A reminder:  I'm not a Republican or a Democrat.  Also, Biden seems to be a fairly good/nice guy, and he's orders of magnitude preferable to Trump.  Nevertheless, he appears to be either ecologically and economically illiterate, or deceitful, just like most Establishment politicians.]  My best guess is:  the overwhelming majority of people in both the USA and the world would like the beating of those drums to stop.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Two-Party Political System in the USA was Founded by Plutocrats

 Here's only a tiny part of the current state of American politics.  Each description at each link is extremely brief---

 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/3/headlines/house_denounces_horrors_of_socialism_in_bipartisan_resolution

[Here are some of the "horrors of socialism" in the USA:  national parks, public roads, public libraries, public health clinics, social security retirement, & anything else not privatized.]

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/3/headlines/1_000_children_are_yet_to_be_reunited_with_families_after_separation_at_us_mexico_border

[This borders on criminality perpetrated by Repub AND Dem elected officials & appointed bureaucrats.  Perhaps arguably, it's child abuse.]

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/3/headlines/guantanamo_prisoner_majid_khan_freed_and_resettled_after_2_decades_of_detention_years_of_torture

["The U.S. continues to hold 34 prisoners at Guantánamo. Only 11 of them have been charged in military tribunals."  What an egregious shame on American national politicians.  ALL humans have certain rights, including criminals, terrorists, SUSPECTS, & the like.]

HISTORY MATTERS---

The first political Parties in the USA were the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans (AKA, the Anti-Federalists).  They were formed by the first political "bosses" about twenty years after the founding of our country.  Alexander Hamilton was the Head of the Federalists, and they were in favor of a strong central government.  When the USA was forming in the mid-1770's, Hamilton favored a monarchy for our type of government; he believed we should have a King.  Thomas Jefferson was the Head of the Democratic-Republicans, and they favored strong States' Rights.

These first American political Parties were formed by the members of the social elite, the rich plutocrats of that time.  Almost all of them "owned" hundreds of slaves, and believed only the aristocracy should rule a country.  Twenty years prior to the formal organization of the two Parties, these same men formed our government.  They did not favor a democracy, and often described same as "two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner".

They finally settled on a Constitutional Republic in which "all men are created equal", except of course, for slaves.  Women couldn't vote, and members of the Senate were not elected; instead, they were appointed to office.

Time passed, and things changed.  Now we're the "land of the free and the home of the brave".  I agree we're brave.  One has to be when putting up with politicians who favor mega banks, perpetual war, fossil fuels, policing the world, the American Empire, the rich & powerful, and Edward Bernays style propaganda.  But, are you "free" - from debt, from job insecurity, from the rat-race, from pollution (e.g., the "forever chemicals" and the nano-plastics in your body), from a fractured and atomized society, from the super high cost of living, from a government too large to be managed properly, from "food deserts" scattered all across the country, from weather extremes which could have been mitigated on the macro-scale, from inflation (the hidden tax)?  If not, then place much of the blame on a broken TWO-PARTY system which is largely run by Oligarchs and/or their influence.

Don't jump to conclusions.  No one loves this country more than I do.  It's a false myth which says if you love your country, then you must support the scoundrels who are running it.  Plutocrats promote that baloney.  The aristocracy wants you to believe such nonsense.  As Warren Buffett once stated fairly recently:  "There's a Class War going on in this country, and my side is winning.".  So true, Mr. Buffett.

It doesn't have to be that way.  Stop drinking the propaganda kool-aid coming from Repubs AND Dems.  Overwhelmingly, they are on the same Team (except for a few social hot-button issues), and it's not yours.  They are on Team Oligarchy.

So, what's to be done?

1.  If you're a Democrat, don't ever vote for one of your "centrist/moderate" candidates (unless he/she is running against someone like Trump).  They are NOT centrists; they are corporatists.  They are part of the Big Business Establishment.  Instead, support Progressives.  They have their flaws, but they're the closest thing to being democratic (with a small letter "d") in the Corporatist Dem Party.  The Dem Party of the past is long-gone, replaced by neoliberalism.

After Sanders was completely shafted by the DNC, it's amazing to me that any Progressives remained in the so-called Dem Party.  They all should have dumped it.  I'm guessing they believe they'll change it from the inside.  That's highly unlikely.  It's a rigged game, rigged by billions of dollars.

2.  If you're a Republican, be aware that the Repub Party also is long-gone; it has been co-opted first by Neoconservatives, and then by Neoliberals.  They support Big Biz over Small Biz.  They egregiously promulgate Corporate Globalization and monopolies.  The only thing they want to conserve is Rule by Plutocrats.  They favor industrial farming over smaller family farms.  They abhor competition in the marketplace.  They don't give a damn about your religion, your ethics, or your belief in conservatism.  In short, you've been bamboozled.

Your best hope is to dump the so-called Repub Party, and become an Independent or perhaps a Libertarian (although, you probably won't care for the liberal side of libertarianism).  You're fairly well shafted, partly because most likely you don't know much at all about Russell Kirk, the Founder of Modern Day Conservatism.  Without knowing it, you allowed genuine conservatism to be replaced by neoliberalism.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

COP 27 more or less confirms my hypothesis

On this blog and before COP 27, I hypothesized the following:  the world's public and private Powers-That-Be have no intention whatsoever of transitioning away from fossil fuels.  COP 27, like all its predecessors, failed to endorse the phasing out of all fossil fuels.  They did call for phasing out coal, but not oil and natural gas.  Why?

The answer is simple:  oil and gas almost are the perfect energy sources to enable the pursuit of infinite, ever-expanding, economic growth.  Compared to renewables, they are - or more accurately, once were - more convenient, cheaper to obtain, packed with more punch, and the infrastructure for extraction & distribution already is pretty much developed.  As to any problems created by fossil fuel use, no worries, new technology will solve them.  At least, that's most likely how the linear thinking, neoliberal petroleum supporters view the situation.

Many other people see things through the lens of comprehensive thinking, nonlinearity, and complexity theory.  Or, they simply apply common sense to the whole thing.  Their conclusions are quite different, and they've been warning us about our current state for decades.  Plus, the freight train which will hit us relatively soon involves much more than climate disruption.

Either we will significantly address the impending catastrophes of appalling air-water-soil pollution, soil loss, natural ecosystem destruction, overharvesting of forests and fish, the toxic forever-chemicals, the ubiquitous endocrine-disrupting chemicals now found in our food & water, nuclear wastes, polluting-destructive-perpetual war, biodiversity loss, the spread of disease, and more, or Mother Nature will.  She already has started.

With some exceptions around the world (the USA is not one of them), it's beginning to appear that positive action by individual countries on the scale required is not going to happen.  Therefore, it's up to smaller political entities - states/provinces, counties, local cities & towns - to adopt and implement sustainable policies ASAP.  At least then, some areas will have a somewhat better chance of weathering the coming disasters.  Which disasters?  Things like severe food shortages, a lack of fresh, clean water, a lack of jobs, a sense of insecurity & perhaps despair, the feeling of living in an atomized society, a lack of Nature, etc.  Much is being done in some areas, and much more can be done everywhere.  Search out solutions; they're all over the internet.  Tons of them.  We're in ecological overshoot already, and whether everyone sees it or not, the human race is in dire straits.  Even if only on a local or regional level, we can mitigate the Crisis to one degree or another.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

This might be the beginning of the end of Corporate Globalization

More & more, people with influence  are recognizing the destructiveness & failure of neoliberal globalization.  It's about time.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrEI2-7Ubiw

  The solution offered hearkens back to E.F. Schumacher's "Small is Beautiful"; at least, it's akin to that.  Again, IT'S ABOUT TIME that happened.  This could be the beginning of the overthrow of global corporatism.  Let's hope so.  Perhaps policy makers will start seeing that all those "cheap" goods have social, economic, & environmental costs which have not been taken into account. 

Incidentally, the goods coming from Asia are not cheap in price.  Why?  Because the quality of them is so poor that they have to be replaced about ten times more than those made with durable materials, quality assurance, & quality control.  And, as has been shown over & over lately, with great distances come monstrous supply chain problems.  Suddenly the price of an item jumps up because it's scarce.

Finally, corporate globalization must go because mega companies (in general) :  a) don't really care much about customer satisfaction; and b) often evade accountability when they farm out manufacturing overseas.  International Trade can be responsibly done, but the WTO & the so-called "Free Trade Agreements" are an utter disaster.

https://rethinktrade.org/toolkit/hyperglobalization-and-supply-chain-failures/

Small is beautiful.  Let's have an economics as if people really mattered to the Powers-That-Be.  How about that?!

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Major Flaws in Analyses by Mainstream Talking Heads Regarding Our Ongoing Socio-Eco-Econ Crisis

IIn addition to Alternative News sources (such as Democracy Now!), every day I watch or read at least a couple of Mainstream (corporate) News sources, such as NBC Nightly News or a news magazine article like this one---

https://time.com/6221771/stagflation-crisis-debt-nouriel-roubini/

Using the article above as an example, the following conclusions have become obvious.

It's a brilliant analysis (in terms of reductionism instead of holism) BUT there are two major flaws in it.  Because the author likely is a neoliberal economist (as opposed to an ecological economist such as Herman E. Daly, William E. Rees, Joshua Farley, et al.) he apparently can't see them.

1.  His analysis is strictly within the neoliberal framework of shooting for infinite economic growth (as well as overconsumption) on a finite  planet.  Such is eventually not possible because of the second law of thermodynamics (& other reasons), having to do with energy & entropy.  Without infinite growth - which requires ever more energy each year - mainstream (neoliberal) economics eventually will fail completely, regardless of anything the Fed does & regardless of any changes in monetary & fiscal policy.  The need for more & more energy will kill it.  According to Prof. Nate Hagens, in only the last 30 years we humans have used more energy than in the previous 5,000 years.  If we continue on that path, & with only 2% or so econ growth per year, in 50 years the energy required just to extract and/or capture the amount we'll need will make the whole scenario cost-prohibitive.  

Unknown, future new tech won't be able to help much because getting it always involves using more & more energy.  The solution to all this is adopting some version of a steady-state economy and dumping infinite-growth economics.  Much work is being done toward that end.   https://steadystate.org/ is only one of several non-profits which are dealing with it.  Have a look when you can.

2.  While he gives a slight nod to the Eco-Crisis, he doesn't seem to fully grasp the massive problems with not only climate change, but just as importantly, with soil degradation & erosion, desertification, fresh water availability, deforestation, worldwide toxic pollution, biodiversity loss, nuke contamination, over-harvesting and over-extracting of dwindling natural resources, overpopulation, ocean warming & acidification, the methane "bomb", and more in the eco-realm.  All of those together can collapse a society much more so than stagflation and supply shocks.  Without a sea change in our worldview, our ethics, and our metaphysics, they will...unless we overcome the neoliberal propaganda which has been rampant for the last 40 years.  

People say, "Well, it's deeply complex...it's all relative...it's complicated", etc.  All true, but none of that means we aren't facing multiple threats to our existence, or that Gov't is handling those existential threats well rather than kicking the can down the road, or that Tech will save us and preserve our pursuit of infinite growth.  

Bottom line:  it isn't just about politics, or economics, or climate change.  If we are to survive & thrive, almost everything must change.  People are anxious to "get back to normal".  The trouble with that is:  "normal" was/is the cause of the multifaceted mess we're in now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xr9rIQxwj4&list=WL&index=60

As a species, collectively we appear to be "energy blind" (from the clip immediately above) and wedded to the idea that the temporary "carbon pulse" will continue on for decades & decades more.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Recession, Politics, and Avoidable Dystopia

 Below is an email I sent recently.  The things described apply mostly to the USA.  Many other Lands are on a better track.

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Our Gov't has defined "Recession" for decades, & by its own definition, we're in one.  Nevertheless, Biden & several other national politicians deny it.    This is so typical of national politicians.  They can't face the consequences of a Boom-Bust, unsustainable, highly polluting economic system, aka, neoliberal capitalism...or simply, neoliberalism.  So they deny the facts.

The Repubs are blaming the current Administration, but Repubs are as much (or more) to blame as the Dems.  They all spend beyond the means of the Gov't.  They all (with very few exceptions) adhere to a system which shoots for infinite "growth" in a finite habitat.  They all push for overconsumption and ecological overshoot.  Some truly ignorant guy has a book out in which he claims the USA should aim for a population of one billion...because we have lots of empty space in our land.  

Oh lawdy momma!  A lack of common sense abounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB97iwcm_Qc&list=WL&index=78  [If you absolutely are intolerant of "bad" language, then perhaps you shouldn't watch this very funny & tragic clip by Bill Maher.]

It has been estimated that if all countries consumed energy & goods at the current rate the USA does so, five planet Earths would be required to sustain world population.  And yet, it seems most Americans believe such overconsumption is "normal", "good", & beneficial for us.  Good grief!  This is why I keep saying a paradigm shift in our worldview is necessary.  Without it, our future will be dystopian...& that already has started.  Those who deny it are either uninformed, or burying their heads in the sand...just like the politicians in the 1st paragraph above.  Wake up, folks:  the Crisis isn't looming anymore; it's here now.  We have about ten years or so to change course...perhaps less.  Let's opt for sustainability.  Other than "Greenwashing", politicians won't do it unless we demand it.

Everyone Take Care

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beginning-of-the-path-to-human-extinction-and-how-to-get-off-it-scott-haley/1141364431?ean=2940160947181

http://individualsovereignty.blogspot.com/ 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Z4QL6NB

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Not only my opinion.

Start preparing your grandchildren to be subsistence farmers

My latest email (slightly edited) to family and a few friends is titled:  Biden could...but chances are, he won't.  Here's the text---

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 https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/pdfs/Climate-Emergency-Powers-Report.pdf

The above Report was put out earlier this year by the Center for Biological Diversity.  At least read a bit of the Executive Summary, starting on p. 3.  Biden (or any President) already has the emergency powers to mitigate climate disruption, but the probability is high he won't use them.  Here's why---

Joe & most of our politicians adhere to neoliberal economics, & that requires infinite growth or else the system collapses.  Growth of that type requires more & more energy.  In the last 30 years, we humans have used more energy than we did in the previous 5,000 years.  [Best estimate by scientists who study such things.]  Climate mitigation will require a reversal of that trend.  In general, our politicians can't face the music because doing so will risk losing re-election, and re-election is their primary concern.

So, again, start preparing your grandkids to be subsistence farmers.  Why?  Because it is only agricultural surplus which allows us to pursue any other vocation.  The cascading effects of climate disruption + long-term soil degradation & erosion + loss of available fresh water + toxic pollution of plants + global overpopulation + more & more expense to obtain energy + biodiversity loss + other factors sooner or later will sharply reduce ag surplus, & eventually eliminate it.  Once again, each family (or each community) will have to raise its own food.  The worldwide Food Crisis already has started.

Infinite economic & population growth in a finite habitat is not possible.  If we humans stay on such a path, in about 30 more years or so we'll need all the energy available just to extract needed energy from the ecosphere.  And that's at a growth rate of only 2-3% per year, which is what most countries are shooting for.  There are more sensible, sustainable options, but they require a paradigm shift in values & lifestyle.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Excerpt from "The Beginning of the Path to Human Extinction, and How to Get Off It..."

Biden's recent statements or actions regarding the Middle East and (separately) drilling leases for fossil fuels brought to mind the following portion of my first book.  [It's good that Biden defeated the King of Liars in the last election, but Joe is no prize.  He's either a neoliberal, or a puppet of neoliberalism.]

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The Right and the Left

One of the main hindrances to effective political action in this country is the uncivil battle between the Right and the Left. The intolerance, hatred, and vitriol from the two factions often is beyond the pale. The “holier-than-thou” attitudes from each (at times) must change if we as a society ever are going to make significant progress toward genuine sustainability. More than ever, what the world needs now is cooperation rather than divisive competition.

The competitive battle often revolves around perceptions of “capitalism” versus “socialism”. In my opinion, those perceptions too often are shallow, or worse, false.  Consider the following.  The Left usually lumps the different types of capitalism all into one basket – plutocratic monopolies/egregious mega business/elitist trickle-down economics. The Right does something similar with socialism – it’s all harsh totalitarianism to them. More often than not, it’s considered communism. In both cases, the reality is much different.

Today’s neoliberal capitalism is not Adam Smith’s capitalism. Smith was for small business, not mega monopolies. Democratic socialism is quite different from dictatorial socialism. And here’s the kicker in all of it: most governments (including ours in the USA) today have a Mixed Economy in their countries, part capitalism and part socialism.

When you use a publicly owned road, water system, library, museum, or public school, that’s all due to socialism. The V.A. Health Care System is socialism, so too are Social Security and Medicare. If any two people engage in a private sale of private goods, that’s capitalism. So, if I sell a painting of mine, or if this book results in even one sale, that’s capitalism. When you go to a privately owned grocery store and purchase goods, that’s due to capitalism.

The Right and the Left need to understand it isn’t a matter of one or the other. We have both, and we need both. For example, if all roads were privately owned toll roads, that would be a nightmare. Some people could be refused use of them, or charges for use could go up for little to no reason. If all grocery stores were owned by the State, that too would be a nightmare. There would be no reason to have “sales” (offer bargains), or a wide variety of goods in order to attract more buyers. What for? Stores of any one type (e.g., grocery, hardware, clothing, etc.,) would all be more or less the same.

Bottom line: EVERYTHING being run by capitalists (private owners) simply isn’t best for the good of all people. The same is true for everything being run by the State, i.e., socialism. Economic systems have evolved into a mixture of both. Unfortunately, at present that mixture is unbalanced in favor of mega business elites/plutocrats. Even worse, they are seriously pushing for private ownership of everything.

The political Right here (in the USA) was co-opted decades ago, first by neocons, then by neolibs... and most of the Right on Main Street appear to be completely unaware of the coup.  They seem to think they're still in the "Conservative Movement".  That movement, started by Russell Kirk in the 1950's, is long dead.  The so-called conservatives of today are supporting an ideology which would be anathema to the original modern-day conservatives of the Kirk Era.  That ideology they're supporting is corporatist-globalist-neoliberalism, and it doesn't want to conserve much of anything, except for maybe Plutocratic Rule.  It's against Small Biz, anything rural, anything natural, and is working to utterly destroy Nature by  favoring infinite growth at any cost to our finite habitat.  Its goal is to have the entire world run by Big Biz Elites.  Forget family farms, the mom-and-pop corner store, and any kind of level playing field in the business-financial-economic-labor arena.  In general, neoliberals and the Super-Rich are against all of that.  The kicker is this:  they finance most national political election campaigns.  That's why, in the USA, we've seen little progress toward sustainability over the past few decades.

Political prejudice reigns supreme (in general) among people on the Right & the Left, which means each views "the other side" as ALL (or at least, an overwhelming majority) having the same characteristics as the few who are running the show on each side.  As long as that continues, we will not have a civil society. The truth is, no group ever has been as homogeneous as what the Right and Left say the other side is today. 

I've seen ranchers on the Right and environmentalists on the Left work together to oppose mega corporate/government projects which would have harmed the commons.  They had to overcome deep prejudices about each other, and they did.  Unfortunately, such collaboration is extremely rare because of those deep prejudices.

We all should make sincere efforts to overcome political stereotypes regarding people who do not share our particular beliefs. There are some very good people all across the political spectrum. Why focus only on those who seemingly are filled with hate? I believe they are an extreme minority. It really is time for civil political discourse, and for efforts to find some common ground.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beginning-of-the-path-to-human-extinction-and-how-to-get-off-it-scott-haley/1141364431?ean=2940160947181  or

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Z4QL6NB

Spend less than two minutes of your time on this...

A foreboding by Carl Sagan a quarter century ago which rings true today is found below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGanLUnjoPI

Start the clip at 2:25.  Everything described is due mostly to neoliberal policies, the influence of Plutocrats, crony capitalism, casino capitalism, a lack of Adam Smith capitalism combined with democratic socialism, the manipulation of Main Street by fearmongers, and the combined efforts of Establishment Democrats & Republicans.  This predicament is found in most of the developed world, especially in the USA.  A paradigm shift is needed to prevent a societal collapse.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Beginning of the Path...

 https://twitter.com/ScottHa85992272/status/1517008688757805057?s=20&t=g-cyDZeraww1yNhJ6JaPwQ

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beginning-of-the-path-to-human-extinction-and-how-to-get-off-it-scott-haley/1141364431?ean=2940160947181

The eBook version is now available. The paperback version will be shortly. If you scroll down at the Barnes & Noble page (above) to "About the author", you'll get a better idea of my qualifications for writing the book.

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Be Well

From Researchers: How to Have Resilient Communities, a Good Economy, and a Sustainable World

It has taken about forty to fifty years for neoliberalism and corporate globalization to bring us to what might be the beginning of the path to human extinction.  If not that, it is at the very least, the path to the end of organized human existence.  In other words, the beginning of the end of civil society.

Yes, bold statements.  I write them as an environmental geographer (a human ecologist) who has been involved in various aspects of the ongoing Crisis for almost fifty years.  I started studying human impact on the environment in 1972 at Arizona State U.  After many years as an ecology teacher, an independent consulting ecologist, and a hazmat specialist with the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department, I came to the conclusion stated in the first paragraph above.

I've also concluded that unfortunately too many people on Main Street in the USA don't seem to grasp the severity of the ongoing socio-eco-econ-ethical Crisis.  Nor do they appear to fully understand the cause of it.  And finally, they also don't seem to be aware of the massive paradigm shift in values required to survive and thrive in the future.

In a way, I don't blame them too much.  The neoliberal propaganda is so thick in this country that it's a wonder anyone fully understands the dire consequences of overloading (with pollutants) the waste sink known as our atmosphere.  Or understands the egregious damage to soil and crops from the overuse of synthetic pesticides.  Or understands how biodiverse, healthy, natural ecosystems prevent the spread of disease.  Or understands how the petrochemical industry literally is poisoning our habitat and the natural systems upon which our survival depends.  Or grasps the severity of the nuclear waste problem.  And on & on.

Below are only a few suggestions/needs/actions which can help to take us out of the mess we've created.  I placed one of those articles in all three bold-faced categories.  That's how important I believe it is.  Both videos are in two of the categories.  The Crisis is multi-faceted.  There is no one silver bullet to solve it all.  Keep that in mind.

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Resilience -

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2020/04/06/The-Earth-Is-Telling-Us-We-Must-Rethink-Our-Growth-Society/

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/14/7563/htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suHCiRlT-oc&list=WL&index=68&t=6s

Economics -

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2020/04/06/The-Earth-Is-Telling-Us-We-Must-Rethink-Our-Growth-Society/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxfGcwfYlAg

https://steadystate.org/top-10-policies-for-a-steady-state-economy/

https://steadystateeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Degrowth-ISEE-2021-A-Practical-Steady-State-Economy-LK-1.pdf

https://mahb.stanford.edu/blog/the-case-for-cooperative-business-ownership-a-mahb-dialogue-with-professor-anu-puusa-university-of-eastern-finland/

Sustainability -

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2020/04/06/The-Earth-Is-Telling-Us-We-Must-Rethink-Our-Growth-Society/

https://futureu.education/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Richardson_Neoliberalism-environmental-policy_FutureU.pdf

https://stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries/the-nine-planetary-boundaries.html

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378019314116?dgcid=raven_sd_recommender_email

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suHCiRlT-oc&list=WL&index=68&t=6s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxfGcwfYlAg

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

p.s.  Yes, there's a lot to digest here, but you can't learn much in just a few minutes.  Solutions to the Crisis are many, and complicated.  We humans have become accustomed to "sound-bite" size pieces of information, but solving these problems will require much more than those tiny bits.

A New Blog

Here's the link---

https://ecologicalliberalism.blogspot.com/

Please join me on a path forward.

Everyone Be Well, and Happy Trails

Neoliberalism Has Ruled For Decades - Is That Nightmare Over?

Preface
Below is an email I sent family and friends yesterday, explaining why this is my last essay on this blog.  Individual Sovereignty started a bit over thirteen years ago.  It's time to change horses... but first---
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Introduction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBzSLu3MZ6I

Only a bit over six minutes in length (too brief to be a complete explanation), this clip to some degree explains the neoliberal coup.  Pay particular attention to Jimmy Carter's short statement.  Carter was elected President largely because of the efforts of David Rockefeller and Z. Brzezinski (author of The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives).

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The Email (Title:  Maybe, Maybe Not), edited

The end of neoliberalism?---

https://mahb.stanford.edu/blog/coronavirus-spells-the-end-of-the-neoliberal-era-whats-next/  and...

https://newrepublic.com/article/155970/collapse-neoliberalism  

 We can always hope.  It should have collapsed after Pinochet in Chile, or at least after the Crash in 2008.  Corporatists, politicians, economists of a certain flavor, the Corporate Media, and others keep it hanging on... without naming it.

Neoliberalism has brought us lost jobs & manufacturing, income inequality, austerity, increased susceptibility to disease, environmental destruction, increased military interventionism, privatization, Neofeudalism, and a weaker, less resilient economy... among many other ills.  

Prominent Neoliberals include/included:  Friedrich Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, Walter Lippmann, Kissinger, Carter, Brzezinski, David Rockefeller, Milton Friedman, Reagan, Thatcher, H.W. Bush, both Clintons, Gore, M. Albright, Robert Rubin, Alan Greenspan, Obama, Biden, Larry Summers, T. Geithner, Pelosi, McConnell, most all Mega Bank CEOs, etc.  The Cheney-Bush-Wolfowitz cabal was NeoCon, and the difference between that & NeoLib is almost nil.  Trump isn't a NeoCon or a NeoLib.  He has no ideology at all.  The closest one would be straight-up Fascism.

As you can see, the term "neoliberal" transcends the old labels of Repub, Dem, Conservative, Libertarian, & Liberal.  That's not only my opinion.  Many articles have been written on the subject in numerous, prestigious publications... The New Yorker, The Atlantic (founded as The Atlantic Monthly), NYT, The New Republic, The Guardian, etc.  Here are a few of those pieces---

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot  (the best history of neoliberalism I've read so far).

 https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/05/history-of-neoliberal-meaning/528276/

https://newrepublic.com/article/147810/worlds-apart-neoliberalism-shapes-global-economy 

https://newrepublic.com/article/155970/collapse-neoliberalism  (neoliberalism on both the Right & the Left)

Neoliberals are all across the political spectrum, and have been for decades.  I believe anyone not fully aware of the details in all the above is behind on the learning curve in politics.  So, after posting this--- maybe in the next few days--- on Individual Sovereignty, I'm going to leave that blog and start a new one.  [The theme of it will be something along the lines of "Ecology and World Survival".]  I've concluded that neither the Right or the Left (on Main Street) truly understands the unquestionably dominant economic and political philosophy/ideology in the world (including the USA) today--- neoliberalism, and the fact that it has displaced all the old labels.  I'm growing weary of trying to explain it.  Time to move on.  

p.s.  Neoliberalism is not "new", and it's not "liberal".

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Not only my opinion.  Stay Well

p.s.  Many thanks to those who have followed this blog for years, and to those who visited however briefly.  Within a month or so, I hope to have the new site up and running.  I'll post a link on this blog when appropriate.  If you have any interest in Human Ecology and Environmental Science, please have a look.

Trump HAD TO do a 180 Turn, Plus the Coming Depression

Preface
For any new readers here, I'm not a Republican or a Democrat.  I, however, have been a keen observer of American politics since 1956.  I'm a strong believer in Capitalism, but not the Crony-Casino-Derivative Capitalism we have today... which is nothing but a racket, and promulgated by the public and private Plutocrats who run this country.
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For the past two+ months, the Administration's lies (or at best, completely ignorant statements) about covid-19 continued on, and on.  Finally, Trump and Crew were forced by reality to do a 180 degree turn on their view of the subject.  No one any longer believed what they had been saying.

Examples of previous statements---
1.  The virus is "tightly contained" in the U.S.
2.  It will be "gone by April".
3.  One day soon, it will "just disappear".
4.  Unemployment will be "nowhere near 20%".
5.  "We're doing very good [in handling the crisis], very, very good.".  ~ DJT  I assume he meant, "very well".  No, Mr. President, you're not doing well in handling much of anything... not even presently.

Now, Trump has jumped onto the bandwagon... with too little, too late.

Here's the current situation for the USA---
1.  COVID-19 confirmed cases:  over 239,000.  Total number of cases:  unknown.
2.  Deaths:  over 5,800 (which far surpasses those of the 9-11 attacks).
[Numbers above were updated at 8:30 PM, Mountain Time.]
3.  Testing still lagging behind.
4.  PPE for med facilities and First Responders still inadequate.
5.  Unemployment projected/predicted to be about 30% in June.  [It was 25% in the 1930's Great Depression.]
6.  The probability is high that, if we're not already in one, by this summer we'll be in a full-blown economic Depression.  The metrics are all there.

Trump called covid-19 the "Chinese virus".  I guess that makes H1N1 (swine flu) the "American virus".  It, too, was a pandemic; it lasted a bit over a year & a half.  By Trump's reasoning, arguably we could refer to the current situation with covid-19 in the USA as Trump's Epidemic.  His treatment of most of the crisis thus far has been dismissive, inadequate, and ignorant.  Had he taken things seriously in the past 2 - 3 months, we would be in much better shape at the present time.  Until just recently, his main concern has been for Wall Street, not Main Street.

March 7th the U.S. had 401 confirmed cases and 19 deaths.  Compare that to the numbers above.  Because of a slow initial response by the Fed Gov't, this is only going to get worse... much worse.

We can't blame only Trump & Crew, though, for this public health disaster.  For decades, public health funding has been cut again and again and again.  Neoliberal policies promulgated by the Oligarchs and Plutocrats (both public & private) have been the reason.  The cuts started out years ago in the mental health field, but quickly moved to include physical health as well.  Why?  I only can speculate, but consider the following.

1.  The Super Rich live in a different universe than do the rest of us.  I doubt many of them care much about people who have to use public health facilities.  They probably consider such people leeches of some sort.  As long as the Rich can get private health care for themselves, they don't care about public health care.  I mean, in general.

2.  Plus, the Plutocrats most likely don't see any benefit to themselves in having public money spent on such facilities.  They would rather have it spent on something that allows them to get a piece of the pie... such as war machines, highways, or subsidies for the fossil fuel industry... just to name a few items.

3.  In general, Plutocrats/Oligarchs are Neoliberals, and Neoliberalism greatly favors privatization.  The goal is to privatize the whole world, and that goal is well on its way to being met.

Then we have the non-resilient, weak, and generally poor condition of our economy... headed for a Depression.  That can't all be blamed on Trump & Crew, either.  For decades, both public and private Oligarchs have been (in general) converting our economy to one of just-in-time production--- in whatever factories that haven't moved South or overseas--- and to one of suppressed wages & salaries (which means people cannot save for a rainy day), and financialization, and part-time jobs, and reduced benefits, and deregulation (especially regarding Banking), and job insecurity.  As a result, we simply cannot weather much of any type of economic and/or financial storm.  The condition of our economy is almost always extremely precarious, and that's been true for years.  All it takes is one Black Swan to bring it down.

So, what are the general solutions to all of the above?  Specific solutions would have to be proposed by people with specific expertise in several fields.  In general, though, it seems to me the following would be helpful.  First (and I've said it many times here), we must stop drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid coming from Oligarchs (public & private) in both major political Parties.  Second, we must get rid of Neoliberalism; it benefits only the Rich and Powerful.  The rest of us get austerity.  Incidentally, in practical terms, there's very little difference between NeoCons and NeoLibs.  Third, we must recognize that our economy has been almost always a Mixed Economy, meaning a mixture of both capitalism and democratic socialism.  [See *** footnote below.]  In that system, unlike Crony-Casino-Derivative Capitalism or Totalitarian Socialism, we can have--- among other benefits--- both a strong economy and a well-prepared and strong public health complex.  It's all possible, but not without ignoring plutocratic propaganda.

*** For any who disagree with the contention that we have some socialism in our system, I offer this---  what do think public roads, public water systems, the VA Health Care System, Social Security, etc. are?  They are socialism in action. I would not prefer to have all roads/highways as private toll roads, maintained by a gazillion different private companies with a gazillion different prices/fees for use.  Would you?  Some utilities must be publicly maintained and operated or else the public, sooner or later, will wind up getting shafted.  Plus, for some things it's virtually impossible to have "competition" play any role at all.  For example, interstate highways--- do you believe that we could have a dozen or more roads--- side by side--- with different fees competing for your dollar, roads running from, say, L.A. to Chicago?  I don't think so.  That's why we have public roads, and that's democratic socialism.  Please get over any distaste for the word, "socialism".  It has been in our system for decades and decades.  Even in the 1800's, we had socialism for the Rich.  Railroads were given vast tracts of lands (on both sides of the tracks, extending way beyond what they needed just for construction) by the Fed Gov't because the politicians wanted to encourage such construction... they knew the value of the railroad system to the country.  Hence, a massive "Handout".  That's socialism.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Coup is Almost Complete

A friend wrote me an email in which he decried the show trial in DC...the sham, cover-up (so far) performance in the Senate.  My response is below.
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Yessir, it's flat-out Orwellian.

I would disagree, though, that these Fascists are "Republicans".  Republicans (before they dried up & blew away) believed in a Constitutional Republic.  These folks are Trumpistas/Corporatists/Fascists...a horse of a different color.  Republicans didn't believe in Interventionism overseas, or shooting people in the back, or doubling/TRIPLING the Debt, or a National Surveillance State, or ignoring the Geneva conventions on war, or a host of other nightmares.  

The Repub Party was hijacked a long time ago, even before Reagan.  [The Reagan years almost tripled our National Debt, & essentially launched Neoliberalism in economic policy.  Both Reagan & Thatcher joined in what was known as the "Washington Consensus", pure Neoliberal policy.]

"Pinochet's neoliberal policies came to be codified as 'structural adjustment', and Thatcher became one of structural adjustment's most enthusiastic promoters, not only for Britain but the world, popularising her approach with the slogan 'There is no alternative'. With Thatcher and the US president Ronald Reagan as its main boosters, and the World Bank and IMF as its executors, structural adjustment or the Washington consensus was generalised throughout the developing world."

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/apr/16/legacy-margaret-thatcher-neoliberalism  

The story is similar with The Democrat Party.

Carter, David Rockefeller, Brzezenski, & the Trilateral Commission created much of the philosophical underpinnings for Neoliberalism.  The Trilateral Commission's 1st Annual Paper ("The Crisis of Democracy", book-length) proposed:  the crisis of democracy was that there was too much democracy in the world.  According to the scholarly authors (all supposedly "Liberals"), that had to be remedied if the Establishment were to survive.  "The Crisis of Democracy" was published in 1975.

Today, the terms "Republican" and "Democrat" are nothing other than Edward Bernays style PROPAGANDA.  The NEOconservatives & NEOliberals both started up in the 1970's (the difference between them is almost nil); they now rule much/most of the Western World.  In practical terms, "Conservatives" & "Liberals" no longer exist; they've both either converted or given up & faded away.

With Trump & Crew, the Neoliberal/NeoCon Coup is now almost complete... and it's not a "conspiracy"; it's in plain sight.  Meanwhile, the main worry of too many Americans is:  when is the new I-Phone making its debut.  Hey, maybe this next one will be able to fry pancakes.  

And so it goes.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well