The Neoliberal Presidents: Reagan, Poppy Bush, Clinton, Dubya, and Obama...and the WTO

If you think that none of this affects you, please think again after you're done reading it.  I'm too old and decrepit to worry about any of it for myself, but I'm very concerned about the impact of it on my grandchildren...now, and when they become adults.

Neoliberalism is an economic philosophy/policy which promotes (on a global scale) deregulation, privatization of government services, financial liberalization, and trade liberalization.  All the Presidents listed in the title above were/are Neoliberals.  If you believe that none of this affects you and your family, unfortunately, you're dead wrong.  If you're a "Conservative" (which really means Neoconservative) in the USA, and if you believe that Neoliberalism sounds pretty good, you're dead wrong.  Here's why.
Background---
The World Trade Organization (WTO) grew out of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).  The idea (after WW II) was to liberalize Trade around the world... make it easier, which supposedly would benefit all people.  The groundwork for the WTO, formally founded in the mid-'90s, was laid during the Reagan-Thatcher Era and the White House tenure of Poppy Bush in the '80s & early '90s...with eight years of trade talks, the so-called "Uruguay Round".
The Catch---
At the last count I'm aware of, the WTO has seventeen Agreements... only one of which has anything to do with Trade in any substantial way.  The other Agreements deal with subjects such as environmental regulations, health & safety regulations (including food safety and toy safety), unions & workers, privatization of government services, deregulation of the financial sector, rules for the SERVICE industry, etc.  Keep in mind that the WTO controls about 97% of all world trade.  Member countries must agree to all seventeen covenents.  If a country breaks one of the Agreements, the WTO can apply economic sanctions/trade sanctions to that country.  In other words, the country basically can be excluded from world trade.
So, for example, India (the world's largest Democracy) once had laws prohibiting the patenting of life forms, seeds, and medicines.  Because of WTO action, India had to repeal or drastically modify those laws.  Also because of the WTO, all water in some places in India is owned by private companies...and anyone who collects/gathers rainwater or river water is considered a thief.
Because of the sixteen other Agreements of the WTO, various countries have been forced to privatize government services such as water and electrical utilities.  In most cases, the cost of those services then went up to as much as 50% more.  This is why, as a result of the Bolivia Water War, commoners in that country essentially and eventually kicked out of their land the transnational corporation, Bechtel...they had the public water contract and water fees went up by half.
The Presidents---
Reagan, along with Prime Minister Thatcher of the UK, concocted what became known as the Washington Consensus---a global promotion of Neoliberalism.  In many ways, it's the trickle-down theory of economics---make the rich richer and benefits will trickle down to what the Oligarchy calls the "little people", or "small people", or "ignorant, meddlesome outsiders", or "spectators".  But that theory seems to have worked well only for the super-rich.
Poppy Bush was simply more of the same.  More than once, he spoke of "a New World Order", by which he meant seamless world trade and Big Business as the savior of all of us.  He didn't put it quite that way. :)
Clinton probably was the first of the Neoliberal "Democrats".  Thanks to him and Gore, NAFTA deceitfully was sold to the American public.  A lot of manufacturing and jobs went South...and mostly only Oligarchs were the financial beneficiaries.  Their Administration also was largely responsible for getting rid of the Glass-Steagall Act, thus "liberalizing" the Financial Sector...which certainly to some degree made possible the greatest heist in American history---"too big to fail".
Dubya's Adminstration was responsible for the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) which included the USA, Mexico, and Canada...as well as CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement.  In the minds of the Oligarchs, the SPP was to be the pre-cursor of the North American Union.  All of these types of things are either tools of the WTO or supportive of WTO objectives.  Bush also was a big backer of deregulation and privatization...great sounding goals, but their implementation often negatively impacts the so-called "little people".
Obama, much more than the others, truly is a wolf in sheep's clothing.  He's a consummate liar and deceiver.  He blatantly promotes the TPP and TAFTA, and all other so-called "Free Trade Agreements"...selling them as the best thing since sliced bread.  He poses as some sort of "Leftist", but in reality is a Corporatist of the highest order.  He protects Big Business while backing regulatory reforms that either are window dressing or actually favoring his Corporate financial backers.  He ran more or less as a Peace candidate, but he's the most war-like President since LBJ (who also ran as a Peace candidate).  He's a genuine Neoliberal...and just as bad as Dubya.

Let's be clear.  All the above Presidents support (or in Reagan's & Poppy Bush's cases, laid the groundwork for) the WTO.  The WTO is a worldwide economic structure run by unelected elites that promotes deregulation of environmental-health-safety laws, deregulation of the financial sector, the loss of worker protections such as unions, the ability of private mega corporations to own natural resources (such as rainwater) that should be available to all, the ability of mega corps. to PATENT life forms, the ability of mega corps. to control the world seed market, the forcing of countries to accept foods with artificial growth hormones, the forcing of countries to accept genetically modified foods, the forcing of countries to accept potentially unsafe children's toys and pet foods, and on & on.  That's Neoliberalism.  The Fed Gov't (at the highest levels) and the Corporate Media have a different story...and it's a lie.

ALL the above Presidents (who are still alive) fully support and promote Neoliberalism, especially Obama.

Just my opinion...and that of many, many others.  The available scholarship on this subject is impeccable.  All you have to do is ignore the Propaganda Kool Aid and do a little digging.

[NOTE:  In addition to the economic philosophy/policy of Neoliberalism, there also is a political philosophy by the same name.  Political Neoliberalism, as you might guess, simply is broader in scope.  I don't have the time or energy for that right now.]

Happy Trails

Internet, Tech, Whiz Kid Employees are Crazy, Part II

Just recently, Hotmail (Outlook/Microsoft) blocked my email account.  They said it was because of "unusual activity", and so they were blocking it to "protect me".  [My question is: who is protecting me from them?]  They wanted me to send them a "mobile number" so they could "verify" my account by texting me some code or another.  Here's a clue, Whiz Kids:  I no longer have a mobile number...can't afford anything but the internet and a landline phone.  [Out here in the boonies, the one & only phone company requires a landline with the purchase of internet...even though the net is fiber-optic cable.]  They're so smart that they never thought of that possibility.  No other method of verification was offered...again, no common sense on their part.

I send a lot of emails, primarily to family and friends.  In the esoteric universe of Tech Whiz Kids, apparently that's "unusual activity".  I sent scathing Feedback to them, explaining the situation...four times.  No reply, and the account still is blocked.  I also asked them exactly from what are they "protecting" me.  Only a fool or someone naive beyond belief would reveal things such as one's bank account number, or SS number, or driver's license number, or PIN number, or anything similar in an email.  I don't know about your email account, but in mine there is nothing to "protect".  Everyone knows, or should know by now, emails are not secure in any sense of the word.  The NSA has an elite hacking unit (T.A.O.) that can install spyware/malware into any computer using a Windows Operating System.  Other hackers abound all over the place.  In my opinion, nothing on the internet is "secure"...no matter what the Whiz Kids say.  Treat the Web with that in mind and you won't have any "security" problems.  The whole security thing is a farce...it's job security for Techs, that's all.

Microsoft, based on how they treat customers (like livestock), has to be one of the most arrogant companies in existence.  Plus, based on all their constant "fixes", they must be one of the most incompetent companies in the tech world.  It amazes me that they ever rose to such a commanding height in the industry.  If I weren't such an old dog (with no energy for new tricks), I'd dump Windows in a heartbeat and go to Mac or Linux.  Admittedly, though I've been using these machines since the mid-'80s, I know almost nothing about computers.  But here's an interesting tidbit:  I've turned off my "automatic updates" for Windows.  I did allow an update about a year ago, but other than that, they've been "off" for years.  I don't trust them...and my computer seems to be working OK.

The trouble with Whiz Kids (from my perspective) is that they appear to have little common sense.  They're almost constantly making unwarranted assumptions... especially about customers.  Example:  Hotmail was changed to Outlook, the clunkiest, most customer-unfriendly email venue I've ever seen.  I suspect Microsoft has received an overwhelming amount of negative Feedback on Outlook...but I see no movement toward correcting the situation.  They seem to think that we love it, and prefer it to Hotmail.  Another Example:  email venues in general load up their sites with garbage piled on garbage...all to supposedly make emailing "easier".  It's nothing but clutter...and almost always makes things more difficult.  My guess is that the Whiz Kids (and the policy makers) love unneeded clutter because it means job security for them.  To hell with the customer.

As a result of this entire fiasco, once again I'm forced to open another email "account".  I'm keeping the Hotmail venue for the time being...trying to get data transferred to my new email.  So for those who know me, or anyone else, my new email address is:  abstractcowboy@gmail.com .  [Oh my god, Whiz Kids, I'm publishing my email address... I must need "protection"... help me, "protect me", obviously I don't know what I'm doing...be my nanny... please, please, please... on second thought, mind your own damned business.]  :)

Just my opinion.  p.s.  God save us from Tech Whiz Kid employees... especially those of Microsoft.

Neoliberalism, the Class War, and the Silent Coup

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.

USA Democracy, State-Corporate Complex, & Bernays Propaganda [and a Note on Chris Hayes]

First, a note on my previous post and Chris Hayes.  After viewing about an hour's worth of MSNBC Chris Hayes clips on YouTube, I've concluded that Mr. Hayes appears to have two different personas.  When he's a guest on Democracy Now and other non-corporate venues, talking about Twilight of the Elites, his message hits the mark & he definitely has credibility.  On his own show on the prostitute corporate medium MSNBC, he's mostly an apologist for Obama...and fails to recognize (or perhaps conceals the recognition) that Obama is part of the Meritocracy that he deplores so in his book.  That's my take on it, anyway.
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Let's begin by recognizing the unfortunate fact that the USA is no longer a Constitutional Republic.  About half of everything that the Fed Gov't (at the highest levels) does is unquestionably unconstitutional.  In large part, both Democrats and Republicans ignore the Constitution and instead pass laws or issue Executive Orders that they believe trump the Supreme Law of the Land.  Once in a blue moon, to their credit, they do get things right.  For example, just recently a Congressional Panel determined that the NSA's bulk collection of data is illegal.  That's rare.  Of course, don't look for anything significant to be done about that finding.

Despite the propaganda from the Gov't and Corporate Media, and despite the belief of most of our population, let's also recognize that neither is our form of gov't a Democracy...at least, not a genuine Democracy.

Not long after WW I, Walter Lippmann, writing about politics in America, described the general public as "ignorant, meddlesome outsiders" who should only be "spectators" in the political process and leave such matters to the ones who know what they're doing...in other words, the smart, informed people...the Meritocracy.  Lippmann was part of the intelligentsia at the time; he was known as the "Dean of American Journalism"...and was a so-called "Progressive".  So much for American style Democracy, at least, from his point of view (which was quite influential).

In 1928, Edward Bernays found a publisher for his book, Propaganda: Molding the Public Mind.  In it, he made the case that propaganda is essential to the successful functioning of any Democracy.  He said that the true rulers of the country are the ones who control the propaganda; the elites bought the proposition lock, stock, & barrel.  Bernays later was recognized as the Founder of the Public Relations industry.  His type of propaganda played a major role in our Govt's overthrow (in the '50s) of the democratically elected President of Guatemala.

The State-Corporate Complex flourished in the '50s and '60s...and beyond.  Ike warned us about it, but We the People pretty much ignored his warning.  The molding of the public mind was in full swing by then, with one of the promotions being that we lived in a "Democracy".  The elites' version of democracy is this:  every two years or so, the "ignorant, meddlesome outsiders", aka, the "spectators" truck on over to a designated site and pull one of two levers...and then go home.  Each lever represents a candidate chosen, groomed, and financed by the Meritocracy...and sold to the public via Edward Bernays style propaganda.  The public doesn't really know where either candidate stands politically...because all info given to the public is based on polls, studies, & focus groups that determine just what it is that the public wants to hear.  Adjustments are made for the phony differences between the two candidates.

By the '80s, voters weren't even really "spectators" anymore...because the Reagan and Thatcher administrations became private and secretive.  How many of you know about the Reagan-Thatcher concoction known as the "Washington Consensus"...it had a major impact on the world.  It promoted Neoliberalism around the globe, much to the dismay of most third world countries.  Not too many folks "spectated" that one.

By the '90s, transnational corporations (via institutions such as the GATT, WTO, IMF, and World Bank---that are completely secretive & absolutist--- as well as so-called "Free Trade Agreements") were creating a completely non-democratic, worldwide economic structure whose rules trumped U.S. laws.  That's continuing on steroids today.  So much for American style Democracy.

During all of this time, right through to the present, the American public (and the world public) is fed a steady diet of propaganda which basically and simply says, this is all good for you...and it will "create jobs".  What a deceit and a scam.

So, what's to be done about it?  Well, the first step is to stop drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid.  I'll say it 'til I'm blue in the face.  :)

Just my opinion.

The Failure of the Meritocracy: Twilight of the Elites

Chris Hayes has it exactly right.  He's an Editor-at-Large for The Nation, (at least he was in 2012) and has a book out titled, Twilight of the Elites: America after the Meritocracy.  What I refer to as the Corporatocracy (from John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man) or the Oligarchy, Mr. Hayes calls the Meritocracy.  It's the same kettle of rotting fish.

The word "meritocracy" was coined by a British social critic in the 1950s.  It was used in a satirical way to describe how the elites rig the game and make rules in their favor.  Basically, the whole thing boils down to this:
1. in the ethereal atmosphere of the elitist world, the most valuable characteristic of Humankind is high intelligence;
2. the most valuable use of that intelligence is deemed to be the making of vast sums of money;
3. other considerations, such as a social conscience, egalitarianism, democracy, compassion, and the like are deemed to be unimportant...or even hindrances.

Though the Brit who coined the term meant it in the vein of 1984, or Animal Farm, or Brave New World (in other words, dystopian societies), elites have (supposedly by mistake) adopted the concept as a model for society.  As a result, they have come to view themselves---because most of them are super-intelligent---as a class apart, superior to the Average Jane or Joe in every way.  They also have developed a strong sense of solidarity within their Class because they are, in their minds, vastly superior to the "little people".  [I was stunned when the International Head of BP, in a national TV news interview, referred to the Gulf residents as the "small people".  The man reeked of condescension...and I think, knew it.]

This all has resulted in a situation in which the elites, who are great Institutionalists, wind up protecting the people in the institution (public or private) rather than the people whom the institution serves...the overwhelming majority of any population.  Those of us in the lower socio-economic classes are viewed as Insurrectionists, and there is little or no concern for our well-being.  Example:  the cover-up (or ignoring) of the Sandusky affair at Penn State by the hierarchy of that institution.  Example:  the opposition to Cesar Chavez when he protested the lack of protection for farmworkers from pesticides, back when pesticides were barely regulated.

Those at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder have experienced the negative effects of the Meritocracy for decades and decades.  What's different now is that the Upper Middle Class, since about the late 1990s or 2000, also has been experiencing those negative effects...especially economically, but also socially.  Wages/salaries have largely stagnated, people have to work longer in order to survive retirement in anything resembling a comfortable fashion, economic "bubbles" often have negatively impacted retirement funds, the National Security State is becoming more and more demanding and intrusive, wealth is being transferred from the Middle Class to the upper one percent at a truly astounding rate, and on & on.

The Sea Change in all this, the thing that has the elites very concerned, is the fact that the Upper Middle Class (and even many of those at the bottom of the ladder) is demonstrating that it will not put up with business-as-usual.  Sometimes actively, sometimes passively, they are expressing their extreme displeasure.  Faith in institutions of all kinds is in a free-fall decline...and most of those institutions are controlled by elites. 

The Meritocracy/Oligarchy knows that something bad for them definitely is in the wind.  Because they're mostly short-term-gain thinkers, I predict that in the not-so-distant future we'll have more economic bubbles and more "too big to fail" bailouts, or something even weirder, enabling the upper crust to scam even more billions.  Financial "derivatives" may be instrumental in that scenario...again.  I hope I'm wrong.

Partly just my opinion.

More: Class War and Politics

Once again, I offer my response to an email from a "Conservative" friend.  He asked me about political "sides" (e.g., Right v. Left, Conservatives v. Liberals, etc.), and also whether or not I thought our economic system might collapse...and what I thought might come after that, specifically, would it be a leaner, more conservative system.

My response---

Here's what I believe in terms of "sides". I came to this after about 5 yrs of serious consideration---

There is no longer any choice between so-called Liberals and so-called Conservatives; that's all an Oligarchical distraction - a Divide & Conquer strategy. It certainly wasn't always that way; maybe 10 to 20 yrs ago the choice was genuine...no longer. To illustrate, take Kennedy & Obama as examples. I believe that JFK was a genuine Liberal/Progressive...and I think he truly loved this country. I didn't agree with most of his politics, but I thought he was sincere in his beliefs. Obama is a snake. Those smitten with Obama-worship appear to believe that he's a Liberal; those opposing him appear to believe that he's a Socialist. I firmly believe he's neither...OBAMA IS A CORPORATIST through and through. I've detailed my reasons for that belief in various Blog posts.

Here's what John Pilger, a self-admitted Socialist (and an investigative journalist), had to say about O---
"He's a product of Madison Ave. propaganda---Brand Obama... and it's all fake. Don't believe what he says; watch what he does.".

"Conservatives" point to ObamaCare as an example of socialism; what a joke. The ACA was a bailout of the health insurance industry; it should have been called the Affordable Insurance Act. It did nothing for health care; it basically gave $$$ to mega insurance companies. It's "affordable" because many customers now have higher premiums than before, and because many people are now forced to buy coverage they don't need (such as maternity care for single men). The extra money supposedly is diverted to subsidize poorer customers. In any case, it's PRIVATE companies that benefit. That's fascism, not socialism; it's the power of the State married to the power of Big Biz. Despite their phony bitching & moaning about OCare, I firmly believe that the health insurance industry loves it. It's a windfall for them. It's also a windfall for PRIVATE doctors, PRIVATE clinics, PRIVATE hospitals, etc. Why? More business.

So, as to "sides" in the current political climate, I see only two real choices--- the Oligarchy, and the rest of us. Unfortunately, that means the now phony Conservative-Liberal and Repub-Dem splits have to be ignored or dismantled, or both. People will think that's ridiculous, impossible, unimaginable. I say, look at History; something very similar has happened over & over, not only around the world, but also in the short span of this country. For example, the Republican Party was not around for decades earlier in our political history. Our Founders were all "Liberals", but later "liberal" no longer meant "for freedom". NeoCons are called Neoliberals everywhere but in the USA. Reagan & Thatcher were proponents of Neoliberalism to everyone but Americans...and that was a bad thing to most foreigners. The current political state of things is not carved in concrete. It's not even unusual for such things to totally change. But the Oligarchs would like us to believe otherwise...because the current setup is a perfect Divide & Conquer strategy for them. And please, it's not any kind of "conspiracy"; it's simply good business to them.

As to the Tea Partiers, it's very hard to assess them...they're of various beliefs and decentralized to a large degree. They are not, despite what the Corporate Media calls them, only ultra-conservatives. If I were to guess, I'd say they're near the right track, but not on it. Of course, my "right track" may not be yours. [It does bother me that I've seen some evidence that most likely their "grassroots" movement really was started and funded by Oligarchs such as the Koch brothers. The evidence is not definitive, but it's there. In my mind, that taints the whole movement to some unknown degree. They may be a good thing...or not. It's too hard to tell right now.]
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I don't know for sure whether or not your excellent questions were rhetorical, but I'll give my opinion regardless. :) [Many more Americans should be giving serious thought to these things; instead, they seem to be distracted by Bread & Circuses.]

Naturally, all of the following is pure guesswork on my part. I've learned that the older I get, the less I really know for sure. That said, I believe our current system is doomed...probably not within my lifetime, or maybe even yours, but doomed nonetheless. All the signs are there. The national debt will continue to grow until the collapse; that will come shortly after the world no longer accepts the dollar as the world's reserve currency. People in positions of power didn't say much when an unprecedented event happened fairly recently---for the 1st time ever, a major country (China) called for a discontinuation of the dollar as the world's reserve currency. That's monumental; it's the first crack in our worldwide financial dike.

Before the dike bursts, however, I believe that the Oligarchs (with the aid of their Cronies in DC...just like before) will pull off one or two more great heists...bailouts and trillions in loans (like before) at less than 1% interest. Everything's pretty much in place for that to happen again. The biggest things in the financial markets STILL are derivatives...they're still being sold hand over fist...and they're STILL backed by zero reserves. It's the biggest scam in the history of humankind...all for the benefit of Oligarchs, and all facilitated by their Cronies in DC---Repubs and Dems. The One Percenters appear to be very short-term thinkers. They will get more billions to secure their immediate families, and the rest of us can go to hell and/or the poorhouse.

As to emerging from the ashes with a leaner, more conservative theme, I hope not...because today's "Conservatism", based on what I've seen from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, the anchor on Fox (name escapes me), Bill Kristol, etc. appears to be a cross between Attila the Hun and Trotskyism. I'm serious...it barely resembles Conservatism at all. It's NEO-conservatism, through and through. They don't believe in Peace through Strength; rather, they believe in Peace through WAR... pre-emptive war...in other words, naked aggression. That's very UNconservative. In the financial/economic arena, they believe in working with Cronies in DC in order to rig the game in their favor, making them richer & richer. Supposedly, according to the propaganda, that's so they can "create jobs". What a joke and a scam. Instead they destroy jobs, eliminate jobs, ship jobs offshore, cut costs by eliminating benefits, hire part-time workers, fire those about to retire, and in general, play the Enron Game. All very UNconservative.

I believe some millionaires/billionaires have made it honestly, but in general, I think one has to be unethical or crooked, or both, in order to get to that level. Very UNconservative.

So, my preference (coming from the ashes) would be the Capitalist version of Anarcho-Syndicalism. [There is a Socialist version, but I don't advocate that one.] As viewed today, "Conservatism" simply isn't lean enough. Today's "Conservatism" is way too Statist in nature. Just my opinion.

Be Well, Pard

When Will the Feds Ever Learn!?

It was reported on the 1-9-14 CBS online news broadcast that the upsurge in violence and deaths in Iraq is NOT due primarily to Al Qaeda activity after all, but rather due to the ongoing, never ceasing clash between the Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites.  [Congratulations, CBS, you finally discovered that; independent investigative journalists have known it for a very long time.]

Meanwhile, our Fed Gov't is supplying massive arms to the Shiite Gov't of Iraq... you know, the one backed by Iran.  So once again, those at the highest levels in our Fed Gov't have (unconstitutionally) stuck their big noses into what is essentially a civil war.  I know the mega corporate Oligarchs love to sell arms and munitions, but come on, this is beyond ridiculous.

As I look back over the past decade or so, my conclusion is that an astute 12th grader could run our foreign policy better than the Bush and Obama administrations have done.  That conclusion is both tragic and comic at the same time.

I suggest to those of you still stuck in the anachronistic, basically farcical, political paradigm of Republicans v. Democrats that you seriously re-think the matter.  What's going on in the political arena should be blatantly obvious.  Never mind Iraq for the moment, let's consider probably the worst economic & financial advisors in our country's history, those of the last Bush term...then Obama, in his first term, keeps them.  So we wind up with Hank Paulson, former head of Goldman Sachs, as Secretary of the Treasury--- oh my, no conflict of interest there [:)].  He and the FED give billions to mega banks AND make trillions in loans available to them at almost zero percent interest.  At the same time or shortly thereafter, some of those elitist banks buy out other banks, thus becoming even bigger while eliminating some of their competition.  On top of all that, we later go through legislative "financial reform"... which turns out to be mere window dressing.  Finally, we're now enduring "too big to jail". 
Good grief... wake up, America. 

Just my opinion.