Paul Krugman has written another one of his columns in which he presents more evidence that what we are doing economically in this country (attacking the deficit instead of unemployment) is insane - it doesn't work, it will only make things worse.
Unfortunately, Krugman hasn't got a chance of changing anyone's mind, he's a LIBERAL (OMG! OMG!). In Washington fairy tales rule and facts are uncomfortable things.
I noticed that the second comment to Krugman's column has struck a chord among readers who have highly recommended it, and for good reason. It pretty much describes America today. It's long, and I've tried to pare it down, but I'd like to think it echos much of what I've written here in the past.
Take it away Martin from Portland, Oregon:
I think we are going through a period of madness in this country. All across the nation, Republican governors have cut taxes for the rich and corporations and propose offsetting these with cuts in programs which benefit middle and working class Americans and the poor.
On the Federal level, Obama caved on extending the Bush tax cuts for the rich, and to prove his own credibility of being at least half insane, cut programs like heating subsidies for poor elderly Americans.
Are oil and farm subsidies being cut. of course not!
The working and middle class are the new scapegoats, particularly public workers. Now that outsourcing has taken care of the former manufacturing class, what is left are public employees like teachers, and their unions.
This madness has reached such a point that the Governor of Maine removed art murals from the state capital depicting the history of the labor movement. He said it disparaged business. Government censoring and removing art. We are rapidly moving past oligarchy, which is bad enough, but are racing towards American style fascism as I see it.
When politicians talk about deficits, they never talk about about ending farm subsidies or oil tax loopholes and subsidies, estate taxes, or raising taxes on the richest, a few percent. but propose cutting programs that benefit the sick, children, seniors, the poor, schools, health care and the middle class and poor in general.
This is beyond poor judgement. There is a contempt and almost hatred of the middle class and poor, and a cult like lionization of the rich and corporations that defies reason[. This is] nihilistic and inhumane and is reminiscent of fascist regimes the brutal dictatorship of Agosto Pinochet of Chile, who was greatly influenced by the University of Chicago economists like Milton Friedman and was a great friend of the Nixon regime and the foreign policy of Henry Kissinger.
This has become a fixated ideological vision for Republicans and they have no concern for who gets hurt by their policies as long as the rich and corporations benefit. They actually believe that wealth makes a person or entity more worthy and superior to ordinary Americans and that somehow by skewering the government totally in favor of the rich, the trickle down effect will benefit society as a whole. The fact that this thinking has failed both in America and abroad does not deter them because like all people wedded to an all or nothing blind ideological position, they are impervious to facts, history and reason. Also emotions like compassion, empathy and connectedness does not enter into their decision making. Ordinary Americans are collateral damage.
Not focusing of jobs leads to less money to spend on the part of ordinary Americans, which further depletes government revenues and demand in the private sector, which results in more unemployment and reduction in services and government spending which leads to a further depressed economy.
The fact is that this is what Republicans want. They want [the] government to be reduced to being a tool of the corporate class and to have most services that were formerly the domain of government to be privatized, therefor completing the transformation of our representative democracy into a corporate state [whose] main function is to further the needs of an economic elite. ...
A corporate coup has taken place in America right under Obama's nose, aided by the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court. Obama has lost the ideological war to Republicans. He has stifled dissent from progressives while Republicans went full steam ahead with their ideological war against the middle class,and their elevation of greed as our most worthy social value. Obama privately reads biographies about Regan, while Republicans champion his economic policies regardless of their value and efficacy. They have won...so far.
Our only hope as I see it is for Republicans [to] continue to keep power and have ordinary Americans of all political persuasions realize the contempt that the[y] have for [us] and that they really serve the needs of a small economic elite. Workers, unions and the middle class are starting to get organized, without the help of Obama, because Republican policies are directly attacking their well being. This will be the only way to defeat Republicans, because most Democratic leaders are too timid to take them on directly, the clearest example being the president. ...
I have come to the conclusion that much of this is the fault of President Obama. He is not a fighter. He hates conflict and confrontation and is willing to give up almost anything to avoid it. You can't compromise with insane people who are out to destroy you.
Obama promised change. Instead he spent his first two years in office insulting and demoralizing his party's base, ultimately resulting in Republican victories in 2010 at the state level all over the Midwest - and now the middle class in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and other states are paying for it.
We cannot afford another four years of Obama.
--Trakker
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