ANOTHER "GILDED AGE"?
By Josh Oakley
THE GILDED AGE
The United States of America has had an immensely innovative economy for well over two hundred years.
True, we have had our negative trends and we have had our negative
policies towards the poor. One hundred years ago today, corporations
were able to control nearly every level of our government and
simultaneously exploit the hardworking but poor American Public. This
was called the Gilded Age of American History--not because of our
relative prosperity but because of the prosperity of corporations and
the "robber barons" who controlled our country, such as Rockefeller and
Vanderbilt.
THE GILDED PRESENT
The unfortunate truth about the American economy today is that
corporations still have an unprecedented amount of wealth and control
in both politics and everyday life.
We were able to stem the tide of corporate malfeasance in the last
century by the passage of antitrust and antimonopoly laws, but now we
are faced with an ever-growing ability by corporations to lobby for
their own purposes and thereby control most of the Senate, House of
Representatives, and even the office of the President of the United
States.
CORPORATIONS AREN'T YOUR FRIEND
Corporations are now in the unique position of being able to write and pass laws that benefit only themselves.
Anyone who thinks corporate culture will genuinely positively
affect themselves is either (1) a member of one of these corporations,
(2) a foreign investor who actively pursues policies that will
undermine America's financial future, or (3) an American Citizen who is
gravely mistaken or duped by the elite in our country into thinking
that corporations are only out for the best interests of the American
People.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The truth is that corporations are only after the bottom line.
They do not care about the American People's welfare any more than a
foreign investor (who is able to claim their stocks and bonds before
any of us, if the country ever goes broke).
These same corporations constantly lobby for decreased regulation and
so-called "free market" economic packages which only act to negatively
affect the poor in our country. Over nine out of ten total dollars in
our country are controlled by less than ten percent of our population,
and most of these people are stockholders or family members of
stockholders for the corporations.
TOUGH QUESTIONS
Our country faces a potentially devastating economic future.
Even so-called "populist" candidates (such as Bill Clinton)
sell out the American People for the benefit of contributions from
donors who want decreased regulation and more treaties such as NAFTA.
These actions only serve to hurt the shrinking middle class of America,
who must ask themselves: Why do we have corporations? Who benefits from
the corporations--you and me? Do you see any direct positive effects
from a rise in the stock market? Do you know anyone who has lost his or
her job because corporations are increasingly capitalizing on free
trade agreements to ship jobs to Mexico and Asia? What do we really
want from our economy?
THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM
Right now, the Democratic Party is in transition.
The Republican Party has risen to prominence and power on the
backs of greedy and burgeoning corporations that see no better future
than complete and total domination of the world marketplace. Lawmakers
as well as citizens in both parties (who follow the news and follow the
developments of our political system) have increasingly begun to
question the values of their chosen parties.
AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
The future is always uncertain, but there are certain trends
which, if they remain unchecked, will negatively affect the future of
our economy.
First: Global multinational corporations are solidifying their
power and influence in all levels of world government. Even the U.S.
Senate is beholden to these powers--as shown when our Congress passes
outlandish tax cuts for companies that are not even based in the United
States of America.
Second: While the average income of American Citizens may
continue to rise, the income of the BOTTOM NINETY PERCENT of American
Citizens (over two hundred million people and rising) will continue to
fall. Anyone who says that the "average" income is the only necessary
statistic to use has either (1) not taken an elementary college algebra
course or (2) his or her paycheck is directly linked to a continued
misunderstanding among the American Public.
EDITOR'S NOTE: You walk into a bar and there stands Bill
Gates. Congratulations! Based on average income--calculating you and
Bill together--your personal "average annual income" is billions of
dollars!
Third: The global environment is at a tipping point. Energy usage is up
and energy value is down. Corporations are operating under the mistaken
assumption that increased fuel efficiency is a bad thing, when in fact
such an increase would only help the world economy.
OUR GLOBAL SOCIETY
As much as some of us would like to think otherwise, the human race is
part of a Global Society in which the decisions made by the lucky few
directly affect the lives of all other Global Citizens.
In order for us to create a truly-sustainable lifestyle in this
increasingly globalized world, we must simultaneously force our
technology to keep up with our hopes and dreams, while we insist on
equal treatment under the law for all people in all countries in all
times and all places.
Only then will we be truly prosperous and only then will we be able to trust our global and national economy to our government.
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September 18, 2005
Sue in Red Lodge
As I understand George Lakoff's writings, broadly speaking,
conservatives follow a "father knows best" philosophy, while liberals
have more of a group or family orientation. That makes sense, but I've
continued to struggle with the difference that underlies the
left-versus-right position on current issues.
Listening to the
political fall-out from Katrina, another angle occurs to me: liberals
look to the long term, while conservatives grab the short term.
Enviros
would have spent the time and money to care for the wetlands and other
natural features in the Mississippi delta area that would have
mitigated Katrina's impact. Instead, real estate developers built on
those important lands for the sake of short-term money-making, with
long-term disastrous consequences. Conservatives pave over it, cut it
down, dam it up, dig it up, and burn it up, all for immediate gain
without consideration for the long haul.
In the education
arena, people on the left would invest in early childhood education,
especially for children of disadvantaged families, because society
would be better off in the long run. Conservatives would cut off
funding for education, only to pay the cost in more social and economic
problems down the road.
Short-term selfish gain versus long-term care for the greater good -- I'm seeing this distinction more and more.
Sue in Red Lodge
August 9, 2005
Erik Plakanis
Bush's 2nd Achievement
When Bush, the oilman, came into office,
he said his experience in the Industry would help Americans. He was
right in a way few could dream of. Of course, what he did not say, was
he was going to help only a few Americans. Those who owned oil
companies.
Since Bush has taken office, crude oil prices have
risen over 300%, and are reflected by still rising prices at the pump.
While ordinary Americans struggle to keep their tanks filled, the oil
industry is swimming in cash. Almost literally.
“This is the
mother of all booms,” said Oppenheimer & Co. oil analyst Fadel
Gheit as quoted in an MSN article. “They have so much profit, it’s
almost an embarrassment of riches. They don’t know what to do with it.”
So
what should our government do to help American's deal with the $2.35
national average for a gallon of regular? What Bush did yesterday was
sign an “energy policy” that funnels billions and billions of dollars
to the oil companies. Companies that are already almost drowning in
cash, and got that way by fleecing us all at the pump.
After the
largest oil company, Exxon, made a record profit in 2004 of $25 billion
dollars, their 2nd quarter 2005 profit is already up another 32%.
Thank
God the President was able to give them billions more of our tax
dollars before it was too late! I mean, after another couple of years
of this oilman's reign over our country, companies like Exxon would
have to turn down the extra tax dollars – they simply would not know
what to do with any more cash.
Think this one over the next time your filling up.
The American Progress Action Fund transforms progressive ideas
into policy through rapid response communications, legislative action,
grassroots organizing and advocacy, and partnerships with other
progressive leaders throughout the country and the world.
Here are a some important articles from their website at americanprogressaction.org
"Budget Surprises" (11 February 2005)
"Conservative Mismanagement Threatens America's Economic Security" (26 January 2005)
"The President's Economic Program" (8 February 2005)
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