America’s Real Industrial Policy: Maximize Profits at All Cost

[marmar]

from In These Times:



America’s Real Industrial Policy: Maximize Profits at All Cost
By Roger Bybee


The Occupy Wall Street movement—which has gained the support of 54 percent of Americans, according to a Time poll—has, remarkably, apparently inspired free-marketeer House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to address America’s Pakistan-level inequality in speech on Friday.

Cantor intends to explain how to uplift “a single working mom…a small business owner...and how we make sure the people at the top stay there.” (The last category, of course, has seemingly been the entire purpose of Cantor’s political career.)

The OWS movement's core concern is growing inequality, and how to lessen it. Many protesters advocate for more progressive tax policies. Another crucial way to fight inequality, which activists haven't focused on as much, is keeping good-paying jobs in the United States. In my opinion, the movement ought to directly challenge the president and leading Democrats on whether they are serious about preserving America’s productive base and raising the incomes of working families who are part of the 99 percent. Will these political leaders support a concerted “industrial policy” to achieve these critical goals, or will they side with Corporate America as jobs disappear, wages keep plunging and inequality reaches new heights?

Unfortunately, the Obama administration has come closer and closer to fully admitting the wrong thing: that it is willing to sacrifice more of the nation’s industrial base. The three NAFTA-style “free trade” agreements approved last week by Congress at Obama’s urging —illustrate how Obama’s eagerness to promote more off-shoring of jobs and capital at the expense of his working-class constituents. (U.S. corporations’ offshoring of jobs alarms fully 86% of Americans) ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/12137/upcoming_test_for_occupiers_can_they_pressure_dems_to_save_manufacturing/

[saras]

1. Technically it's "post-industrial" policy.

[FiveGoodMen]

2. "Your money should be working for you!"

Ever hear anyone say that?

Well, what they meant was: "Other people should being working hard to produce something and then handing you the profits. Why? Hahahhaha... because you have more money than they do!"

Fact: Money doesn't work. It may motivate people to work, but it doesn't do anything on it's own.

The whole point of the stock market is that if I have more money than I need to live on right now, then other people ought to be bringing me the fruits of their labors as some kind of tribute.

And if you treat people like that in the first place, it's not surprising that you'd only care about the money.