We are so being punked. Hello, 1984.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

These motherfuckers have been tilting the fear factor so long that the stupid have finally bought into it.

The poor of NO are being painted as terrorists because hey were poor. How long until you are painted that way?

They open our borders to bring in 3rd worlders who will work for substandard wages, they encourage the outsourcing of jobs, they cut taxes to the rich all while they tell their base that everyting's going as planned and baby jesus wants it that way.

The corporations control our politicians now. And they could give a shit about you or me. They want stock prices to climb at the expense of whomever they plow under. We are now living under the laws of an entity that cares for nothing other than profit.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

1. You are so damn right, Tom!

[Raydawg1234]

2. I think it is even deeper than this though.............

It started after World War II. It's like we picked up where the Nazis left off. We even employed old Nazi scientists and spies. Thats when the Cold War began. The begining of our Military-Industrial Complex. Lets not forget that war makes money. WW2 slingshot us out of the depression. They used fear back then too. Remember the McCarthy Hearings? Remember duck and cover? It was the same people back then too. It started with Truman, Truman established the Bush family cronies (the old white establishment) into power. They eliminated their enemies. The First Secratary of Defense James Forrestal was killed(they called it suicide but there was no autopsy) because he knew where the boddies were burried, and was going to go public. Interestingly enough they took Forrestal to Hobe Sound, better known is Jupiter Island, the super-secret compound owned by the Bush Family to be interogated. They killed Kenedy because he wanted to pursue peace with the Soviets, thus ending the military-industrial complex. They conducted experiments in pshycological warfare, which I think were probably pretty successful. And thus, what is going on now is just a continuation of this. Bush and his cronies have been in power for 60 years. The Cold War has just been replaced by "the war on terror". At some point some Think Tank came up with the idea that it is better for business conditions to have an ongoing war. It focuses people, it unifies them. It makes them "productive citizens."........... A conspiracy theory I know, But with whats going on now...........It begins to seem more possible, Doesn't it?

Read about this in the unoficial bio of George H.W. Bush at http://www.tarpley.net/bush1.htm

[NanceGreggs]

3. Yes, you are right ...

... but what Big Business doesn't seem to have a handle on is the fact that the more Americans they put out of work (downsizing, outsourcing for greater profits), the LESS money Americans have to spend on their products and their services.

It's an Implosion Theory that will eventually destroy the Corporations -- unfortunately, it will also destroy the country.

[The2ndWheel]

5. Yeah

they really missed out on all that power back when they owned slaves or were the rulers of kingdoms.

[NanceGreggs]

7. I keep waiting for Sally Struthers on one of those ...

... info-mercials for degrees you can earn at home, to start advertizing a degree in "Special Independent Investigation".

Unfortunately, the ONLY 'growth business' in the United States today is the special prosecutors/investigators who have to look into the corruption of this Administration and the Repug party. No shortage of jobs there!

[leeroysphitz]

8. Wrong...

The corporations are focusing on the up to 3 BILLION (with a B) new capitalists expected to emerge from the russian, Chinese and indian economies in the next decade. As consumers Americans have become expendable, a liability to corporate interests. Our standard of living hurts the bottom line. There will be no implosion but a huge explosion as the corps move on to greener pastuers to saddle new middle classes with massive debt and mindless consumerism.
They would only do these things to us if it were profitable. Profit is a corporations sole LEGAL reason to exist and NOTHING else matters to them.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

9. Ouch~!

I hate the truth.

[Deja Q]

11. But if the world hates us, surely that will lead to boycotting "our" goods

:shrug:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

13. Okay... wait, we don't have any goods anymore.

[Deja Q]

10. But without America's economy being propped up, won't there be problems?

Only so much can be sold to the rest of the world.

And will the Europeans be fooled like we were? I doubt it.

Worse, when you pay someone jack shit wages, they can't buy the things they make. This doesn't help an economy that relies on spending either.

[leeroysphitz]

12. It's a numbers game, I think...

Tables are in the process of turning. Economies around the world have been salivating over the prospect of the Chinese market for a century now.

How can average Americansbuy enough 57" flat screen plasma TV's whena small box of RICE, one of the worlds most abundant staple foods, costs the average American consumer OVER 3 dollars?

Foreign economies are getting ready to eat us alive.

[The2ndWheel]

4. Exactly

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5619524#5619642

"people and governments... Or is the idea of people making up a government so strange to you?"

Which is why I asked you who you were talking about when you said "the world" hated this administration. The people, sure. A government here and there, maybe. Which big time government is fighting this administration?

And in theory, people making up a government is not strange. But that isn't really how it has worked, does work, or will work. Again, a politician here and a politician there, yeah. Which non-wealthy(mostly white) people are winning elections?

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

6. I really think we are on the same page here...

I tend to wax abrasive at times. I use metaphor quite often without enough pretext for understanding.

:toast: