"Outdated Rubbish" by Richard Sale

 
 

"Leaders painted themselves in heroic colors claiming that their wealth was due to their skill, diligence, insight, forethought, perseverance, guts, cunning etc. The result was a romantically tinged picture of what was merely unbridled ruthlessness, and what was not seen or discussed was the fact that they were at heart rough, shrewd, skilled opportunists whose methods were devious, unstable, brutal, corrupt, mean, nasty, rapacious, gross, vulgar and totally unprincipled men who had simply battened on the blood of the American system to suck it out. But they were successful, and so “success became the visible evidence of spiritual merit,” as Schlesinger said. Individuals who made good deserved the gratitude and applause of all mankind. This verges on the disgusting." Sale

 

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[Martin Oline]

The PDF file ends suddenly in mid sentence.

[MRW]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Unfortunately, this piece ends here: They brandish god as a club and thump the skulls of their opponents with it, but.

It's truncated.

[turcopolier]

All

The last half sentence was not meant to be there. pl

[The Moar You Know]

Good stuff but....it ends before the end! I think you didn't upload it all.

The wealthy of the world should get down on their knees and thank God for FDR every day. He saved not just American capitalism, but capitalism itself. Russia had already collapsed and were executing their wealthy with vigor. Germany was well down the path to another variant of totalitarian wealth redistribution, one where one man's whim would have dictated who stayed rich and who got sent to the camps. The rest of Europe barely managed to keep their workers at bay by unprecedented concessions to their demands. And you know what? Their rich stayed rich, in spite of having to cater to the whims of the unwashed legions of labor.

Eleanor's letters to Franklin make the point explicitly. As she toured the nation and talked with folks, she said repeatedly that the nation was on the verge of a Soviet-style revolution. There is no reason to not believe her, and plenty of evidence that such a revolution was close at hand.

I know better than to believe that today's crop of ungrateful billionaires know anything more about history than the average American (which is to say, nothing at all) but they'd do well to go and read up a little bit about what happens when you decide that eleven cookies aren't enough, you want the entire dozen.

Surely paying off the rubes (that would be me and everyone who posts here) with a fraction of your fortune is better than the alternative.

[turcopolier]

TMYK

No. He did not finish the sentence. Is that good enough as an answer? pl

[Al Spafford]

Bloomberg biz news is cracking the mystery of Romney's avoidance of submitting yrs of tax returns-as probably MANY of the "rich class" have been doing. Using a "charitable reminder untrust", in his case to the Mormon Church, for 15 yrs, up until filling in 2011 his 2010 taxes, Romney paid zero or barely any federal taxes.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-29/romney-avoids-taxes-via-loophole-cutting-mormon-donations.html

[Walrus]

From the little I've seen in the last Twenty years, America - specifically the American Dream, is past its "use by" date. The proximate cause is the near total corruption of the political process. Unless and until this is fixed American living standards will spiral ever downwards towards the Malthusian minima of subsistence for most of the population.

....And that has to happen as night follows day even without any external shocks.

I don't believe the situation is fixable because I don't think average Americans have the logistical skills needed to combine their meagre resources into something that can counter the rich, especially if the rich mount spoiling attacks (eg: Tea parties, gay marraige crusades, union bashing and similar distractions).

There is an aristocracy forming. Read Chelsea Clintons biography in Wikipedia as an example. "These people" are weaving a network of corporate connections and intermarriages at least as bad as in Britain and ruthlessly exploit the links so formed. For a corporate example, look no further than Goldman Sachs and its "alumni" - certain European economists are now calling for anyone with a background in such firms to be legally excluded from public office - such is the danger of those connections.

The most America can hope for is a benevolent Oligarchy. - something like Eighteenth Century Britain. More knowledgable people might like to speculate on the possibility of successful insurrection, but my personal belief is that such a thing would not succeed. The techniques for quelling that are well known, brutal and highly effective.

[Al Spafford]

"brutal and effective." As with MacArthur's taking on the WWI veterans massed in D.C. !!!!!

[Buzz Meeks]

You certainly have it right regarding FDR saving capitalism for the rich. Reaganomics was their declaration of war on the American middle-class while deregulation and dismantling of the New Deal was sold as making business more competitive. Clinton completed the sellout with NAFTA and repeal of Glass-Steagall. Bush the Dumber opened the doors to overt fascistic take over with the American Reichstag fire on Sept 11.

I lost count long ago over the number of arguments I have had with right-leaners regarding the many positive benefits and results of the New Deal. As you say, they want all the cookies-look out a union guy is stealing one!! You look and they finish stealing everything else around the cookie stand.

[MRW]

Mr. Sale, check this out:
http://www.modernmoneyandpublicpurpose.com/seminar-2.html

[Fred]

Poetic really, just like Finnegan's Wake.

[Al Spafford]

Question: Having voting occurring on work day over the yrs, was this set up by the "controlling class" to suppress worker turnout? Other nations have voting occurring on weekends or designate voted day as a national holiday.

The development of "early voting" has somewhat opened up voting ability of workers. However, it is interesting that those states controlled by Repub administrations are attempting to shrink early voting bit by bit.

[Walrus]

"Brutal and effective" as the German response to Franc Tireurs in 1870 and of course:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane

The Germans determined experimentally that you only need to make an example of Two to Three percent of the population for the other Ninety Seven percent to fall into line.

Would Americans be any different?

[Walrus]

In Australia we have a system of compulsory voting administered by an Australian Electoral Commission.

Before you react to the "compulsory" word, the purpose of it is to make all attempts at voter caging and other forms of manipulation beloved by Republicans illegal.

Be aware that our Electoral act merely requires that you turn up at any polling place in the land on a Saturday election day between 6am and 6pm, have your name crossed off on the electoral roll and cast your paper vote, which of course can be informal if you wish.

The Australian Electoral Commission is totally bi partisan and its sole function is to maintain the electoral rolls throughout the country and conduct free and fair elections. It holds Federal and State elections and will also run elections for organisations such as unions if asked.

Statistical studies over many years have demonstrated that voter fraud is infinitesmally small.

[Thomas]

"Would Americans be any different?"

Yes, a good percentage of us would fight back in many different ways and, thanks to the forethought of the Founders, the means are available.

[confusedponderer]

It is relatively similarly handled in Germany. Voter fraud is not a problem here also.

That said, I don't that the US will ever consolidate their zoo of electoral laws and procedures, how dysfunctional and prone to caging it however is. It's iirc a state matter. Even when one state abolishes it, R's will to reinsert it again; coming to power they most certainly will legislate such laws if recent practice is any indication. As of now, it appears to have become an R SOP, perpetuated by bodies like ALEC that provide such laws, 'off the shelf'.

I wished for the US that the states sign an amendment or state agreementin which they agree to standardise their procedures for federal elections (akin to a Staatsvertrag; it would come into power only when ratified in all states - that would be practical, and nobody would need to tell anybody that it is an idea from Germany) ... not going to happen. R's and R dominated states have too much of an interest to keep things as messy as they are.

R's don't want good governance. Heck, if one listens to them they don't even believe it government (prompting the question: Then why elect such people anyway? Prudence suggest to not put the fox in charge of the henhouse either ... alas). They just want to win elections, never mind making a mockery of the election process along the way.

[turcopolier]

CP

You can wish for whatever you like. we have real federalism and you do not. you have the butt end of federalism that we gave you and it suits you. pl

[confusedponderer]

Not the point IMO.

The Staatsvertrag model is something the US should consider. Simply because it works. It also has a certain elegance. That should be reason enough even when 'not invented there'.

It would merely be a contract with the power of law between the states in which they would agree to handle elections in an identical way, not more and not less. And this would be true federalism. It would not change power relation between the federal level and the states in the slightest. It would leave the federal level out of this entirely.

[turcopolier]

CP

You remind me of a German neighbor who speaks of "clarity and elegance" as overarching values. Sometimes an inner need for such values leads one to excesses that have little to do with actual virtue in life. Does American democracy not function? pl

[turcopolier]

All

For me the disaster in this election was at the local level in Alexandria, Virginia. Normally, mayoral, city council and school board elections are not held at the same time as federal elections. This allows contemplation of local personalities and issues outside the context of the advertising whirlwind of national politics. Doing the two simultaneously as it was done yesterday resulted in election of a city council completely made up of Democrats. In a city in which there are serious and continuing land use issues having to do with re-development of lands along the Potomac the lack of a "loyal opposition" will strengthen the hand of the developers and business community. pl

[confusedponderer]

Mr. Lang,
I presume if it works well enough for Americans it is good enough for Americans.

Still, for my part I find the rather blatant excesses hard to stomach. I mean vote suppression strategies (voter rigging and/or suppression, be it by the Democrats of old or contemporary Republicans).

In the minds of some folks on the right voter fraud is now a subjective reality, an erroneous perception eagerly reinforced by (currently right wing) partisans - while there is very little of it occurring in reality.

That is what is IMO primarily subverting trust in the electoral process. If that could be avoided it probably would be good for elections as a whole.

Of course America has survived that also, now as it has in the past, but I find it hard to watch.

[turcopolier]

CP

If you find limitations on freedom of speech, and political expression, regulation of religion by government, social conformism and "clarity" comforting, then you live in the right country.

As for the "vote suppression" canard, this worked remarkably well for the democrats in getting out their vote. pl

[Al Spafford]

It has been VERY obvious for some time now that leaving the election process in the hands of political office holders is flawed. It is my understanding that the USA is the only industrialized nation that does so. All others like Australia had some form of independent commission or office.
Also, is it Australia that uses the fine $$ to provide a lottery to those that voted? Hey, if nationally we in the USA offered a lottery of say $1 mill to the population that voted (upon voting they would get a ticket) there would be a stampede at the polls!