A Picture Is Worth A 1000 Words
One infrequently hears rumblings about a third party. A party that might make it or a party being started. But, few start-ups arouse the public to any appreciable degree. Seems Progressives and Socialists have had more success than others in running on 3rd party platforms. For example, the IRS and Social Security came about through efforts by those parties. Ironically, between 50-60% of the public is favorable towards a third party. So, where is the disconnect? What must a 3rd party do to answer the cause?
The list of grievances is long; no representation by the duopoly, corruption, rule by corpocracy, no real reform forthcoming, ad infinitum. Even minor reform through the political system is hard to come by. Just implementing reform of health care seems a momentous task. Not so long ago the country took pride in being an innovator in the sciences and electronics. Going forward, new technology is likely to come from a 'globalised' effort, with input from industries around the world. A call for 'clean air' or the like sends companies bailing for the unregulated and cheap labor areas of the world.
Higher on the list we find that the enormous debt racked up over the last decade ranks high on the frustration meter. Then, there is the 10-20% jobless figure that directly affects millions of middle class workers. And, housing foreclosures. Foreclosures are expected to peak in 2011.
There are so many reasons to reject the two parties in favor of a 3rd party. One has to question why voters would sit on the fence knowing the ominous effect this $14T deficit will bring to each of us. Bring to our kids and our grandkids in the form of economic hardship and lesser quality of life, freedom, leisure, etc.
There are some 55 political parties in the US looking for your vote. Some are farcical on their face. But, many seem dead earnest in pursuing better governance or in forming a 'more perfect union'. Yet, none are flourishing, girding to take the reins of power and stir our country clear of the pending disaster ahead.
I had thought that the reasons 3rd parties don't do well is that they, more often, tend to seek reform around the fringe. That is, most parties push an agenda of change but, only in the context of the existing bureaucracy. For instance, they may want to reform health care by legislating reform within the boundaries of existing laws, corpocracy, corruption and existing organization. I was so sure that this was the issue with 3rd parties that I tried to start a real centrist/populist reform party, a party with a different political attitude. But, after about three years, there is little to show for the effort.
I believed that by looking back over the history of the Republic and identifying the wrong roads taken along the way I could design a 3rd party for the 21st century. The two majors I feel that need correcting are the abolishment of Corporate Personhood law and the implementation of real Campaign Finance Reform. By establishing these two reform issues as a priority in the party agenda I believe that corporate money and special interest could be annihilated or so severely restricted that the residual influence would be negligible. IMO, until those two issues are resolved there can be no real reform of government achieved giving the heavy influence of corporate money tied to campaign financing of incumbents/candidates. You simply can't expect to grow roses in a cesspool.
To give credence to a party void of special interest I put down 4 or 5 rules giving members authority to vote to reject, or not, an elected official of that party who commits some cardinal sin such as failing to support the party agenda or some ethics related reason. The final rule prevents any change to the rules without a two-thirds vote to do so by the national membership. These rules are a strong hand of cards to turn the elected officials' attention to the voting public. With the abolishment of Corporate Personhood and implementation of real Campaign Finance reform, where all donations are collected into one kettle of funds, the parties elected representatives would look to their constituents rather than major donors, as they should.
But, no takers there. The Republic Sentry Party has gone absolutely no where. Which leads me to believe that the people want an 'established' party' replete with a couple of million members with plenty of candidates on the ballots so they may pick and choose. I believe the better party would evolve through the work of one new member at a time as opposed to a few wealthy brokers who can afford to fund a new party with all the trimmings.
It may help to look at the Egyptian revolution as an analog. The people of that nation sat on their hands through 30 years of dictatorship and hardship, with the majority currently subsiding on $2/day or less. Then, when commodity prices doubled this winter the people, and more correctly, the young people, realized this was the straw that broke the camel's back and bravely, into the streets they went. Likewise, US voters have sat back and watched 30 years of globalisation eat away their wages, housing, jobs, etc, resulting in the US becoming the world's largest debtor nation in that short time span. Commodities are rising and the worst of the great recession is still a couple of years out there. Perhaps that will bring us an 'Egyptian' moment where the fear of the unknown becomes less than the fear of the known. Perhaps there is a 3rd party in our future. And, just as surely as the Egyptians must make sure their move to Democracy is well founded, so must any effort in bringing a 3rd party to the forefront.
Otherwise, we have the Corpocracy we deserve.
17 Comments
Roy, there are many third parties that are energized. The problem is they have not been able to attract enough voters to substain them as they work to increase their presence on the national scene.
The reality, IMHO , is simple, run for local and state offices, build your resume and then run for national office. When you have accomplished this then run for president. When you run for president but have no one on the ballot for representative you appear foolish to us voters that actually look at this political stuff.
j2t2
Your rational is bemusing while ostensibile to me.
My big concern is that when it really hits the fan in a couple of years all types of politicos will come out of the woodwork. We really need a preplanned solution to save the Republic. I think it can best be done through a 3rd party designed for the 21st century, accountability and all that.
With hard times people will leap for whatever political savior floats by, IMO. Could be dangerous times for the Republic.
Otherwise, it makes no sense to me to start a party that mirrors the existing failed duopoly parties. How long have the people wanted a balanced budget? Look at healthcare reform. What about campaign finance reform? And now, what about this $14T deficit where the can can't be kicked any further down the road? Why are we prostrate to take any action that would level the playing field with China?
The correct answer is Corpocracy. Until we adress Corporate Personhood and campaign finance reform we will, at best, get reform around the fringe.
Otherwise - - -
Roy, look at it this way, it is the people not the 3rd parties that need to be energized. It is the third parties that must energize the people, attract them away from the 2 parties that get the majority of the votes and writes the rules for getting a person on the ballot.
SO the problem seems to be ballot access in some states and overcoming the voters fear of the other major party winning if they don't vote for their majority party. If a party starts out with local and state offices until they can overcome the ballot access problem and then help to modify the winner takes all election laws to encourage multiple party voting.
So until the smaller parties can grow enough, a constant turnover of majority parties in the Congress as well as fighting to keep money out of politics is necessary.
Seems we are caught in a trap doesn't it?
What Will It Take To Energize A Third Party?
Massive amounts of money for advertising and marketing the third party, charismatic leaders with access to the public media and forum, and alternative philosophy and platform capable of endearing half of the Independents and a quarter of the Democrats and Republicans.
That's what it will take, to achieve electoral victories and majorities in the White House and Congress. See, that wasn't hard.
Roy,
Why America has plenty of independent political parties with their own Agenda and Idelogy, IMHO they all fall short of becoming a National Political Party due to the fact they are unwilling to take on the Democrats and Republicans headon and demonstrate to Labor and Managemnt that there does exist a beter way to view "The Establishment" and "The Corporation."
And while I am the last person on Earth to tell the Youth of Today that their parents are politically wrong. Nonetheless, I wonder when America will see an Independent Political Party which understands "The Establishment" in charge of "The Corporations" have been looking at the Issues of the 20th Century backwards.
For example; we give corporate farmers tax breaks, credits, and cuts so they can keep the price of food low which has put a great burden on family farmers in America who do not qualify for such programs.
Yet, in this time of Entitlement Changes would an Independent Political Party have the courage to say America needs to rethink the way Americans get their food?
Because for lower prices, better quality of food, and a cheape entitlement program we can help the corporate and family farmer by promoting the idea of a "Pre-Paid Food System"
Simply put, call up your local farmer and say I need 3 dozen eggs, 6 chickens, 4 dozen ears of corn, etc... next month. Than lock in the price you are willing to pay today and wait for home delivery.
Yet, as we are seeing with the Tea Party all they can do is offer the idea to cut funding for Food Stamps and not touch the Idelogy of Funding Corporate Farming for export.
No, an Independent Political Party has the opportunity in 2012 to take on the President of the United States and the Republicans simply by offering a new way to look at our problems. For why they are busy debating if and what entitlement programs to cut and who should recieve tax increases. IMHO, a Presidentail Candidate willing to show the Youth of Today and their parents there is a better way for America to do business which will lead to the increae income of individuals through investment and savings can begin to address the National and International Debate of Economic Slavery in the 21st Century. One I might add is a debate the Republicans and Tea Party have no chance of winning given their durrent positions on the subjects.
Agree j2t2, but first, seems people would realize that the concept/design of a party requires some effort by a good number of people interested in the benefits of having a 3rd party.
David, did you not take notice of the Egyptian revolution carried out on the cheap? Done via the Internet, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Even Rupert recognizes the power of wireless, going to a ‘wireless news paper’ supposedly selling for under a dollar.
Some 50-150 people stop by the Republic Sentry site daily but none show anything other than enough curiosity re a 3rd party to click on the site and cruise by. There is something more than money, or the lack thereof, going on here. I do agree that having access to large corporate donors would allow for getting your product before a larger audience, no doubt. But, I also know that when the least bit of‘newsy’ thing hits the Internet it’s like a piece of red meat cornered by a bunch of hungry dogs. It’s ones and zeros moving at light speed. Any curiosity about a 3rd party, just poke the term into google and up they come. I don’t believe it’s the money, David, but don’t have an answer either. Close as I can get is people are not willing to invest their time in trying to get a real reform party up and running, for whatever reason. Perhaps the hard times a coming over the next two years will bring a 3rd party to the fight.
Henry, I can agree with you in that creative reform of the system is needed. But, I also strongly believe that such reform cannot be had under the strong hand of the Corpocracy. Even if some fringe reform was possible it would be trashed at the first possible opportunity by the Corpocracy. IMO, before we get around to reforming farm subsidies and the like we should clear the decks of the destructive forces impairing such reform.
That is, any 3rd party designed for the 21st century should start with the premise of abolishing Corporate Personhood and implementing Campaign Finance Reform (CFR). Until that can be accomplished there can be no meaningful and lasting reform achieved in this country. The Corpocracy genie has to be put back in the bottle, period. The Dems are in bed with the unions and the Reps are in bed with big corporations. Plus, the big donors all get behind the incumbent President, regardless of party affiliation.
Corporate Personhood law allows corporations and unions to buy democracy in great chunks relative to the man on the street. In that sense we have too much democracy. We have the vocal = free speech = $$ minority in control of the silent majority. Too much democracy which leads to socialism which leads to anarchy, etc.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
- Benjamin Franklin, 1759
The protesters taking over the Wisconsin state capital today refers.
To your point on reforming the farm program; you probably recall that I’ve railed against such policy in past posts. I have often referred to the subsidizing of cotton growers using tax payer dollars whereby the WTO/Brazil sued the government and won a large settlement which the US is required to pay, using taxpayer dollars. Otherwise, nothing has changed.
Removing Corporate Personhood (CP) law and implementing CFR would do much to restore the Republic-Democracy relationship to something closer to what the Founder’s intended. Many of the Founder’s and most of the US Presidents have warned against the Corpocracy but we seem to be comfy in our skin and need not heed such warnings.
IMO, we should try to solve the major problems identified as causal to the destruction of our Republic. For example: the protests in Wisconsin has less to do with union bargaining and debt reduction than it does with the Corpocracy working on breaking the back of the middle class workers to compliment their 30 year effort at ‘globalising’ the economy. Getting us ready for the ‘New World Order’ and all that . . .
Abolish CP and implement CFR to remove the money influence from government as explained on Republic Sentry Party website. Can only be done through a new 3rd party with a different political attitude, IMO.
If the Egyptian protesters were made aware they just might 'git er dun'.
Otherwise, we have the Corpocracy we deserve.
Roy asked: "David, did you not take notice of the Egyptian revolution carried out on the cheap? "
Of course, and I have written of it several times here as an argument in defense of America's relationship with Mubarak over the years. Prior to Egyptians having cell phones and internet, they had little to no knowledge of democracy, or Western societies and their common folk success. Ergo, my argument that the Egyptian people were not prepared for democracy prior to the introduction of mass electronic communications into their marketplace and culture.
Roy, did you take notice of Mubarak's age, and billions in assets? If Mubarak were half his age and without billions or even millions in his bank accounts, he would not have permitted the demonstrations, nor would the military since their wealth grew with Mubarak's. But, Mubarak and the Military General staff, have nothing to lose by stepping back from the Egyptian's demands at this point.
If you will notice, things are not so easy in Bahrain, Yemen, and Iran. Their people have attempted demonstrations as well, and they have internet and cell phones as well, just like the Egyptians. But, their outcomes are very different, with younger and less profitable leadership with vested interests in remaining in the leadership.
Such things as transition in government are very complex, with a host of variables at play. Communications technology is but one piece of a much larger picture as to why Mubarak and the Military permitted evolution in Egypt. In the other Arab nations, communications technology is insufficient to produce similar results.
I agree entirely with your arguments regarding CP and CFR.
Had to chuckle though, when you said:
Because the people standing out in the cold in Wisconsin say on their signs, and to media interviewers, they are there primarily over the issue of collective bargaining being done away by the Governor's and Republican's proposed legislation. I don't think most of them are making any connection with the legislation and globalization or corpocracies. Though, I agree with you, they should, because the Koch Bros. have their fingerprints all over this Wisconsin move by the Governor. This governor's record is one of a moderate Republican, until now, and the Koch Bros. funding of PACS and lobbyists at work in Wisconsin is unmistakable.
Roy, what do you make of Beck's references to those violent, greedy, self-interested demonstrators in Wisconsin? Beck again proves his grasp on reality is long gone.
David, as I can tell Beck's foretelling of the events that are transpiring in the Middle East has been right on target. One of the first to warn, Beck doesn't have to couch his words as does the Corpocracy. For example, Hillary saying everything was 'a ok' in Egypt when it wasn't.
Beck believes all the bad players are tag teaming on capitalism, each hoping to be a winner in the spoils if they can take captialism down. George Soros, Socialist, Communist, Muslim Brotherhood/Caliphate, etc.
Given our economical situation I agree with Beck's position on the Wisconsin protests. I believe we all have the share the pain in trying to restore sanity to the economy.
But, Beck fails to perceive, or perhaps dodge, the overiding problem. We all, bad players and good, are reacting to the Corpocracy and their quest for 'globalisation'. The fact that US workers have to fall in line with wage scales on/near parity with workers of the world is just one facet of the 30 year effort towards globalisation.
Shedding jobs, flooding the market with immigrants, tripling education cost in 10 years, no real effort at job creation, all exemplify the big squeeze to break the back of the middle class.
One would think the Corpocracy, being cognizant of the long term recession we are facing, would implement something of a CCC rebirth to put long term unemployed to work. But, there doesn't seem to be any interest.
However, a solution is at hand. Talk straight to China on currency manipulation, corruption, etc, implement strategic protectionism for specific long term growth industries, implement a VAT for export/import trade and implement a flat income tax.
But, we all recognize that it would take a 3rd party with a different political attitude to achieve any of that. Our first priority remains to abolish corporate personhood and implement campaign finance reform. Once we've put the money influence genie back in the bottle reforms will come easy and be long lasting.
All this talk about a balanced budget amendment lately. If the people weren't denied their constitutional right of Article V Convention we would have had a bal bud amend years ago as the required number of states have already ratified a bal bud amend that would satisfy constitutional amendment under AVC.
Otherwise, we have the Corpocracy we deserve.
"Given our economical situation I agree with Beck's position on the Wisconsin protests. I believe we all have the share the pain in trying to restore sanity to the economy."
That is the same as the repub party position,IMHO Roy. Sharing the pain equates to outlawing collective bargaining rights!
The union has agreed to the cuts proposed yet Walker still wants to get rid of their rights. The Koch Brothers paid $46k to the Walker election fund. This is the corporacy at it's best and you agree with it?
The Muslim Brotherhood is behind the wisconsin rally! That is Beck's position and you agree with it? :'(
oops I don't know what went wrong but lets use this one
instead of :'(
Roy, Beck is an idiot on China. Talk directly to China. Been there, done that. Impose sanctions? Are you NUTS@!? If we imposed sanctions, as much as half the products on American store shelves would disappear. Any idea what that would do to our fragile economy?
Beck is an idiot. He reminds me of some of the patients on our psychiatric ward who would palm their meds for a couple days. You could make conversation with them, and it would all sound entirely rational on the surface, "Hi, how are you?". "Fine, thanks." "Did you sleep well?" "Yes, thanks". Then, as you dig a bit deeper, "Who is going to win the World Series, do you think?" And the answer comes back, "Well, if God wills it, the screwball pitch will corkscrew a hole right through the depth perception of batter A, and that should do it for Team B and C, victorious over Teams E and G who haven't been saying their prayers like I have which is why my side will win."
Yep, then you know they have been palming their meds. Beck is a fear monger, which means that what he has to say will make sense to people looking for fear. Just as the patient's response above would not necessarily be deemed out of touch with reality and logic to a fundamentalist. He mixes fact with fiction, logic with the illogical, and current event facts with abject ignorance, and out comes a water soup which several million people feed upon as if it were nourishing.
A man named Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels was a master at what Beck emulates. Goebbels used modern propaganda techniques to psychologically prepare the German people for aggressive war and the annihilation of civilian populations. Among other propaganda devices, he accused many of Germany's ethnic and national minorities (such as the Poles, the Jews, the French) of trying to destroy Germany, claiming that Germany's belligerent actions were taken in self-defence. All very rational sounding to the German people seeking someone to blame other than themselves, for the economic depression between the 2 World Wars.
Beck uses modern propaganda techniques to prepare a segment of the American population for internal political war between liberals and the conservative corporates who make him rich and wealthy, lumping liberals into the same concentration camp as communists, socialists, and atheists and UnAmerican.
And people like you never detect that the very corpocracy you hate, is paying Beck to spew his propaganda in support of the corpocracy end game, which is to own labor without consequence or recourse. Who benefits if we impose sanctions against China? I will tell you who. American corporations whose end game of monopolism over American consumers is assured by the absence of Chinese competition, fair, or unfair. The wealthiest will benefit, investing in overseas markets while American labor and consumers suffer horrible unemployment and losses. These the real world consequences of Beck's propaganda. And he begins with China. If successful in imposing sanctions against China, Beck's corporates will have him turning his propaganda against S. American imports, and European imports, next. All for the sake of the American corpocracy and their naturally defined end goal of monopolism.
But, Beck's listeners can no more see the consequences of Beck's propaganda than the German people could see the purposes and consequences of Goebbel's propaganda. China didn't create Globalization. America and Western Europe did. Don't you get that, yet. The enemy is not China. The enemy is the capitalist model we spread so successfully throughout the world, creating our the very competitors we compete against today. And that's a genie that ain't going back in the bottle, no matter what Beck's propaganda and ignorance say. Nothing succeeds like success. America was successful and the rest of the world emulated America in various degrees, and now America competes with the rest of the world. That is truth of it. There are no enemies here. Bernanke was at the G20 this week selling international efforts to level the trade playing field. Was that out of some pristine notion of the virtues of ideal capitalism? Hell, No. It was due to America being on the losing end of the trade playing field.
Bernanke's job is to try to paint this situation as negative for America's competitors. Well, I can tell you right now, China ain't going to buy it. China, if you remember, was the exploited loser of trade imbalances with the West for centuries. Chinese silk workers produced American and European silk for poverty and subsistence wages for centuries, while Americans and Europeans slept in affordable silk sheets and PJ's.
China's view is that they have turned the table around, and turnabout is fair play in the capitalist scheme of things in extremes are self-balancing, even if opposite extremes must be the case to balance. And if the shoe were on the other foot, America would be adopting the same position as China does today. Each seeks the best outcome for themselves. That is the capitalist model, without sentiment or mercy.
The problem with propaganda, is that it sows the seeds of its own demise, because, eventually, either the propaganda works, and the true purposes of it are realized (as was the case in Nazi Germany), or it fails as a result of its true purposes being revealed (the Red Scare and McCarthyism in America). But, Beck doesn't care. Beck is getting a following and building wealth from it, and those are Beck's end purposes, quite obviously. But, make no mistake, Beck's propaganda serves the desired ends of the corpocracy, just as Goebbel's propaganda served the ends of crushing and making impotent the very people who believed his propaganda. Rather amazing how that works, that people can be persuaded to support their own undoing. All they have to do is remain ignorant and unquestioning of the very authority that appeals to their emotional needs and vindication.
Some Americans want someone to blame and they want to be blameless in their blaming. Beck serve's it up topped with mouth watering sauteed onion and mushrooms like prime rib for the undereducated starving masses.
J2t2, I completely agree with you that what is going on in Wisconsin is out of the repub game book. Yes, the repub’s incessantly work on weakening/destroying unions. That’s what corporations pay them to do. I agree. I understand that.
Also, understand that small vocal minorities have won outsized pay scales relative to main street USA. Also, understand that all must be willing to pony up for debt repayment.
One could say there are 3 entities that provide revenue to float the guvermint. Union workers, main street workers and corporations. We can sit back and watch union workers and main street workers be relegated the full risk for the debt. Corporations will magically sail on, unscatched, as too big to fail and too ‘important’ to the economy to be taxed upon. A complex issue to be sure, in that Union management is a part of the corpocracy, in no small order.
In debating on how screwed up campaign finance is, a talking head noted that the courts said that corporate personhood and money is free speech is ok, so “I’m not going there”, and continued to talk around the real problem with campaign finance. I think we should Phoenix up and take the issue of Corporate Personhood head on, thru a 3rd party of course.
We shouldn’t be holding our breath for congress to ask that other entity having human rights to take any responsibility for paying down the debt. Seems that entity can never make too much money or acquire too much wealth.
IMO, makes little sense to try and deal with the Corpocracy on their terms. We need a revolution of sorts to defang the corpocracy, remove the money influence from politics through a 3rd party with a different political attitude. Also, supporting the movement to vote incumbents from office and as well as Article Five Convention would be most helpful.
David, just mention Beck and you have to be removed from the ceiling. I believe Beck’s audience likes to hear someone willing to speak ‘out of the box’ on issues. Beck’s staff does a good job of bringing information to the debate table and it’s a stretch to label him as a p’gandist as he goes to some effort to broadcast video/audio of people in their own words.
Not aware of his position on China or globalisation. I’m not so much interested in China as I am globalisation in which China is a big player. China has done very well with a 9-10% GDP for a decade or more. China receives some $2.6B annually in aid with Canada kicking in $54M and the US with $65M. I offered some suggestions as to how we might get out economy back on track. Let’s assume you are correct in that if we impose sanction China will increase the cost of goods to the US or leave us with bare shelves for half their products. Perhaps that would allow the US to manufacture goods for the US market, providing jobs for US workers as well. I’m sure there is little that can be bought in China that can’t be bought in the Asian rim or around the world.
You wrote “China's view is that they have turned the table around, and turnabout is fair play in the capitalist scheme of things in extremes are self-balancing, even if opposite extremes must be the case to balance. And if the shoe were on the other foot, America would be adopting the same position as China does today.”
Well, no, the US is not adopting a position to correct our trade situation so far as I know. Most countries have some game plan to survive in the world of globalism. If the US has a plan it is a bigtime loser. IMO, strategic protectionism for selected long term growth businesses makes good sense, re-establishing some high paying, high tech jobs to the US.
Misleading in that I ‘hate’ the corpocracy. People are what they are and when put in powerful positions they tend to look after themselves and their friends which is kind of normal for people, IMO. The Founder’s recognized the need for a government to control the actions of people thereby allowing people to live in a civilized society. We voters have allowed our Republic to become corrupted in its principles. We need a new 3rd party with a different political attitude to provide a path for restoring the Republic.
Otherwise - - -
Roy said: "I believe Beck’s audience likes to hear someone willing to speak ‘out of the box’ on issues. "
Same can be said of Hitler's and Mussolini's and McCarthy's audiences, not to mention the Grand Wizard's of the KKK's audiences. Doesn't justify in the least what is said, now does it?
Must have touched a nerve, if you react to detailed analysis of Beck by accusing the speaker of hitting the ceiling. The shoe fits, Beck.
You said: "Beck’s staff does a good job of bringing information to the debate table ..."
Wrong. Beck's staff does a good job of bringing both information and misinformation to the table to paint a picture which, if everyone followed his advice, would result in American corporations having complete and total control of everything and everyone. Beck knows who is buttering his bread. And Fox News has no difficulty cutting loose those who forget who butters their bread.
Aligning liberals with Communists, Socialists, and Terrorist in the same breath and sentence is PROPAGANDA! Apparently, you have succumbed to it, because you defend Beck's rhetoric as valid, as did the German people before Hitler, and the Jim Jones crowd to Guayana. They became the defenders of their speaker's propaganda, as you appear to be doing here.
So, Beck edits snippets of others own words. Propaganda succeeds best by putting interpretation of other's words into their mouths, which is exactly what Beck does when showing those snippets, often enough so out of context as to mean something quite other than the speaker was referring to. I have yet to see Beck leave another speaker's words stand for themselves. Much of his audience wouldn't know what to make of them without Beck's interpretation, misdirection, and spin.
Glenn Beck told viewers of his Fox News program Friday that the U.N., unions, and the Muslim Brotherhood were all just working towards a New World Order and that protesters in Wisconsin were "looking to create chaos on the backs of the worker when the world's focus is on Egypt."
Pure propaganda. And you don't see it. There is NOTHING to join the U.N., American unions, and the Muslim Brotherhood together in any fashion, except Beck's fertile propagandist imagination, designed to imply a conspiracy by all three against him and his audience. It is complete nonsense to group these three entities together as if they had anything in common. Because, in reality, they don't. But, Beck paints the picture of them grouped together in a conspiracy working toward a New World Order, which is a NEO CONSERVATIVE concept, which is the opposite of the philosophy of American labor unions, and the Muslim Brotherhood is on a whole other crusade with religious, and local economic and political ends, not global.
What comes out of Beck's mouth, as I just demonstrated, is pure propaganda bullcrap. And I am amazed how easy it is still for masses to be lulled to uncritical sleep by such charlatans.
Roy said: "Perhaps that would allow the US to manufacture goods for the US market, providing jobs for US workers as well. "
Perhaps, eventually, but, not without taking the economy back into severe recession first, or worse, as millions are unemployed by the lack of Chinese parts and products needed to make American goods. A failure in our economy now, or in the near future, will take treasury investment interest rates beyond our ability to borrow and make good on our debts.
Even American cars contain parts manufactured in China. And if those dried up, what happens. First, car production drops, layoffs occur as a result, as the Auto manufactures make plans to begin making their own parts no longer available from China, while in the meantime, their auto sales drop further as unemployment slows demand for new car sales, and then, when the Big 3 finally start producing their own parts 6 to 12 months later, the cost of those parts and capital borrowing to make them, drives the price of their cars up significantly, making them uncompetitive with Japanese car prices, and the Big 3 suffers another jolt.
And that is just the Auto manufacturers. America depends on China for 40% of all goods sold in the U.S. according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2007. Likely ticked up a bit since then. Retaliation by China against American sanctions would devastate the American economy, not to mention deepen federal deficits and expand national debt, as a result.
Roy said: "We need a new 3rd party with a different political attitude to provide a path for restoring the Republic."
The Republic part is the problem. We have a bunch of politicians, instead of Statesmen and women, running this country. And the Republic paved the way for this. Too much Republic, and not enough democracy, is the imbalance we are experiencing today. Most Americans wanted the Public Option, nix on that. Most Americans have wanted fiscal responsibility since the early 1990's, nix on that. Most Americans have demanded clean water, air, and foods since the 1960's, nix on that. Most Americans want the money in politics removed, nix on that. Most Americans want the best education in the world for their kids. Nix on that. Most Americans want S.S. and Medicare/Medicaid preserved, nix on that going forward.
No, we need a bit more democracy these days, where the wisdom of the majority of the American people determines the objectives, and fires those standing in the way. With the anti-incumbent movement growing, we may just get a bit more of that democracy and a bit less of that Republic which politicians cling to for dear political life.