Midcan5's Blog

Voodoo economics Invaded Granada Invaded Panama Lowered taxes for wealthy, raised taxes, raised taxes, raised taxes Removed worker rights legislation, fired workers Made government the bad guy Banking deregulation Bailed out S&L after real estate bubble burst Brought down Russia by giving speeches and spending money Spent gazillions on star wars which failed first second and last time tested. Presented great ad campaign Contract for America, nothing changed Gave speeches and spent money, Axis of evil, didn't work this time Failed to read, understand, or act on information about some guy and an attack Created Homeland security and read your email Stacked the SCOTUS with fascists who think corporations are really people Kept Americans safe after Beirut and after 911 Watched the destruction of New Orleans Gave medals to complete failures Figured since they couldn't get Bin Laden they'd get Saddam Showed 8 by 10 glossies of wmds in Iraq at UN Invaded Ira...

Would it be fair today to consider our SCOTUS a part of corporate America and not a part of all America? "The headquarters of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, located across from Lafayette Park in Washington, is a limestone structure that looks almost as majestic as the Supreme Court. The similarity is no coincidence: both buildings were designed by the same architect, Cass Gilbert. Lately, however, the affinities between the court and the chamber, a lavishly financed business-advocacy organization, seem to be more than just architectural. The Supreme Court term that ended last June was, by all measures, exceptionally good for American business. The chamber’s litigation center filed briefs in 15 cases and its side won in 13 of them — the highest percentage of victories in the center’s 30-year history. The current term, which ends this summer, has also been shaping up nicely for business interests." Read article here. "The 20th century has been characterized by three...

You say you want a revolution.... A fair view of America today presents a picture of great diversity. Many diverse groups occupy this mixed salad of a nation. This would be a good thing if all the groups shared in the pie, but tragically a large portion of America live near or just above poverty. And many Americans in the middle class fear a loss of work, spiraling healthcare costs, or even forced retirement could place them among the underprivileged. So the moral and societal question would seem, why is this so in a nation of such wealth? Could it be left to their own self interest or personal schemes there can be no such thing as justice or fairness in an unregulated capitalist society. Alternatives political structures offer few solutions as they all include the same element, humans. John Kenneth Galbraith wrote, "Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite." So where to next? When you read the following quotation, try to guess t...

The simple and recommended way to view life and politics in America. Note: While Glenn Beck is named in the title, this method applies to many political, historical writers, and opinion makers. In today's partisan culture some can do no good and others no wrong. Balanced critical thought has vanished from the American landscape. If you have ever read a book by a socialist, communist, or Marxist you are a socialist, communist, or Marxist. If you have ever criticized business for exploiting labor you are a socialist, communist, or Marxist. If you have ever thought democracy should serve all the people, you are a socialist, communist, or Marxist. If you have ever thought helping people is part of the government's function, you are a socialist, communist, or Marxist. If you have ever thought 'Welfare' could have a positive impact in America, you are a socialist, communist, or Marxist. If you have ever had your picture taken with a person who believes society o...

"Anti-government rhetoric is once again all the rage (pun intended) in the United States. Neoconservatives, indomitable Reaganites, and the Mad Tea Party all inveigh against the federal government—its taxes, its programs, its bureaucracy, its regulations. Unlike the political Left, they are not worried about domestic and international injustice, exorbitant military spending (the one portion of the national budget they would not reduce), or the diminution of civil liberties. Nonetheless, given that anti-government rhetoric, it’s worth considering whether the Mad Tea Party and the libertarian Right have anything in common with anarchism itself." Caroline Hamilton, an Americanist, teaches at the University of Pittsburgh. Her most recently scholarly article was published by The Journal of American Studies in the Spring of 2010. She is writing a book about Alexander Hamilton. Read article here.

Even when you disagree with him, John Kenneth Galbraith is worth a read. This book while short touches on key aspects of a just society, a society Americans experienced after the Great depression till recent times. What happened that America became so divided and so separated by wealth and privilege? The ideas contained in this short book point to what American values were not too long ago. "In this slim volume, eminent economist Galbraith tackles the question of what, exactly, is a "good society." Most Americans would agree with the components of Galbraith's "good society": economic growth; universal access to education; and protection for the young, old, disabled, and the environment. He parts company with the pundits in his disbelief that the "good society" can be obtained through adherence to a particular ideology, arguing instead that rigid philosophies must be abandoned and each issue considered in all its complexity. With his usual elegan...

Excellent piece that covers many parts of the economic and job puzzle. "In 1915, a statistician at the University of Wisconsin named Willford I. King published The Wealth and Income of the People of the United States, the most comprehensive study of its kind to date. The United States was displacing Great Britain as the world's wealthiest nation, but detailed information about its economy was not yet readily available; the federal government wouldn't start collecting such data in any systematic way until the 1930s. One of King's purposes was to reassure the public that all Americans were sharing in the country's newfound wealth. King was somewhat troubled to find that the richest 1 percent possessed about 15 percent of the nation's income. (A more authoritative subsequent calculation puts the figure slightly higher, at about 18 percent.)" "...Today, the richest 1 percent account for 24 percent of the nation's income. What caused this to hap...