But, well, does that imply current leaders and candidates are the political realignment that is desired by the American people?
Honestly, I don't think so. I'm sorry but I have yet to see true policy directives, both parties, that are really Progressive and Populist, especially on putting Americans 1st for jobs/labor, another area being trade.
I wish I saw it, but so far, I am simply not a believer although there are a few scattered candidates running for House/Senate.
On inflation, I'd like to see some analysis on the reality that China can peg it's currency, give "tax breaks" almost immediately to their private ahem (I believe most businesses are still 50% state controlled?) and other adjustments a communist system can just throw out there on a dime.
This is a very interesting book, The Shock Doctrine that is probably write up your alley if you are studying the History of Revolution and conditions thereof. Milton Friedman I suspect also studied conditions of revolution and this is an astounding manipulation of a crisis to push corporate laden agendas onto a people in desperation.
It's pathetic and yes now wasn't it Greenspan who kept interest rates artificially low and that is the main cause of the Real Estate bubble?
One little fact I noticed:
the ongoing slide in home prices has wiped out the home equity of “about 12 million homeowners who are basically net in the red
I have not heard much analysis on home equity loans and I know people were using their homes as a piggy bank with home equity loans due to being broke, the rates so low.
Right, well more the reason to spread out and be the blogosphere instead of one site. Whoever owns the blog can dictate the overall agenda of the blog.
That's why on EP it's a voting system on the front page instead of certain people on the front page.
Now most jobs like this won't even pay rent, never mind allow one to go to college. Unions are a good thing in my view for they do get better wages for their workers.
You're right most Wal-Mart workers are there because the other good jobs were wiped out, so they are stuck. But, Wal-Mart has lawsuits against it from employees, so seemingly they are willing to fight.
Many revolutions, like France(1789), Britain's Crowmwellian period do not take place along with long civil wars. Violence is usually confined to the periods of Terror. I only suggest
warning signs, because history shows almost all revolutions are disasters, to be avoided if at all possible.
Far be it from me to predict things like revolutions. The next one in this country could likely involve a devolution of powers toward much more limited government and a more direct democracy. Changes management are usually irrelevant.
Sure the rights front man really is incompetent, but they are incompetent like foxes. It is all going as planned - put cronies and industry insiders in key regulatory positions, and spend like the dickens to justify gutting and defunding the social safety net programs like SS.
I worked in a union supermarket thru much of the 80's while I was going to school. These were good jobs that paid in the 8-9 buck an hour range in 1980's dollars and we had full medical, dental and optical benefits - I have not since had as good of benefits post grocery store. we got paid and extra 50 cent/hr night bonus for third shift work, time and half for overtime and Sundays, double time on holidays. Today's retail workers are lucky to make 8 bucks and hour in todays dollarswith minimal benefits if at all.
granted this is hard demanding work with sucky hours - retail's best business times are weekends and holidays so you pretty much have to work them. These jobs are also physically demanding with long hours on your feet and heavy lifting. This is precisely why retail workers would benefit from union representation.
I didn't get rich working in the store - but in the 80's I could afford to put myself thru college, drive a decent car and even buy my first modest house in a decent neighborhood. Couldn't do that on today's retail pay - no way
Kos is perpetuating the very sort of elitism that turns the blue collar vote away from the left. Not surpirisng - Kos is an unapologetic globalist. Little wonder that the dems have a serious issue in the industrial midwest in winning over the wroking vote.
Kos is parroting the Ricardian model of paying workers as little as possible, instead of the Henry Ford model that the auto industry was built upon creating the middle class.
A revolution is simply not likely at this point. People are not necessarily looking for revolution - they simply want the power of representative democratic government put back in the hands of we the people rather than the corporatists, globalists and special interests
There are two simple indicators that lead me to this assessment - the first is the folks most likely to lead such a revolution are the gun nut/militia types - and thanks to the right's pandering to the NRA are firmly in the right wing extremist camp - the republicans were very smart to keep these guys on their side - god, guns and gays is a powerful message among the blue collar , red state, and rural vote.
Secondly is that we continue to have the "whats the matter with Kansas" phenomenon - low information voters are too easily swayed by emotional and wedges issues, sound bite politics and drive-by news reporting to pay any attention to their own economic interests.
And on the authors point of the nattering class - it seems that most of the punditry and nattering class spend more time defending the status quo than pointing out the real structural problems facing our country as well as precious few in the MSM are reporting about populist issues, spare Lou Dobbs like him or not. Even the blogosphere is devoid of much real discussion of populism, save a few sites like this, and many, present company excepted, venture too far out into tin foil hat land to have much credibility
That was my first thought Robert that it could backlash against walmart management, but OTH, the folks that work at Walmart are often desperate for their jobs, as well as in many small towns these are the only jobs and folks under these kinds of economic and oppressive managment conditions will go along with the flow out of fear.
On second thought this may be the kind of mobilization call labor has needed in this election year - big enough hopefully that labor will finally wake up and re-exert its long languished influence on the democratic party.
It would seem that anything Walmart is against is something working people should be for - since walmart has been the great accelerator of job offshoring, shoddy imported goods, stagnant wages, low and no benefits, urban sprawl, undue political influence and so forth
was undergoing the selective bankruptcy (they were allowed to declare bankruptcy on only their US subsidiary, which they bankrupted by shifting all the global losses onto US books, and moving the profits offshore) I thought that going after the corporations intellectual property.
What I mean is that if the company wants to claim bankruptcy in the US let them, but transfer the physical plants, the rights to the brand name and product designs in the US to the workers. And let them make a go of it selling the products through an ESOP.
I didn't, but I can tell you India is demanding guest worker Visas claiming it's "services to be traded" and even worse the US said "ok". they failed on farming. Even worst than that, our Democrats, yes Democrats are trying to get 1/2 a million Visas for more guest workers. Unreal and that's the "labor" party? That will absolutely decimate tech workers across the board. The work areas only employ about 1.3M total in the US (I think) but it's like replacing half of US workers with guest workers!
I'd be surprised if the Economist is waking up although there are a lot of economists, the good ones, looking at the stats and writing some frightening projections.
It's all China and India, they saw where the train was heading. The world was gonna do to their agribusinesses what they did to our manufacturing. So what do they do now, they play the anti-free trade card. You know what, I'm glad they did, because now this runaway train we dub free trade will finally turn course! The ride was never "free" and the path was never fair.
Look over in the middle column. There blog trade reform has some organizations behind it and that's what they propose. These would be legal under the WTO (have a chance) and work somewhat similar to tariffs. Also, be aware that "emerging" economies and China is classified as one believe it or not, can set high tariffs.
You know, if even ailing GM and other so-called American companies want to continue to play wage arbitrage, well I say let 'em. Then we impose tariffs that negate any benefits they received from the outsourcing. Wait..we can't do that because of the WTO? While I highly doubt even the Democrats would pull us out of that insidious corporate wage brothel masquerading as a "free trade" group, we have other avenues. Simply replace tariff with taxes. This is why I never was for a "fair tax" or a "flat tax," for it didn't give us leverage on these multinationals. Whatever gains you made closing that plant in Ohio and opening up in Mexico, you're not only going to give back to the tax payer, but you will be charged more to compensate for any unemployment costs the tax base had to incur.
Although since when have some bloggers written things where they have no idea of what they are talking about!
Yes, that was the deal, GM was going to shut down US plants and move manufacturing overseas for newer models.
And they just did that, as usual. They don't simply retool and keep the same workers, for their brains are stuck on labor arbitrage versus being a well run corporation.
I agree with you, the attitude towards blue collar workers is pathetic and completely wrong headed. What white collar don't see to get that there for the Grace of God Go I and it's proven to be true, now occupations requiring years of education and training are being offshored. They cling to the belief that somehow a college degree or somehow being smart exempts one from being looked at as a head, a worker bee and that is completely wrong.
On top of it, who said one has to be a genius to have economic security and stability? It sure wasn't FDR!
This book is from 1965. I think people want to be represented is what is happening and they plain are not being represented. The U.S. government is surrounded by special interests, lobbyists, foreign government influence and seemingly the last who are heard at all are the American people. That said, I don't think people want revolution, more they want major reforms.
But, well, does that imply current leaders and candidates are the political realignment that is desired by the American people?
Honestly, I don't think so. I'm sorry but I have yet to see true policy directives, both parties, that are really Progressive and Populist, especially on putting Americans 1st for jobs/labor, another area being trade.
I wish I saw it, but so far, I am simply not a believer although there are a few scattered candidates running for House/Senate.
On inflation, I'd like to see some analysis on the reality that China can peg it's currency, give "tax breaks" almost immediately to their private ahem (I believe most businesses are still 50% state controlled?) and other adjustments a communist system can just throw out there on a dime.
This is a very interesting book, The Shock Doctrine that is probably write up your alley if you are studying the History of Revolution and conditions thereof. Milton Friedman I suspect also studied conditions of revolution and this is an astounding manipulation of a crisis to push corporate laden agendas onto a people in desperation.
Man, I have another lovely Greenspan moment to share.
Greenspan Recommends Wiping Out the Middle Class.
It's pathetic and yes now wasn't it Greenspan who kept interest rates artificially low and that is the main cause of the Real Estate bubble?
One little fact I noticed:
I have not heard much analysis on home equity loans and I know people were using their homes as a piggy bank with home equity loans due to being broke, the rates so low.
Right, well more the reason to spread out and be the blogosphere instead of one site. Whoever owns the blog can dictate the overall agenda of the blog.
That's why on EP it's a voting system on the front page instead of certain people on the front page.
Now most jobs like this won't even pay rent, never mind allow one to go to college. Unions are a good thing in my view for they do get better wages for their workers.
You're right most Wal-Mart workers are there because the other good jobs were wiped out, so they are stuck. But, Wal-Mart has lawsuits against it from employees, so seemingly they are willing to fight.
Many revolutions, like France(1789), Britain's Crowmwellian period do not take place along with long civil wars. Violence is usually confined to the periods of Terror. I only suggest
warning signs, because history shows almost all revolutions are disasters, to be avoided if at all possible.
Far be it from me to predict things like revolutions. The next one in this country could likely involve a devolution of powers toward much more limited government and a more direct democracy. Changes management are usually irrelevant.
Sure the rights front man really is incompetent, but they are incompetent like foxes. It is all going as planned - put cronies and industry insiders in key regulatory positions, and spend like the dickens to justify gutting and defunding the social safety net programs like SS.
I worked in a union supermarket thru much of the 80's while I was going to school. These were good jobs that paid in the 8-9 buck an hour range in 1980's dollars and we had full medical, dental and optical benefits - I have not since had as good of benefits post grocery store. we got paid and extra 50 cent/hr night bonus for third shift work, time and half for overtime and Sundays, double time on holidays. Today's retail workers are lucky to make 8 bucks and hour in todays dollarswith minimal benefits if at all.
granted this is hard demanding work with sucky hours - retail's best business times are weekends and holidays so you pretty much have to work them. These jobs are also physically demanding with long hours on your feet and heavy lifting. This is precisely why retail workers would benefit from union representation.
I didn't get rich working in the store - but in the 80's I could afford to put myself thru college, drive a decent car and even buy my first modest house in a decent neighborhood. Couldn't do that on today's retail pay - no way
Kos is perpetuating the very sort of elitism that turns the blue collar vote away from the left. Not surpirisng - Kos is an unapologetic globalist. Little wonder that the dems have a serious issue in the industrial midwest in winning over the wroking vote.
Kos is parroting the Ricardian model of paying workers as little as possible, instead of the Henry Ford model that the auto industry was built upon creating the middle class.
A revolution is simply not likely at this point. People are not necessarily looking for revolution - they simply want the power of representative democratic government put back in the hands of we the people rather than the corporatists, globalists and special interests
There are two simple indicators that lead me to this assessment - the first is the folks most likely to lead such a revolution are the gun nut/militia types - and thanks to the right's pandering to the NRA are firmly in the right wing extremist camp - the republicans were very smart to keep these guys on their side - god, guns and gays is a powerful message among the blue collar , red state, and rural vote.
Secondly is that we continue to have the "whats the matter with Kansas" phenomenon - low information voters are too easily swayed by emotional and wedges issues, sound bite politics and drive-by news reporting to pay any attention to their own economic interests.
And on the authors point of the nattering class - it seems that most of the punditry and nattering class spend more time defending the status quo than pointing out the real structural problems facing our country as well as precious few in the MSM are reporting about populist issues, spare Lou Dobbs like him or not. Even the blogosphere is devoid of much real discussion of populism, save a few sites like this, and many, present company excepted, venture too far out into tin foil hat land to have much credibility
That was my first thought Robert that it could backlash against walmart management, but OTH, the folks that work at Walmart are often desperate for their jobs, as well as in many small towns these are the only jobs and folks under these kinds of economic and oppressive managment conditions will go along with the flow out of fear.
On second thought this may be the kind of mobilization call labor has needed in this election year - big enough hopefully that labor will finally wake up and re-exert its long languished influence on the democratic party.
It would seem that anything Walmart is against is something working people should be for - since walmart has been the great accelerator of job offshoring, shoddy imported goods, stagnant wages, low and no benefits, urban sprawl, undue political influence and so forth
countries split from the South American agro-exporters that have traditionally been partners in trade talks. India wanted to protect their farmers.
The Indian and Chinese governments are worried about social unrest if they allow their peasant agricultural sector to be crushed.
was undergoing the selective bankruptcy (they were allowed to declare bankruptcy on only their US subsidiary, which they bankrupted by shifting all the global losses onto US books, and moving the profits offshore) I thought that going after the corporations intellectual property.
What I mean is that if the company wants to claim bankruptcy in the US let them, but transfer the physical plants, the rights to the brand name and product designs in the US to the workers. And let them make a go of it selling the products through an ESOP.
I didn't, but I can tell you India is demanding guest worker Visas claiming it's "services to be traded" and even worse the US said "ok". they failed on farming. Even worst than that, our Democrats, yes Democrats are trying to get 1/2 a million Visas for more guest workers. Unreal and that's the "labor" party? That will absolutely decimate tech workers across the board. The work areas only employ about 1.3M total in the US (I think) but it's like replacing half of US workers with guest workers!
I'd be surprised if the Economist is waking up although there are a lot of economists, the good ones, looking at the stats and writing some frightening projections.
It's all China and India, they saw where the train was heading. The world was gonna do to their agribusinesses what they did to our manufacturing. So what do they do now, they play the anti-free trade card. You know what, I'm glad they did, because now this runaway train we dub free trade will finally turn course! The ride was never "free" and the path was never fair.
Look over in the middle column. There blog trade reform has some organizations behind it and that's what they propose. These would be legal under the WTO (have a chance) and work somewhat similar to tariffs. Also, be aware that "emerging" economies and China is classified as one believe it or not, can set high tariffs.
You know, if even ailing GM and other so-called American companies want to continue to play wage arbitrage, well I say let 'em. Then we impose tariffs that negate any benefits they received from the outsourcing. Wait..we can't do that because of the WTO? While I highly doubt even the Democrats would pull us out of that insidious corporate wage brothel masquerading as a "free trade" group, we have other avenues. Simply replace tariff with taxes. This is why I never was for a "fair tax" or a "flat tax," for it didn't give us leverage on these multinationals. Whatever gains you made closing that plant in Ohio and opening up in Mexico, you're not only going to give back to the tax payer, but you will be charged more to compensate for any unemployment costs the tax base had to incur.
Although since when have some bloggers written things where they have no idea of what they are talking about!
Yes, that was the deal, GM was going to shut down US plants and move manufacturing overseas for newer models.
And they just did that, as usual. They don't simply retool and keep the same workers, for their brains are stuck on labor arbitrage versus being a well run corporation.
I agree with you, the attitude towards blue collar workers is pathetic and completely wrong headed. What white collar don't see to get that there for the Grace of God Go I and it's proven to be true, now occupations requiring years of education and training are being offshored. They cling to the belief that somehow a college degree or somehow being smart exempts one from being looked at as a head, a worker bee and that is completely wrong.
On top of it, who said one has to be a genius to have economic security and stability? It sure wasn't FDR!
We all want to change the world.
Brinton - Anatomy of Revolution.
This book is from 1965. I think people want to be represented is what is happening and they plain are not being represented. The U.S. government is surrounded by special interests, lobbyists, foreign government influence and seemingly the last who are heard at all are the American people. That said, I don't think people want revolution, more they want major reforms.
Are you seeing that? In response they just gave tax rebates and are also talking about pegging the Yuan more than they have.
When US has any economic issue does our government just in 2 quick steps give tax rebates to companies hurt or peg the dollar?
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