Until November 2nd, 2010, I kept thinking that we had a slim chance to pull out of an elongated recovery period and perhaps avoid more economic craziness. I was wrong. I kept thinking that there was a slim chance to avoid a corporate takeover of America. I was wrong about that, too. I kept thinking that in President Obama, we had a second FDR and Teddy Roosevelt who did the right things in the face of corporate greed and domination and popular opinion. It won't turn out that way. Instead, on November 2nd, we got President Herbert Hoover and Dubya all over again, and it should be clear that they were disastrous. And, there isn't a chance in hell that we'll pull out of the mess we're in, even when we have President Obama/FDR. He's just as trapped by corporate control as the rest of us are and nothing solidified that corporate control more than the Republican/Corporate coup d'etat that occurred on November 2nd. An angry, and mislead, America pulled the plug on any chance we had to get our economy back on track. If President Obama has any idea to at least try to save some of America, he will be forced to come to center and somehow finagle small changes that help the economy while trying to overcome Hoover/Dubya/Boehner/McConnell/Corporate opposition. I doubt that he can do it. The political wind has changed and it will blow him away.
Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve Board seem to realize that too, because yesterday the Fed started printing more money to buy back government bonds in hopes of stimulating the economy to a quicker recovery by making stocks more attractive investments. It's clear to me that the Fed did this "ahead" of the Republican winners taking office in January, because after they do, there will NOT be anything come out of Congress that's going to stimulate the economy AND Congress may put the clamp on the Fed. But, the Fed's action shot down the value of government long-term bonds, 20-30 year bonds; they went down immediately. It's a big gamble since it will boost the stock market for the short-term. But, there's a big question out there. Will it push the market up too high? Will it create another bubble that will burst and the market plunges again? And, destroy your retirement plan - again? If so, then the best thing to do is to take short-term profits and hold cash, like all of those corporations are doing with their cash. My crystal ball is too foggy to see.
The thing that finally convinced me that Obama will not be strong enough is this Frontline documentary on how healthcare reform became law. It's a sad commentary on how much control corporate lobbyist have over Congress and the Presidency, and America for that matter, and there isn't a damn thing that the Tea Party or Republicans will do about it no matter how angry they get. In fact, our only chance to fight back would have been a full uprising of the left, but that won't happen when corporations are controlling the discussion and America is so ignorant about the problem and can be so easily mislead. In fact, and in spite of the good things in the law, Howard Dean is right; the law is a health insurance industry boondoggle. As I watched the film, I was struck by the fact that Obama knew he was trapped and he was profoundly saddened because nobody on the Republican side, especially Republican Senator Charles Grassley, was going to do what was right. Blue Dog Democrats and Republicans lined up the opposition to the bill to give Billy Tauzin, lobbyist for Pharmaceuticals, and Karen Ignani, lobbyist for health care industry, the key to the American vault. Perhaps Obama should have stood his ground, but instead he took what he could get and then Tauzin and Ignani, and their Republican/corporate buddies, stabbed him and Democrats in the back by instigating the summer of the "Town Hall Smash Down" over "Killing My Grandma." It was all lies, but that didn't matter. Corporations were controlling the mob.
It is clear that the new Republican House and 48 or 49 Republican Senators will control the government, which is to say that corporations have confirmed their control. It's ironic that the Land of the Free is actually south of the REAL Land of the Free, and the sensible. Canada is doing everything right and it may find that it has another Mexico along its southern border. Canada is controlling its banks and its resources, unlike America's Republicans who are more than willing to give away the store. Here is an article where the Canadian Government blocked the purchase of the Canadian Potash Corporation. It's clear that Canada is fed up with foreign corporate takeovers. Good for them. It will serve Canadians much better in the long run. Perhaps Canada should begin thinking of how to protect its southern border from invading, illegal American aliens. If I lived there, I wouldn't want a bunch of nuts in my country either, except that I do have a bunch of nuts in my country and they are controlled by the corporate message.
The Republicans claim that they are going to do "what the people want." How they know what the people want is beyond me. Just "what people" are they talking to? Who, specifically, is delivering the "People's" message to them? It's all a joke, and it is on us. The message they're listening to is the corporate message. Who's fooling who, here? The times in history where the mob took control was not very pretty. In Rome, they (corporate money?) had games in the Coliseum "for the mob's gratification," much to the delight of the mob and to the distress of those eaten by the lions.
I'm not hearing any news media talk about how disastrous the Republican takeover could be in terms of the historical lessons of both Roosevelts, Teddy and Franklin. The Republican intent is clear; "Obama, move to the GOP or else" be blocked on every move. In fact, FDR faced similar obstruction, ironically from his own Party, by Huey Long and Roman Catholic Priest Charles Caughlin. Caughlin was the Rush Limbaugh back then, and he turned against Roosevelt, calling for monetary reforms for corporate interests, much like the Republicans are going to do to repeal the healthcare, consumer protections and bank regulations today. Huey Long saw a political advantage and joined Caughlin. The ignorant "mob" arose. FDR called Long and Caughlin "the most dangerous people in America," in his day. He tried to save the mob in spite of itself. It's strange to call World War II lucky for America, but that is what it was. If it hadn't been for World War II, FDR would not have been as successful bringing America out of the Great Depression. World War II was a huge stimulus spending plan, as it turned out, that put millions of Americans back to work. How soon we forget. We won't have a World War to pull us out this time, unless we get President Sarah Palin. That's a scary thought. We could get her. She could be our next President. From what I've observed, she is very capable of pulling the nuclear trigger. She has an apocalyptic vision. But, you can't put people back to work in the middle of atomic radiation.
Well, I'm burned out. I have stopped publishing this blog to Facebook. And, I'm going to stop writing on Facebook. Enough already. I've worn out my welcome. I'll keep writing the blog for the cathartic benefit. It helps my soul. My brother mentioned that Fiji looks like a nice place to live. Then too, a friend posted pictures of Peurto Vallarta that looks like a nice place to live, in spite of being in a dangerous Mexico. I'll look into it. Maybe I'll win the lotto and go to a corner of the world where I don't have to watch America crumble. Canada is a choice, but it's too cold and I can still see America from my backyard. Or, got your cardboard box and your spot picked out under the freeway overpass?
Dave
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