Noam Chomsky discussed democracy, the economy and global crises at Riverside Church

[struggle4progress]

By Jacquie Simone

... “There is a striking gap between public opinion and public policy on a host of major issues, domestic and foreign, and based on my judgment public opinion is often a lot more sane,” Chomsky said ...

“Bailing out banks is not utmost in the minds of the people now facing starvation, not forgetting the tens of millions enduring hunger in the richest country in the world,” he said.

Following this observation, he challenged Western intervention in other countries’ affairs. He cited imperialism and U.S.-supported coups, such as the overthrow of a democratically elected regime in Haiti in 1991, as evidence that meddling by the West is often not in the best interest of native peoples.

Chomsky, a longtime opponent of neoliberalism, also criticized capitalist notions of progress. He explained that since the “Golden Age of Capitalism” in the 1970s, real wages have stayed the same, work hours have increased, benefits have decreased, and social indicators have dropped. He finds these figures problematic to the general public of the United States ...

http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2009/06/105818.shtml