When did our public servants become our masters?

[elehhhhna]

the '80's?

How did they pull it off?

[NJmaverick]

1. Yes I remember well how Nixon was a servant of the people

:crazy:

[asdjrocky]

8. And Nixon was ran out of office.

[ixion]

2. It's been going on since the beginning

to greater and lesser degrees, perhaps, but it's always been there.

[rubberducky]

3. When corporations took over the USA, thus owning polititians with corp. money and power.

This way the corps. get to decide what is "best" for us. Most of the time,of couse, any laws that are passed for our "benefit", fatten the bottom line.

[Fumesucker]

4. In a mature society, "civil servant" is semantically equal to "civil master."

-Heinlein

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein

It's been quite a while, Heinlein died in 1988..

[DavidDvorkin]

5. The day the Constitution went into effect

And the only thing that happened then was that a new structure replaced the old one.

[Goldstein1984]

6. It depends on how we define "them" and "us"

It's an old story. Read...

"The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism" by Emmanuel Goldstein (Found in "1984" - George Orwell)

and "A People's History of the United States" - Howard Zinn

and "A People's History of the World" - Chris Harman

and "Open Veins of Latin America" - Eduardo Galeano

and "The Shock Doctrine" Naomi Klein

[asdjrocky]

9. Year 501, Chomsky

Don't forget that one.

[Goldstein1984]

14. I can't believe I forgot Chomsky

I don't mean to overuse the proletariat and bourgeois thing, but what we are really experiencing is nothing more complicated than class struggle. Everything else is derivative.

[asdjrocky]

16. I like Zinn the best.

And for a guy like me, London always really put it in words I can relate to and understand. Chomsky I always have to read two or three times before I get what he's talking about.

[Goldstein1984]

23. Chomsky tends to ramble on a bit...

but I still always recommend Zinn for history.

Naomi Klein did a great job of explaining disaster capitalism in "The Shock Doctrine."

I forgot to mention "Stripping Bare the Body: Politics, Violence, War" - Mark Danner

[asdjrocky]

7. When Corporations became people.

It all traces back to that.

[havocmom]

10. They aren't our masters. They are middle management for our real masters

The top 1% are our masters.

[elehhhhna]

22. that makes THEM "private servants"! GREAT POINT.

[lib2DaBone]

11. November 22, 1963

That was the day that the back-room-boys took over. The rest is history.

[OHdem10]

12. The Convergence of many forces starting in the Reagan Administration

Actually it was easily pulled off. Here are a few of the forces
coming together.

1. The Rise of the Conservative Movement. Conservatives, in their
very nature are authoritarian. "like to be led". rank and file
are not questioning of authority by nature. Rather they are
more suspicious of those who are quick to quesion authority.
Order is most important. The Republican Party had been "wandering
lost in the desert for years." Conservatives developed serious
Think Tanks. Every Conservative who could, it seemed wrote
one book after another praising and building up Conservatism.
Republicans made an organized and successful effort to lay a
heavy guilt trip on Liberals most especially the Media,Television
in particular. By making the Media feel guilty over ignoring
and not taking Conservatives seriously enough, the Republicans
made lasting in roads. Knowing the value of Republicans appearing
on Television as often as possible, they trained their Candidates
their Members of Congress. Walk, talk with confidence. Make
people believe you know what you are talking about. People will
follow the self-assured person who seems to believe in something
and has something to say. The rise of Hate Radio sealed things.

That gives you an introduction. Most of you, I assume can add
to what I have said.

2. Messaging: Repeat anything over and over enough times and
the Public will believe it --even a lie.

3. Kill Liberalism. Demean, belittle, emphasize the negative.
Repeat over and over even lies and the Public will believe.
Instead of fighting back and defending themselves,
the Liberals assisted the GOP by calling themselves
Progessives. Now the GOP jokes about Progressives.

The Conservative Wing of Democratic Party joined Reagan
in his FREE MARKET CHANGES. Putting the Free Market in Charge
of our Country has led to the Meltdown today. Our own
party is right there so far. "The Market will solve
problems. Obama has tried to change this somewhat but
his advisors are DLC Conservatives. Think of all the
deregulation all the way to Bush--even Clinton. Free Market
Principles--Let the Market work its will. In other word
Business Men have the power. "The Invisible Hand" will
solve all problems.


It took both parties but the rise of the Conservative Movement
was most influential.

[lib2DaBone]

15. Well said.. very well researched...

[cali]

13. If you're talking about the Congress, they were always members of the

privileged class, for the most part.

[WonderGrunion]

17. Back in 1776. Wealthy landowners wrote our constitution.

They've controlled government ever since.

[spoony]

20. Precisely. nt

[DavidDvorkin]

25. Strictly speaking

it was in the next decade (when the Constitution was written).

[pansypoo53219]

18. when bizness

campaign bribery bought them.

[Libertas1776]

19. Oh, I'd say...

January 20, 1981...around noonish.

[varelse]

21. When was the news media consolidated into the hands of a few megacorporations?

coincidence?

[WilliamPitt]

24. When they decided to create a Republic in Philly

Way back when.

Ask Madison. He's explain it all.

[baldguy]

26. When they decided to sell their services to the highest bidder.