Jim Hightower: All we export is our future (We can have a plutocracy, or a democracy. But not both.)

[highplainsdem]

http://www.csindy.com/colorado/all-we-export-these-days-is-our-future/Content?oid=2073177

March 03, 2011 Columns » Hightower
All we export these days is our future
Lowdown
by Jim Hightower


By gollies, America is still an exporting powerhouse. In fact, our corporate chieftains have made us number one in exporting America's most precious goods — our jobs, factories, technologies, and middle-class opportunities.

With unemployment and underemployment devastating millions of families in our country, perhaps you've assumed that U.S. corporations aren't hiring these days. Nonsense, they added 1.4 million jobs last year alone — overseas, that is.

-snip-

Calvin Coolidge once asserted that "What's good for business is good for America." That was myopic enough, but today's narcissistic CEOs are even more self-serving, declaring: "What's good for business is good for business, America be damned."

If we are to have a united society, America cannot tolerate such raw selfishness by the privileged few. We can have a plutocracy, or a democracy. But not both.

[AKDavy]

1. Populism needs to make a comeback

Liberals have sold out for a seat at the Power Table.

[pampango]

4. It has (at least the faux kind). Unfortunately it's on the wrong side.

Teabaggers are anti-trade, anti-immigration, and anti-bailout (their "populist" positions). Of course, they are also anti-HCR, anti-union and anti-education (which is why they are on the "wrong" side).

[AKDavy]

5. That's what I worry about

I'm reading Chris Hedges' "Death of the Liberal Class" right now, and I have to say that it's taking all of my scattered perceptions and assembling them into the first coherent picture I've been able to create. Basically, I'd given up finding a political label for myseld, since all the standard labels come with a platform and a load of platitudes that I just can't embrace. Finally, the Libertarian Anarchism and the Classic Liberalism described by Hedges make sense to me.

Unfortunately, the prognosis isn't good. It seems we've made non-violent revolution impossible, and thus made violent revolution inevitable (to paraphrase JFK).

But it's at least nice to be able to sort through all the bullshit and understand the trainwreck as it happens.

[Bozita]

6. Check C-SPAN for Hedges' 90min appearance re: "Death of the Liberal Class"

It aired last weekend on BOOK-TV.

Time well spent!

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/LiberalCl

[highplainsdem]

7. Thanks for the link!

[AKDavy]

10. Thanks! Will do that.

[fishwax]

2. k/r

:kick:

[highplainsdem]

9. Thanks!

[Bozita]

3. Amen, Jim. Amen!

[Rex]

8. Just as long as he doesn't blame Obama.