The Revolution will be televised, and camera camed, and twittered, and so on. Pundits are punditing comparing the Manhattan Manhattan
The Republicans are less than sympathetic to the protestors. Canter (Tea Party guy) calls them a “mob”. Mitt calls them “dangerous”. It’s simply a populist movement. Why wasn’t the Tea Party a mob and dangerous guys. I think they kind of are politically anyway.
The Republicans frame the protests as class warfare. Well, Republicans are the Party of rich people and corporations, and non-rich people too stupid to know that Republicans are the Party of rich people and corporations. (I note that quite a few rich people desire greater social justice. Some of my best friends are rich people.) I don’t think non-rich people demand a redistribution of wealth. They just want their kids to have a better shot at life than they had. That’s called the American Dream. It may only happen when you’re asleep, but I repress.
The message (which I agree with) of the Manhattan movement is that BOTH political Parties are owned by Wall Street and BOTH work full time to shill money to keep their jobs. Two heads, same critter.
I think we should have a 95% Party. We need somebody to speak for the 95% of us who aren’t rich and aren’t likely to get rich. So the framing should be the Middle Class which is eroding and struggling every month versus the “a big F.U. to everybody else” few that aren’t. Is that a class thing or a F.U. thing? Aren’t we all Americans here? Where is our sense of citizenship and social responsibility?
Ok, solution space: There are some innovative solutions that can create win-win solutions. In addition to building infrastructure, which is beneficial to current and future economic prosperity, incentive programs could be quickly created that put people to work immediately. Rather than pay a person unemployment, give the money to a business to hire that person. A private/public partnership could be formed that helps corporations/ business train and retrain our workforce to do the specific jobs that are needed. There are thousands of manufacturing jobs unfilled in this country because people don’t have the “knowledge” or “qualifications” to do them. That may be true, but Americans have the brains and they have the desire to work and learn. Our nation needs investment for the future, in both human and physical resources.
Well, my solutions and $27.45 is a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Here’s the bijillion dollar question in order to rebuild and sustain the Middle Class: How can we (re)connect business profit with employee mobility? Labor unions, public protests, laws & regulations, the goodness of corporate hearts….what? I you come up with the answer I will rush it to contacts in Congress who will sit on the answers and debate the price of Tea in China China
I don't know the answer, but I while I agree with the sentiment and the kinds of problems they are pointing out, some of the demands I've been told they are making are untenable. They want the forgiveness of all debt worldwide - not just behind on the payments debt, but all debt. That sounds wonderful, except if you are the lender and stand to lose your whole lifetime investment and savings in one fell swoop. What do you know about these demands? If some of this weren't so crazy I would be 100% with them, because the problem is more that banks control politics than that politics needs better solutions.
ReplyDeleteI think the last comment, "fire these guys" is more than appropriate. Though most of our governments have their share of corruption, this congress has got to be one of the worst.
ReplyDeleteI don't look for political solutions to man's problems. Great political ideas like Greek Democracy, the Magna Carta, or the American balance of powers are great gifts in the sense that they establish the "least of possible evils"; but they are incapable of eradicating mankind's bent toward corruption. Whatever system is established, corruption will find a way to co-opt its authority.
In the present day, the worldwide power structures control the essence of money. That is they literally own most of the world's currencies. To see a real systemic change in world politics (or national) one would need to reformulate the entire monetary system, and this where the danger lies. Who reformulates it and how? The very powers we would to free ourselves from, are the very powers likely to exercise greater control when the political upheaval takes place.
Looking to God for solutions can lead to common ground. The Day of Jubilees provides forgiveness of debt, pleasing God and non-greedy man. Shofar sho good.
ReplyDeleteThe single foundational issue eroding the Middle Class is the decoupling of business profit with employee benefit. Unless this coupling is restored, the Middle Class will continue to suffer and erode and our nation will continue to spiral in decline.
ReplyDeleteIf you really want to "fire the guys", you have to step up and vote this fall. The problem is that the "system" is rigged. The "system" puts up the contenders and has no interest in changing itself. Perhaps we need a new system.