I have been corresponding with some friends of mine (real life friends this time) regarding the recent bailout. One of the correspondees asked how it is democratic for a relatively small number of people to unilaterally authorize and request 700 billion dollars to buoy their own industry. I responded:
"Because, as you have rightly pointed out, it is NOT democratic. We bear witness (and not for the first time) of the government being used not to promote the welfare of the people, but to ensure the continued prosperity and power structure of the wealthy. It is interesting that, with both presidential candidates seeming proponents of 'change', real democratic change would require the dismantling of the entire monetary system and subsequent separation of the body economic and body political in order to restore appropriate decision making processes. This is what Chomsky has said for 40 years, what Marx said 160 years ago - to have a government truly for the people, you must eliminate the existing power structure completely. It is my belief that we are in for more of the same regardless of the results in November...
Capitalism and democracy are not conjoined philosophies. In reality, it may be closer to truth to say that the market economy is antithetical to true democracy as political power becomes concentrated in the hands of those with the means to execute. That is, power and influence become so intimately linked with control of the markets and media that democratic principles of equality and egalitarianism become merely the slogans through which (if I may coin a phrase here) pragmatic power - the power to truly direct a state and its decision making processess - is masked.
The bailouts in question are, in my opinion, a life preserver thrown from a yacht."
Vitriolic? Yes. Ill-informed? Possibly. But I do not think that these facets reduce the truthfulness of the statements contained. Prove me wrong, world. Prove me wrong...
2 comments:
The public consciussness is a victim of mass political and apolitical expedience. The ironic reality is that Americans are so preoccupied with averting even the notion of socialism and yet socialism in support of a capitalistic paradigm is ok.... we'll just let it slide this time. This is merely a pathetic blind support of a flawed structure that has allowed/encouraged some morally suspect events to occur. Furthermore, Canadians are soooo enthralled by this spectacle that we managed to call and execute an election in less time and with less interest than a painted strumpet on a Saturday night. I don't know whats' worse....
J
I smell Seward!
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