Left, Middle [East], Right…

I honestly cannot believe those of us on the left that are frothing and chomping at the bit for radical change to the makeup and practices of the United States still do not realize the value in moderacy. We cannot run willy-nilly, pushing our agenda like we’ve only got 4 years to make up for all the lost freedoms, injustices, and societal ills from the past three decades or so.  It looks panicked.  The U.S. has enough going on that just needs to be fixed, or at the very least, stabilized.  An economy in shambles, with nearly every single major  American industry affected, job losses like we haven’t seen in a while, and a war on a distant front (three of them) that is all but forgotten and our medicaland social support systems can’t do much for the wounded and broken young men and women when they get back…the American dream  is weaker than ever. Let’s test out the minds of a younger, more team-solution oriented American workforce to solve some problems in the financial sector.  Let’s see what deadlines do for the car manufacturers, and apply those deadlines (in a more creative way ) to TARP and stimulus funded states on those shovel-ready programs we promised before we were sidetracked.  Let’s take dead US manufacturing jobs and create an in-house green supply industry; working to build the parts that will make green energy attainable, get our best scientific minds finding the best methods,  or fund building the systems that make our wind, solar and geothermal energy sources work for us. If we do well enough at this, we fix the job problem (by creating some), we fix the global warming/dirty energy issue  and save the earth, and we fix the trade issue by creating a product that other countries would invest in or purchase. Let’s also stay away from as many special interest groups as possible.

If our party wants to do the greatest good, we need to first strengthen what we know is broken, win the support of the very people our party is founded upon–even if they are not Democrats–and once the danger of utter collapse is past, then take our newfound support and make America great again by proving that if our ideas are great when we’re working with the “big ticket” items, wait and see what we can do with the emerging ideas, job markets, and concerns.  If we focus on this “strategy”, we may have at least four more years of time. Instead of splitting our energy into a million + one things that liberals have wanted to accomplish for a long time (and feel like Obama’sadministration is the perfect time to do so), we probably need to focus on restoring our image as a party of the people and do the most beneficial work for as many Americans as is possible.  Sure that may sound socialist, but given the alternative…an America in despair…I’d rather sound socialist.

Speaking of that distant war, remember the war in Afghanistan that turned into the war in  Iraq that turned into the war in Pakistan (which, save the border areas, we are largely uninvolved in)?  See if we can name all the countries in the middle east that haven’t made the news for conflict lately.  Let’s see–there’s Oman, which from the lack of fiery reports, sounds like a wonderful country to take a holiday in. I haven’t heard much about Lebanon lately,  or Jordan, or Yemen or oddly enough, Saudi Arabia.  The last one concerns me, since the entire region is suffering through no small amount of instability and they are second only to Iran in size, smack in the middle, but why do we not hear the Saudi voices of concern about the state of their region?  Now, I am not a Saudi Arabia hater–no!–I was just as enthralled by all the cool stuff that Air Force Dad brought back from Saudi as the next military kid, but I just find it so odd that they are so silent. Maybe they’re not talking to us since we crashed the stock market–that was full of their money.  If anyone has any insight or any news from al Jazeera that I may be missing, please don’t hesitate.

Poor Pakistan. Is this the price a country that appearsto be an ally of the US must pay? Pakistan went from a normal country, fairly progressive even, in the Middle East to a warzone in a relatively short amont of time. They were warned, though.  Even the Bush administration had enough sense to warn Pakistan to get their border region in check, but they only half listened.  Our drone attacks haven’t helped any.  I worry about my Pakistani friends’ families and if they’re in an affeccted region, because as bad as it already is, it could get worse relatively quickly.  I feel like the U.S. as “visitors” in the region are at a distinct disadvantage simply because we are in the middle of some really fierce “family feuds” right now and do not adequately understand the culture after all this time, becuase through all the years of the random acts of west-hating terrorist attacts, Iran-Contra and even prior transgressions (such as creating Israel and the ensuing fallout) we never tried to understand who they were, we just assumed they would conform to the ways of the western world and simmer down.  To make matters worse, Iran is poking at the exposed wounds of several countries in the area to provoke…well…I don’t know, but they are certainly provoking some kind of response.  There is no action great enough and no words wise enough to help even a single person in the most embattled parts of the Middle East, and I feel so sad and powerless to make this any better in my lifetime.

Heading back to the Right, I have to say I have had this incredible craving for news radio, and so during my lunch breaks, there is only a 2 minute blurb of the day’s events so far on NPR, and I indulge in the Rushbag’s show.  I have to say, some of his rantings are coherent and well thought out.  but lately he’s been on this “blah, blah…this only shows who Obamais…blah, blah” kick.  Sotomayor proves who Obama is. The auto bailout proves who Obama is. So on, and so on.  I’m not sure what that’s all about, but I do agree with him on the fact that Republican party does not need to “cow down” to every popular opinion.  It makes even the real, good, and conservative politicians seem less real.  I still have a soft spot in my heart for John McCain who is real (he just picked a dumb running mate) and out of every politician in D.C., I’d like to hear more of what he  has to say about the torture memos.  Speaking of those, does Dick Cheney know that he is not in charge of destroying the United States anymore? I don’t want to be scared to death–I want a solution to make the world insurgents live in more stable so that they want to function as a part of the normal  society in their home country, which makes ours more stable as a desireable by-product.

Honestly our country is in a make or break position.  We have some real challenges that cannot be tackled when our pols on the left or right cannot refrain from sensationalizing their displeasure in anything that wasn’t their idea.  This is destructive, and we need to drop the partisanship now.  Especially now that millions of Americans are suffering through the temper tantrums without jobs and homes.

What exactly is going on???

I worked Laaaate for the past few nights, and so have been either comatose or in a zombie-like state in my waking hours before I returned to work the next day.  I (gasp) haven’t been able to focus on what’s happening with the campaigns.  With the election so close, I have to admit that I’m a little dazed and confused about the current events.  The best I can surmise is that:

Obama’s Grandmother is sick, and he’s gone/going to Hawaii to be with her.
…no, wait…Actually, Obama has returned to Hawaii to cover up/fabricate his paper birth certificate, according to some guy who vaguely reminds me of Kenneth Starr.

Colin Powell, a respected Republican (except for that NATO/Iraq invasion thing), has endorsed Obama.
…well this could be translated as…moderate, those who have fallen out of favor or who have been shamed, and public-opinion-governed Republicans (nearly 50 prominent ones, in total) are jumping ship, like the rats they are. Most of this action is due to the backlash that the party is receiving for attacks by the McCain camp on Obama’s personal character, etc., and seats in state and national legislative bodies are in jeopardy.

Joe Biden has said that (in a paraphrased form), “Change is Comin’…and it won’t be quick and easy.” Biden has appealed to supporters for continued support if Obama is elected, and stated that the first few months will be part of the messiest administration transition, ever. He even referenced JFK.
…but in “attack-mode”…Biden can campaign for McCain anytime! Naturally, American citizens should be on the lookout for an “ORCHESTRATED CRISIS,” because that’s what the Democrats are planning if Obama is elected–in order to OVERTHROW THE CAPITALIST REGIME!!!! This is so textbook–Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals”–we should arm ourselves with shotguns, brooms, the Holy Bible, whatever might protect us from the Communist danger! (oops, I got ahead of myself)

Senator Obama is still a force to be reckoned with, and will help bring about the “Change We Need”. This change isn’t Protectionism or Socialism; rather, it’s a real concern for all Americans, and we should spread the national wealth (read: tax dollars) more effectively so that the rich don’t get richer and so the poor don’t get poorer.
…applying spin…Terrorist! Socialist!! Communist!!!! Businesses will run screaming to other countries.  Joe the Plumber and Dave the General Contractor won’t stand a chance.  The end is nigh. (I wrote a post on McCarthyism about a week ago, but I had no idea it would come to this)

High RWA followers will grasp at straws to keep this man out of office, even if the change he proposes directly benefits them.
…just the facts…From a Canadian who is just as entrenched in our national behavior as we are, The Authoritarians, is a worthwhile read. (I have to admit it might be offensive even to sensible Christians, but read all the chapter footnotes and he clarifies his research findings about moderate vs. fundamentalist Christians–and there is a difference)

And the Best News Of The Week:
McCain is OK with being the “underdog”.
…under a microscope…McCain is OK with being behind in the polls.  Outclassed, out-maneuvered, out-policied and perhaps a little bitter, I think maybe he rues his hallmark “maverick” judgement now, just a little bit.

What would McCarthy think?

Lately, I’ve been hearing an interesting word in the wake of our credit and financial crisis.  Traded among journalists, politicians and those “common folks” on Main Street, the endearment, comrade, has been rearing its ugly head.  One has to wonder what the implications are.  Obama has been criticized as having socialist views–but the American people are responding to his policy ideas.  Even McCain has hopped on the bandwagon with several of them.

UPDATE!!! I originally left this out, but realized that not everyone knows the “textbook definition” of Socialism. From American Heritage Dictionary:

 1. Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.
2. The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved.

In light of the recent remarks about certain individuals being socialists, let me remind everyone that the FEDERAL BAILOUT is, according to a strict interpretation, THE FIRST STEP TOWARD COMMUNISM, and it was perpetrated by the CURRENT administration as well as a majority of truly concerned parties. Thanks for letting me clear that up, now let us continue…

During the Second Red Scare in the 1940′s and 1950′s, many thousands of Americans (especially government employees) were accused of being Communist or Communist sympathizers. With investigations on Un-American Activities headed by Senator Joseph McCarthy, the decade was rough for government employees, educators, entertainers, and union activists.  The term that these actions spawned, McCarthyism, defined as “aggressively questioning a person’s patriotism, making poorly supported accusations, using accusations of disloyalty to pressure a person to adhere to conformist politics or to discredit an opponent, subverting civil rights in the name of national security and the use of demagoguery” (sounds like the post-9/11 fervor and the current presidential campaigns, right?), is now a derogatory term.  But at the time, any left-leaning ideas were suspect. From Wikipedia:

It had long been a practice of more conservative politicians to refer to liberal reforms such as child labor laws and women’s suffrage as “Communist” or “Red plots.” This tendency increased in reaction to the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Many conservatives equated the New Deal with socialism or Communism, and saw its policies as evidence that the government had been heavily influenced by Communist policy-makers in the Roosevelt administration.  

Some of these perceived threats were fairly socially acceptable, and not until the 1980′s did neoliberals attempt to tear apart the social welfare system. Theirs was an argument that government welfare and similar agencies were impediments to private entrepreneurship at public expense. This remains a battleground today in the BIG vs. small government debate in our major political parties. Wikipedia also mentioned:

Though McCarthyism might seem to be of interest only as a historical subject, the political divisions it created in the United States continue to make themselves manifest, and the politics and history of anti-Communism in the United States are still contentious. One source of controversy is the comparison that a number of observers have made between the oppression of liberals and leftists during the McCarthy period and recent actions against Muslims and suspected terrorists. In The Age of Anxiety: McCarthyism to Terrorism, author Haynes Johnson compares the “abuses suffered by aliens thrown into high security U.S. prisons in the wake of 9/11″ to the excesses of the McCarthy era. Similarly, David D. Cole has written that the Patriot Act in effect resurrects the philosophy of McCarthyism, simply substituting ‘terrorist’ for ‘communist.’”[

Luckily, since many of us benefitted from these social reforms along the way, we can view these actions as preposterous now–or can we? This is a two-sided issue for today; we are in the throes of a financial disaster that has governments across the entire globe stepping in to save banks…and situations that necessitate social programs for the families that were affected by its damage or in need of government assistance in the first place. Sadly, this only proves that we are so dependent on a capitalist society that we would take formerly abhorrent socialist practices and apply them…so that we can return our capitalist economy to its former glory.

The humor in all of this is that, if McCarthy’s practices still existed today, more than likely, we would be investigating all of Washington and Wall Street for recent activities. McCarthy is probably still rolling in his grave after the Fed Bailout, but it makes for good politics.

Consumerism and Lending – Opposing Forces

Sorry I haven’t written in a few days…I was in New York, bailing out some banks…just kidding. Although I did consider sending Ben Bernanke a letter asking him to consider picking up my student loan tab. Seriously, there are some serious economic issues in our country, which threaten to send the financial market spiraling out of control. I’m no economist, but I’m trying to figure out how we got here.

The United States and the rest of the world have made some vast improvements in our way of life in the 20th century and this earliest part of the 21st. It was not that a majority of the world was living in squalid conditions—it’s more that countries have made improvements in the depth of experiences we are able to have in our lives. We still live, attempting to make the best out of our own personal situations, but with more options than our ancestors at the close of the 19th century.

The economic policies of Roosevelt, FDR, Nixon, Reagan and the current administration have shaped the markets as we know them, for better and for worse. We have experienced some times of plenty that rival those of other nations. I concede that you have to gamble a little bit for the health of the U.S. economy, but the greed of the top U.S. corporations have put us in the spot we are currently in.

Those of us in the U.S. benefit the most from advancements—from the top levels of our society to the bottom, and every rung in between. But how much have we really benefited from innovation and new “strategies” in business, especially big business? The gluttonous practices that, I’ll admit existed in the Clinton era and prior administrations, have flourished in the last four years, and I’ll venture to say that companies took advantage of our split attentions after the beginning of the war in Iraq.

We live in a scientific age. We benefit from a technological age. We also live in a consumer-based age. Somehow, at the same time, we live in an age where we spend money that we don’t have. Even as Americans exist in these states, they threaten to tear us apart, limb from limb, because they all depend on money. I think the technical folks call that “capital”, and hence we have our Capitalist Society. There has been a lot of talk about the impending doom of investment banking—institutions that, by the way, could only exist in a “capitalist” market—with the bail-out of Fannie May and Freddie Mac, Lehman Bros. recent collapse and yesterday’s $85billion loan to AIG. These companies probably didn’t even know their way out of the mess, that is, until Bear Stearns had to learn for all of them, the hard way. However, all of this goes back even further into the Housing market’s decline, due to unwise lending practices and all the bad debt that came with it. All of which goes back even further, to the happy-go-lucky time when housing prices soared and people could actually afford a tank of gas and their mortgage payment. But…I could go on for days. Hindsight is 20/20 and I hope now that we can see what all the greed that has arisen (well…it was already there) in our economy and the global economy has done for us.

It has been said that the U.S. government’s involvement in saving these gigantic investment firms is bordering on “socialism”. Maybe so, but let’s consider the alternative. In a strictly capitalistic economy, these companies would have been allowed to fail—wreaking unimaginable havoc on markets from here to Japan—through Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the rest of Asia. Imagine a Great Depression, if you will, but one that spans the entire world. The Wall Street banks operated on huge amounts of leverage, which means they borrowed money to “gamble” on bad debts, just to turn a profit. Obviously, they pulled “snake eyes” when they loosened lending practices for home mortgages, and here we are now.

I can’t understand why it is not perfectly visible that the economy’s woes come from things that we want but don’t necessarily need—houses, extended medical care, loans or lines of credit to buy personal technology (TVs, cell phones, etc.)—and while we spend, the prices of things we really do need (food, fuel, water) have skyrocketed due to unprecedented shortages and disruptions in supply.

I wish I had a solution, but the U.S. treasury and the Fed have beaten me to it. The Fed has already committed to a lot of money, guaranteeing money markets. If we are at war, I’m almost certain that we don’t have billions of dollars in reserve to invest in the market as a country. But the government agencies are crafting a plan to create something like the Trust Corporations of the 80′s and the Great Depression, as we speak, in order to keep crisis at bay. The news that our U.S. government is willing to put over 500 billion dollars into bad debt has markets from here to eternity extremely excited–so we haven’t learned a doggone thing about our greed, yet.

Of course, this could be the brilliant move we need to earn our losses in Iraq back—invest in a market that is typically resilient, and make some money for the government so that when they do bounce back, we earn some serious returns.