Tax the Rich ,Feed the Poor
It's been a long time coming but I do believe we are going to have a little National Conversation on the Distribution of Wealth. Of course it will be within the context of the Spectacular Discourse, but still, just seeing the subject brought up is a fascinating development. The dominant conservative meme is "Obama supports and promotes socialist ideas such as nationalization and wealth re-distribution". The Right uses this as a battle cry knowing that while it's corporate sponsors are a bit shaky (they are intelligent enough to know government bailout and wealth sharing are effective strategies to SAVE capitalism), this will resonate well with the brainwashed shock troops of ideologues and stupid people. (their base and ,by the way,not mutually exclusive)
All thinking people realize "wealth re-distribution" has been in full-assault mode since the 70s with a well documented shift from the actual producers of society to the investor class (see graph). As this data becomes disseminated,as I think it now must, stupid people will have to confront the fact they have ONCE AGAIN been duped by the propaganda of market fundamentalists and Reaganophiles. Sonia will be "adapting" her theories to the new reality, the Economists (techno-professionals) who did not see this coming and have no predictive abilities will "adapt" their theories and people will once again turn to them as Experts. A good example of this adaptation in action comes from James Speth, a Dean at Yale and considered a "founding father " of modern environmentalism. He says
"we should be looking for a nonsocialist alternative to todays capitalism." He is advancing "a real revolution in pricing...transformation to a post-growth society...and a wider variety of ownership patterns in the private sector."
Even Joe the Plumber will come to realize he has been hosed and that it is the tyranny of markets and their attendant "creative destruction" which has brought us starvation amidst plenty and a century of World War. The "invisible hand" is already being chopped away at by "establishment" economists like Stiglitz and Krugman and investors like Soros. A more radical critique follows close behind. As Alain Badiou writes (through infinitethought via Nate Holdren :
Most of society is "vaguely unsettled, understanding little, totally disconnected from any active engagement in the situation" due to the debilitating effects of the Spectacle. From this "shadow play" he advocates a "return to the real". (much as he did in a great essay in NLR 49 Jan-Feb.2008 titled Communist Hypothesis) "To the nefarious spectacle of capitalism, we oppose the real of peoples, of the resistance of all in the proper movement of ideas. The theme of the emancipation of humanity has lost none of it's power."
posted by troutsky @ 9:45 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Nate lives in Minneapolis, I never met him.
McCain would be winning the election, if he opposed the bailout.
See this. It is from ex-CIA of Stamfor.com, who provide pure geopolitical assessment.
You, Nate (a wobbly intellectual) and Graeme all in one town, sounds like revolution central.
others (wallerstein, Ellen woods) have noted that Bretton-Woods started with globalist motives but morphed into tool for US hegemony. Now EU, China and Latin American bloc are becoming countervailing powers. And look at Russias challenge to US over Georgia and expanded NATO. Funny that when Mc Cain sneers the word 'european' his base boos just as if he said gay marriage. The economic summit will give boost to New World Order theorists.
Seems to me that society is a wealth creation and distribution "machine." So wealth re-distribution is pretty much part of its remit.
I think the logic of the anti-distribution camp is incoherent. See my post:
http://iamyouasheisme.wordpress.com/2005/01/16/its-your-money/
If they'd come up with an honest argument against it, I might have some respect for them.
To get into NATO, you need consensus. Germany is opposed to Ukraine and Georgia in NATO, because they don't want to rattle the Russians. That is a geoploitical reality. You have McCain and Obama saying they are for their entry into NATO. Won't happen.
Read the Stamfor report to find what will happen at the conference. Europe wants more say in US markets.
I read report, ren, interesting last paragraph about what europe can bring to table for leverage?The Great Game never sleeps.
Sonia will be "adapting" her theories to the new reality
Ah bon... je ne savais pas...
Why do we need to redistribute wealth? If everyone would just stop getting involved in other peoples affairs and focus on solving their own problems we'd all be much better off. The United States tried this in the '70's with a 70% tax on the top margin, inflation was through the roof and eventually a Cowboy had to come into washington in the early 80's to knock some sense into the spaceshots that think you can just tax the hell out of everyone and well all be living in perfect paradise.
-Im 23 years old, I'm currently in the lowest tax bracket right now and I have more respect for myself than to go asking Uncle Sam for someone elses money even though I barely have enough to feed myself. I certainly don't want some government beaurocrat giving me a handout!
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