Time to get a little more serious and write a really bipartisan blog. It is tough work, but somebody has to do it and our leaders seem to have gone on permanent vacation!
I have finally come to the conclusion that Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party are really two sides of the same coin.
We all know that America is in a mess. That, at least, is indisputable. In fact, it is even worse than Washington wants us to believe. Unemployment is not 9% - the real number is closer to 30% according to most household surveys. And that black hole debt is now approaching 15 trillion - but that is just what's on the federal government's credit card. Even the OWS protesters are now urging us to stop spending. Yet, just today, Romney was still promising to spend even more money to keep us in the World Super Cop business - not a plan that will thrill either Tea Partiers or OWS activists. Why keep on trying to rule the world when we are being forced to abandon many of our social and environmental contracts? Whose agenda is this? Would most Americans really vote for a stronger military paid for by ransacking entitlements and destroying the planet? Not likely! Romney is just the last of a dying breed - a mouthpiece for the Corporate States of America (aka: the military-industrial complex for us Baby Boomers).
On both sides the question is not whether the system is broke, but rather which road is the best path forward. The Tea Party would have us cozy up to the Corporate States of America - while Occupy Wall Street would dismantle this fickle union and form some vague new social contract. At least the Left has finally found some focus for the first time since we got out of Vietnam - the last time they got into a meaningful street fight. Their principal point is clearly that the relationship between this corporate state and the majority of its people is not working. What is good for big business is no longer the same as what is good for the 99% - if it ever was.
The Right is clearly worried by this new development. Herman Cain and Rush Limbaugh are already running around with their heads cut off, claiming this is all an Obama conspiracy - perhaps funded by Hungarian billionaire, George Soros. This idea has several huge flaws. First, it assumes that Obama is really smart enough to go this BIG, then it assumes that he is dumb enough to start such an unfocused anti-government protest. Eric Cantor is also already sweating about 'mobs' in the street. Ever been near a really loud Sarah Palin rally, Eric?
What really worries the Rad Right is the threat of class warfare and the presence of the unions has done nothing to ease that fear. Remember Hoffa's comments on Labor Day about 'taking these son of a bitches out'? The Tea Party hasn't forgotten! It is a frightening idea for those who are honestly embracing this new corporate state and depending on this relationship to save America's bacon.
Over the past two years, the Tea Party has been the most polarizing influence in America - but do they really want to go there? The numbers say no. If it comes down to the crunch, there are a lot more pissed off poor people than millionaires and big corporations. The polls on Obama's 'tax the rich' proposal show that about 65% have little sympathy for the wealthy. I even believe that many soft Tea Party supporters are actually more anti-big government than pro-corporation. They just haven't quite figured out who is the villain. The Tea Party have picked up most of their support in the fight against the debt and high personal taxes - now Occupy Wall Street is a taking up this same theme and offering a different solution. They want the big corporations to pay for the monstrous mess they have created. An attractive idea?
The other analogy for both The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street is the Arab spring. All across the world, people are going into the streets to throw off oppression - but who is America's oppressor? OWS would seem to argue that the big corporations have clearly turned their backs on the American people and made the search for profit their single focus. As a result, the US has become the world's unpaid Super Cop, jobs have been exported, we are drowning in debt, and forced to abandon many of our social and environmental goals in a last ditch attempt to stay afloat. The Tea Party would instead argue that big government is the issue and that only by allowing unchecked free enterprise to flourish, will we ever find our way back to glory. The truth is that separating big-government and big business is impossible. Free enterprise and small business are the backbone of American - the large corporations are much less friendly. The Tea Party too often blurs this critical point - Exxon and your corner grocer are not the same animal. The big corporation is only pro-profit and has no special love for the American people, while small business is all about freedom and liberty. Do we really want to embrace this Corporate States of America? Still, the pro-corporation Tea Party position at least offers the promise of a new minimum wage economic revival. Can Occupy Wall Street offer us any anything more than bigger government and growing poverty? Maybe time will provide a new consensus, but it seems unlikely that any workable solution can ignore either side of the equation.
Only one thing is really clear at this moment in time - the American people are really pissed off and want a new deal. That is what Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party have in common - where they differ is whether or not we should friend the rising Corporate States of America.
Showing posts with label Tea Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tea Party. Show all posts
Friday, October 7, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Addicted to Cheap
China is not making happy faces at the US Senate these days. Monday, Senators voted 79-19 to debate a new bill that would smack Chinese currency manipulation with steep new tariffs. Chinese spokesman, Ma Zhaoxu, immediately pouted that any action against their products would violate World Trade Organization rules and obstruct China-US trade ties. Nice try Ma, but it's time to pay the piper! China has been stealing our jobs and markets for too long, now the tide is turning - well... maybe!
Who can blame China for wanting to maintain this crazy good trade deal? It is never easy to knock off leeches once firmly attached! A $273 billion trade surplus - up from $83 billion just ten years ago - is worth a few grumbled threats about trade wars. The Chinese 'renminbi' (who knew?) is currently fixed at about 6.4 to the dollar - at least 25% cheaper than its actual value. This not only makes US imports more expensive, it also makes cheap Chinese crap even cheaper. Given this unbalanced trade balance, is a trade war really such a bad idea? It would be nice to think that we can just run the Chinese trade train off the cliff, but Old Ma does seem to have a point. What would we do if they forced us to quit Chinese cheap cold turkey? It would be rather gruesome to see everyone running around naked - to say nothing of the impending Toyaggedon! Can you imagine our children forced to play with real wooden blocks and their parents trying to tweet with an abacus!
Still, it is tempting to tack on a nice 1000% tariff and knock China completely out of the market. Wouldn't it be refreshing to go to the store and actually find something made in the USA. I even get nostalgic on the the rare occasion I find a TV still made in Japan. Unfortunately, bashing China is not entirely practical. Walmart, as we know it, would cease to exist - putting over 2 million people out of work. Even worse, many of these new unemployed would be 'greeters', workers who would be forced to run for congress - the only other job for which they are qualified.
I should have guessed there was no simple solution. It seems we are now addicted to cheap Chinese products and pay for our addiction by exporting jobs. If we continue down this road we will soon not have even enough 'renminbi' left to buy even he cheap Chinese junk that feeds our consumer addiction. Still, if we go the other route and bash our pusher-in-chief, we will soon go crazy broke buying Indian saris and Swedish computers. A tricky problem, for sure!
Not to worry! As usual, it seems nothing positive is happening in Washington. The House Republicans have already decided not to take up the senate's lead and even Obama is hedging his bets. Sound familiar? Boehner and Obama want a more comprehensive trade deal with China and look at currency manipulation as just 'one part of the problem' - Washington code for 'don't rock the boat'. Such all or nothing tactics may be the current flavor of the day - but right now they just giving keep China laughing all the way to the bank. Maybe we should let The Donald negotiate with Beijing!
Who can blame China for wanting to maintain this crazy good trade deal? It is never easy to knock off leeches once firmly attached! A $273 billion trade surplus - up from $83 billion just ten years ago - is worth a few grumbled threats about trade wars. The Chinese 'renminbi' (who knew?) is currently fixed at about 6.4 to the dollar - at least 25% cheaper than its actual value. This not only makes US imports more expensive, it also makes cheap Chinese crap even cheaper. Given this unbalanced trade balance, is a trade war really such a bad idea? It would be nice to think that we can just run the Chinese trade train off the cliff, but Old Ma does seem to have a point. What would we do if they forced us to quit Chinese cheap cold turkey? It would be rather gruesome to see everyone running around naked - to say nothing of the impending Toyaggedon! Can you imagine our children forced to play with real wooden blocks and their parents trying to tweet with an abacus!
Still, it is tempting to tack on a nice 1000% tariff and knock China completely out of the market. Wouldn't it be refreshing to go to the store and actually find something made in the USA. I even get nostalgic on the the rare occasion I find a TV still made in Japan. Unfortunately, bashing China is not entirely practical. Walmart, as we know it, would cease to exist - putting over 2 million people out of work. Even worse, many of these new unemployed would be 'greeters', workers who would be forced to run for congress - the only other job for which they are qualified.
I should have guessed there was no simple solution. It seems we are now addicted to cheap Chinese products and pay for our addiction by exporting jobs. If we continue down this road we will soon not have even enough 'renminbi' left to buy even he cheap Chinese junk that feeds our consumer addiction. Still, if we go the other route and bash our pusher-in-chief, we will soon go crazy broke buying Indian saris and Swedish computers. A tricky problem, for sure!
Not to worry! As usual, it seems nothing positive is happening in Washington. The House Republicans have already decided not to take up the senate's lead and even Obama is hedging his bets. Sound familiar? Boehner and Obama want a more comprehensive trade deal with China and look at currency manipulation as just 'one part of the problem' - Washington code for 'don't rock the boat'. Such all or nothing tactics may be the current flavor of the day - but right now they just giving keep China laughing all the way to the bank. Maybe we should let The Donald negotiate with Beijing!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
When in doubt say nothing loudly!
There really is no need to listen to either side in the Washington sideshow these days. Before the politicos even step on stage, we already know what sound byte will soon be blowing in the wind.
The GOP are now like tent preachers always hammering out the same tired sermons. Who isn't tired of hearing about how we will soon be resurrected in a new land of Milk Buds and Honey Nuts if we just keep the faith and follow the five new commandments. The Road to Salvation is simple, just give up our sinful addiction to spending, bow down to Wall Street and renounce taxation, shrink government to the size of Boehner's heart, allow the holy free enterprise system to rape and pillage the universe, and repeal every other rule passed since the old 10 Commandments were first broken.
In the next ring, Obama's Economic Flying Circus also continues to bark nothing of substance as loudly as possible. Every high wire performance necessarily spins off the 'middle class' about as often as the debt rises by another nickel. These guys also do a trapeze 'jobs act' that keeps going back and forth but can never quite land. Still, it is hilarious when the clown tries to be the big adult in the room - despite his petulant rants and his plans to pay for a hamburger today by buying more burgers every time he circles that stimulating merry-go-round.
My mother used to say 'if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all'. Now for these stooges to say something 'nice' is clearly asking too much given the current State of the Show, but can't they at least crack a few new jokes on occasion? It seems like all we are getting is old Monte Python re-runs. Where are all the new routines that will restore the great "American Pie Review' to it's place of glory as the most annoyingly proud act in the history of showbiz?
The sad truth is that American Pie is actually not going on! All three rings may be full of tricks and treats, but nobody is paying and the barkers are rasping louder and more desperate every day! Other than The Amazing Donald suggesting we beat up China and win back the title (very interesting, but probably stupid), no one else seems to have any idea how to fill up the bleachers and pay the baker for trillions of cream pies!
Personally, I blame those wily old showmen Nixon and Reagan for the current blackout under the big top! Nixon invited China to the circus to open up new markets for Show USA... you were a real comedian, Tricky Dickie! Later, Ronald tripped up the Moscow Circus and ended the War of The Rings, a rather nice little act which had kept the pie wars cooler and the ticket booth busy for almost half a century! Now every two bit act wants a piece of that classic American show, and horror of horrors, while we were busy dropping our piggy bank on the poor old snake charmer's head, the Chinese Opera raided the cookie jar and stole all our competitive brownies.
Perhaps, the only really new thing to say is 'HELP'! The new middle class is now all performing for big business shows in China or at your local MacDonald's. That is the new reality show no one wants to talk about! Oh well, circuses and tent preachers may not make us rich again, but they do make the news cycle a little more entertaining!
The GOP are now like tent preachers always hammering out the same tired sermons. Who isn't tired of hearing about how we will soon be resurrected in a new land of Milk Buds and Honey Nuts if we just keep the faith and follow the five new commandments. The Road to Salvation is simple, just give up our sinful addiction to spending, bow down to Wall Street and renounce taxation, shrink government to the size of Boehner's heart, allow the holy free enterprise system to rape and pillage the universe, and repeal every other rule passed since the old 10 Commandments were first broken.
In the next ring, Obama's Economic Flying Circus also continues to bark nothing of substance as loudly as possible. Every high wire performance necessarily spins off the 'middle class' about as often as the debt rises by another nickel. These guys also do a trapeze 'jobs act' that keeps going back and forth but can never quite land. Still, it is hilarious when the clown tries to be the big adult in the room - despite his petulant rants and his plans to pay for a hamburger today by buying more burgers every time he circles that stimulating merry-go-round.
My mother used to say 'if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all'. Now for these stooges to say something 'nice' is clearly asking too much given the current State of the Show, but can't they at least crack a few new jokes on occasion? It seems like all we are getting is old Monte Python re-runs. Where are all the new routines that will restore the great "American Pie Review' to it's place of glory as the most annoyingly proud act in the history of showbiz?
The sad truth is that American Pie is actually not going on! All three rings may be full of tricks and treats, but nobody is paying and the barkers are rasping louder and more desperate every day! Other than The Amazing Donald suggesting we beat up China and win back the title (very interesting, but probably stupid), no one else seems to have any idea how to fill up the bleachers and pay the baker for trillions of cream pies!
Personally, I blame those wily old showmen Nixon and Reagan for the current blackout under the big top! Nixon invited China to the circus to open up new markets for Show USA... you were a real comedian, Tricky Dickie! Later, Ronald tripped up the Moscow Circus and ended the War of The Rings, a rather nice little act which had kept the pie wars cooler and the ticket booth busy for almost half a century! Now every two bit act wants a piece of that classic American show, and horror of horrors, while we were busy dropping our piggy bank on the poor old snake charmer's head, the Chinese Opera raided the cookie jar and stole all our competitive brownies.
Perhaps, the only really new thing to say is 'HELP'! The new middle class is now all performing for big business shows in China or at your local MacDonald's. That is the new reality show no one wants to talk about! Oh well, circuses and tent preachers may not make us rich again, but they do make the news cycle a little more entertaining!
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