I have spoken ad nauseum about the Imperial Corporatocracy that has developed in the United States. We have seen a merger between the mega-corporations and the governing bodies to the extent that the real governance of this nation, from top to bottom, is a dog and pony show. Our elected officials and bureaucrats ask how high when the money spinners tell them to jump.
The leaders of our country have chosen to move us towards a more European style system of governance and away from the ideals of Independence and Liberty upon which this country was founded. The lazy intellectuals have bought into the notion that Europe has a more sophisticated society without studying the flawed caste system upon which those nations were built and upon which wars have raged over the centuries. It is a system built upon feudalism.
We have entered into a Global Economic System based upon Neo-Feudalism (a term associated with Economic Forecaster Max Keiser) and the leaders of the United States, whether wittingly or not, are falling in line by allowing our governance and fortunes to be interwoven into this system through a Corporate structure that answers to no one.
The legitimate means to manage the economy have been tapped out. You have to have capital to have Capitalism. The United States used to reward people based upon the merits of their ideas and work ethic (Meritocracy), not to say that it was ever perfect, because one also had to associate themselves with the controllers of Capital who could take advantage of them and basically steal their ideas and labor.
The old system based upon Merit allowed those with money to make more money through the investment of their dollars into ideas and allowed poor and middle class people to be able to climb the social strata through ingenuity, innovation, and hard work. The growth and creation of expanded wealth essentially occurred, because this allowed a race to the top where people truly believed that they could increase their economic lot in life.
What we have today is a world rife with cronies and so our economic system is truly based upon Cronysism. Who are you gonna gladhand? Who are you gonna pay off? "What's in it for me?" How can one rig the system, whether legal, moral, ethical or not, in their favor?
A certain amount of these sort of interpersonal relations is understandable, but we now have a system that is centered upon these relationships instead of productivity. Of course this is inefficient and therefore not good for the economy. Economic productivity and accountability should always take precedence over relationships. A system where relationships take precedence will always lead to a caste system. If the group chooses not to admit certain people, because they are deemed not to fit into the group, because of inherent characteristics, then the growth of the systrem will be hindered by such artificial barriers. The system must be allowed to flow freely.
So instead of trying to grow the system by allowing it to flow freely in a race to the top, we instead see a system impeded and imploding, because of control mechanisms and the types of artificial roadblocks that I mention above. In this type of system, we see a race to the bottom where the economy resembles a funnel. The people at the top will be the last people affected, but eventually they will be affected.
If our system is allowed to continue to fall apart, eventually the rapidity of the erosion will increase at an exponential rate. Those in the upper middle class are under the false assumption that they won't be affected, but this false comfort will leave them vulnerable when the final collapse takes place. Only the rats on the sinking ship, who instituted and control this system and have a lifeboat tucked away, will survive the implosion; because they are responsible for consolidating existing capital under their control. They are in charge of the rules of the game and they make up the rules as they go to benefit themselves.
The elite are at the root of all of this! And in the Neo-Feudalistic system they are instituting themselves as the Noble ruling class. The heads of the major multi-national corporations look at themselves as our Over Lords. Individuals think that the creation of such a system has no bearing upon their personal lives, that they are above any such system, but in the end if you weren't born into the top .1% of the World Societal social structure, then you will be at the mercy of these elitist who will control every aspect of our lives. In the end they will decide whether you are expendable or not. Isn't that a scary thought?
I know, I know. You think this is all conspiracy theory from an Economic lunatic and other people on the lunatic fringe, but are you really paying attention to the World that is going on around you. Most people gather all of their news perspectives from the same sources and they don't look at the spectrum. You need to get beyond the Republican-Democrat thing. It is meaningless under the context of Modern American Society.
Both the Democrats and the Republicans belong to the Corporate structure that rules this nation. Listen to them. Neither side will do anything to reign in this corrupted corporate climate and neither take action against it. Each side pays lip service, but in the end that is all we get. Both sides pay tribute and have dictated that the American public serve the interest of this Mega-Corporate Matrix.
Corporations are not people, by definition a corporation is a legal entity that is separate and distinct from its owners. Corporations enjoy most of the rights and responsibilities that an individual possesses that is, a corporation has the right to enter into contracts, loan and borrow money, sue and be sued, hire employees, own assets and pay taxes.
The most important aspect of a corporation is limited liability. That is, shareholders have the right to participate in the profits, through dividends and/or the appreciation of stock, but are not held personally liable for the company's debts.
That is where the corporate structure in this country has gone awry and that is how things have gotten out of control. The people associated with the mega-corporations have basically felt that they can do anything as long as it is done in the name of the corporation they are associated with, because the justice system has been tilted in the favor of the corporate structure.
Examples include the way that Financial Institutions (Banks, Investment companies, and Insurance Companies) have lobbied our Government to provide Fiat Capital (money created out of thin air)to them and they have provided the public nothing in return. This has been done under the guise of them being "Too Big to Fail."
Individuals have been forced to step lightly into the environment of these bohemoths. Look at the banks. It isn't easy for a small business to secure credit through a bank, yet banks are getting money from the Federal Reserve at close to 0% interest and utilizing it to buy treasury bills that earn around 3% interest. This depreciates the value of the dollar and hurts people who save money in interest-bearing accounts.
Let's look at insurance companies. They constantly haggle or deny claims of people who need to utilize their policy for injury or illness. They drop people who have paid their policy in good faith for years, because they have to utilize the policy. The Congress fusses about the costs of the Healthcare Industry and turns around and passes a bill that is a boondoggle for special interests associated with the Insurance industry.
Let's look at the Investment industry. We have seen insider trading, conflicts of interest, and other fraudulent schemes that have impaired the wealth of the average American investor. Yet, the Congress just passed a supposed Financial Reform bill that only further allows the consolidation of capital at the top of the Corporate Investment structure.
We can also look at other industries: The Auto industry where mismanaged companies were given billions to prop them up, while small independent dealerships were forced out of business. The Food and Beverage Industry, where genetically modified, least common denominator Frankenfoods and beverages are allowed to come on the market as social scientific experiments, when they have not been proven to be safe and many times when studies show they are not safe. Or the way that some areas of the country want to inspect people's personal gardens and crack down on Farmer's markets to protect Big Food's corporate interest. And then there is the Pharmaceutical Industry where the public becomes social guinea pigs for fad drugs that are marketed across the airwaves with unabashed fervor.
It is time to get real and protect the interests of the American people. If we do not grow Middle Class people and small businesses, then this country will fail. Our strength lies in the majority of the American people. As the middle goes, so go the fortunes of everyone else.
We must become an egalitarian nation once again. The average person should have the same rights as the rich. Americans' rights should be protected over the rights of foreigners. If you aren't a company that hails from the good ole U.S. of A., then you are a guest in this country. And you won't be setting the rules and regulations. You will be respecting them and following them and you will be respecting the rights of the American people. And Corporations, you are not people. People come first. Corporations shall take a back seat. If your company is not operating in the interest of the American people, then we are going to take away your charter and you aren't going to operate in this country any more.
I do not mean this as a social ideal and I do not believe that these principles should be taken lightly or abused. But, this is a serious and relevant issue. Our economy is in a systemic free fall. This is not a normal business cycle decline. This has happened for a reason and if one is honest with themselves, then they will realize that it is because the system has rotted with corruption. I don't think that the patrons of Pop Culture have a clue about what is transpiring around them, but those of us who are awake must speak up and create opportunities for action. If we are to be free, then we must be willing to be brave.
