TODAY'S TOPICS: Polarization/Dualism, 2012 Awakening?, Austerity and Control, Income Inequality, Cordray

When you have a government beholding to corporate power and a corrupt banking system that denies basic human rights and dignity, you cannot but have social injustice. When you have a common religious mythology (Judeo-Christian-Muslim) that implies sin, retribution and superiority as acceptable tenants of belief, you cannot but have social injustice. When you have a professional military that is ready to invade any country, torture it’s enemies, turn on it’s own people and devise increasingly heinous means by which to kill, you cannot but have social injustice.

- Urmas Kaldveer (my father on his blog), 2011

Moving Forward…Balancing the "Spiritual" with the "Political"

I don’t like to discuss my own spiritual philosophies too much here, nor do I like to get into too much theoretical talk that takes me away from the purpose of this blog – and its effectiveness. But, it is 2012, and I have always found an interesting polarization, even disturbing at times, between those I know that are clearly “evolved” in numerous ways but don’t believe politics or social movements matter at all (and I’m not talking about rigid organized religion here…I’m talking about legitimate spiritual awakenings and concepts), just as I see others that do care about such political pursuits, but are demagogic in their denunciation of anything outside of our rigid, dualistic 3 dimensional reality.

Now, being that SO MUCH change is clearly taking place, from Occupy Wall Street, to earth changes, to global uprisings in the Middle East, to progressions in attitudes and understandings (in a good way) on numerous topics and issues, to the simultaneous CRACKDOWN on these very good developments from those powerful forces that have led us to the brink we now face, be they multi-national corporations, organized religion, Wall Street, the GOP (and the slowly infected Democratic Party), Muslim extremists, to all those that want a piece of that pie around the world – rather than work for the greater good (and many more), this is a worthy topic to contemplate today.

This INCREDIBLE polarization, and dramatic time we live in, with so much at stake, warrants a great merging of the initial polarization I began with…and the need to convince, EVERYONE, to take a greater role in this grand clash…because, literally, the future of humanity is at stake (to varying degrees).

So, I’m not going to try, because that’s not the intent of this blog, to  open people to spiritual concepts, but I do want to engage those that are spiritual, and open to those concepts, for the need to become more engaged in the political and social realms (voting no longer enough). The fact is, 60% of Americans DON’T EVEN VOTE. And, MANY of these people are natural allies of justice and progressive ideals – not corporate, religious ones.

Therefore, I think, as we enter 2012…and for the sake of argument, let’s just agree that certain "spiritual" awakenings are under way (don’t need to believe in a higher power to understand this)…by that I mean, increasing rejection of materialism, increasing rejection of organized religion and its rigid tenets of guilt, sin, and fear, increasing connection to the earth and its condition, increasing desire for economic justice and peace, increasing understanding (breakthroughs in physics and more) our deep connection to all that is, and so forth. These are "spiritual" (or you can define them as something else) concepts in a sense…not magical fantasies.

And, speaking from a LOT of experience, I want these people who are completely “spiritual” and open to all kinds of "potential and greater realities", and who meditate, do yoga, and so forth, yet somehow believe just visualizing what they want is somehow enough in the face of the powers that are against us. Sadly, these people don’t follow what’s happening right around them, with their tax money, and don’t even vote or certainly don't take the kind of increased action that will be necessary (and seem to believe they are somehow “above all that”), which I think completely contradicts their claimed “enlightenment.” 

Did Jesus, Martin Luther King, or Gandhi sit back and just visualize what they wanted in order to save themselves from the hard work of engaging reality and the political and social order? Obviously not…

The Matrix maintains itself by too many siding in one camp and not seeing the connection between their own personal beliefs and what's happening in our politics. How can people claim to be so compassionate and evolved when they don’t even vote (or become more engaged...which is necessary) or care about the fact that 4 out of 10 or our tax dollars go to the military and wars, or that 50 million Americans are now living in poverty as the wealthiest 400 families have as much wealth as the bottom 150 million combined, or that the 6 Walton (Walmart) children have more wealth than the bottom 30% of Americans combined yet pay half the tax rate as their cleaning ladies, or that 50 million can’t afford health insurance, or that 1 of 5 children go hungry in OUR COUNTRY every night as banks get trillions in bailouts, or that our climate is accelerating at a rate that could leave our species GONE in a century or two. 

You get the picture. I could go on for four more pages of such examples that epitomize the way the reality we have allowed, on some level anyway, to manifest creates ENORMOUS suffering and injustice that flies in the face of who we really are and what we are capable of. And worse, it takes place with the direct aid of our money, and in many cases, with our quiet nods of approval…whether we know it or not.

It was Martin Luther King Jr. who said “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

There’s too much of that “easy way out” spiritualism that you hear from people like Oprah and so many other self helpers (much of what they say IS important too) that get us to think if we just “believe” things will all work out they will. Yes, that is PART of the path…but its also the hard work of DOING that will create change...and change this world.

Its all too easy to sit back and say just visualize things will change. Tell that to all those struggling to find enough food to eat or are sick yet can't afford health care. Tell that to those living in abject poverty with no jobs available and their schools are falling apart. Tell that to those fighting in wars based on lies that have been physically maimed, dismembered, and disabled, with even more suffering permanent psychological and emotional scars, only to return home to a country with a weakened and underfunded social safety net facing annual budget assaults.

Watch this clip of Chris Hedges, as he discusses both Ron Paul (see my last post…before I saw this clip by the way) and how this new ageism can serve to prevent change, not create it (again…I take some of it to heart)...and actually serve the purposes of the owners…NOT us. This of course is not to say that such beliefs can't be used to strengthen ones efforts, and improve their lives, rather, that we must be aware it can be used as the same kind of crutch that organized religion does for so many.

Please understand, as I make this case to so many that I cross paths with, and I do here now to you today, I am NOT SAYING that everyone must become political advocates like myself – nor am I saying to become as engaged as I am. What I am saying is to become engaged in ways that YOU can make the greatest difference or impact, while also becoming, perhaps, a bit more so in this political/social realm as well.

I firmly believe that we change this paradigm through a MYRIAD of ways, with the political and social being one major component – but not the only one (but a necessary one). It could be more and more people leaving their corporate jobs that are nothing more than cogs in this Matrix (I am not judging…simply providing perspective…if such a job is what you must do fine…then I simply would urge other ways to make an impact) to find something more rewarding to THEMSELVES. It could be through the work of physical and spiritual healers, or it could be the work of psychologists alleviating pain, or it could be teachers finding ways to go outside these grotesque national “standards” coming down from above to create obedient workers, or, simply the spreading of love, wisdom, and awareness…ALL of these are part of changing this paradigm…but, to change it, we must take on the power structures too…and this comes through the political and social activism. Each person must find what works for them…but I assure you, MORE is needed.

Now, regardless of if I think we’re going to turn this corner or not, I know it’s possible and that the joy is in the process itself. The “fight” as I call it, against forces and prejudices must be taken on, regardless of whether it may seem hard or insurmountable. And there is contentment to be found simply in being a part of something that is so just and “right.”

The more we start creating a political reality that enhances justice and compassion, the better our chance is that we will open up to a much larger spiritual reality too (again, however you want to define that is fine, so I use that term in the broadest of ways…I’m not talking about higher powers necessarily…but rather, seeing EVERYTHING in a different, more profound way...like peace, sustainability, justice, connection to planet, etc.). The fact is, the social and political reality we create, and those effected by it, is a reflection of our current "spiritual" level...one can't be without the other. We must apply our beliefs and passion to changing the dark reality we've created...while working on our inner selves as well. The two go hand in hand.

I know that I often drop a TON of facts and figures on this blog to reinforce the IMPORTANCE of this time, and the grand injustices our species faces as a result of the few, and a Matrix that enhances the powers and wealth of those few to the detriment of the many…and the planet. But today, I wanted to provide a little more of the picture – as I see it. With that, let me quickly get to some of the ways the Matrix continues to make us NOT SEE the realities I am talking about…and keeps us apathetic, impotent, ignorant, and ambivalent. 

Income Inequality and the FALSE American Dream

Paramount to this false Matrix continuing to exist in the face of what its doing to fuck us and this planet is the increasing myth that is "upward mobility". You've heard the story, that if you work hard you too will become rich and successful. This myth is at the cornerstone of where so many others (listen to EVERY GOP candidate speech) come from…and what its designed to rationalize lower and lower taxes for the rich, larger and larger cuts in the social safety net, and less and less investments in PEOPLE…like education, particularly higher ed, and making it affordable for everyone. 

See, if you think just working harder and harder (what the owners want you to do) is going to get you rich, or, that you in fact ARE rich, you tend, despite all evidence to the contrary, its also ok to keep dismantling our country, privatizing it, and cutting taxes.

The fact is, the lower you are BORN on the economic ladder, the less and less likely you can EVER get out…and the likely you are born into the higher, the more and more likely, AND THIS IS DUE TO INTENTIONAL POLICIES, you stay there. This is the banana republic, neo feudal state we are creating – with consent from too many – because they believe in the “American Dream” lie. 

Now, this is NOT to say you shouldn’t work hard, believe in yourself, and keep striving…what it is saying is we need to create a system that maximizes JUSTICE, equality, and opportunity. Right now, we are creating the very opposite…because that’s what the “owners” want.

AS another blogger noted, “The United States, in the myths of cock-eyed optimists everywhere, remains the land of opportunity, where everyone can get a fair shot at greatness. But that America hasn’t existed for a while. In fact, as Jason DeParle reports, upward mobility doesn’t really exist in this country anymore.

At least five large studies in recent years have found the United States to be less mobile than comparable nations. A project led by Markus Jantti, an economist at a Swedish university, found that 42 percent of American men raised in the bottom fifth of incomes stay there as adults. That shows a level of persistent disadvantage much higher than in Denmark (25 percent) and Britain (30 percent) — a country famous for its class constraints.

Meanwhile, just 8 percent of American men at the bottom rose to the top fifth. That compares with 12 percent of the British and 14 percent of the Danes.

Despite frequent references to the United States as a classless society, about 62 percent of Americans (male and female) raised in the top fifth of incomes stay in the top two-fifths, according to research by the Economic Mobility Project of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Similarly, 65 percent born in the bottom fifth stay in the bottom two-fifths.

This is the old story. Conservatives don’t want anyone to know that there’s a class war and the rich have won. So they paint this portrait of America as a Horatio Alger paradise where everyone rises up from nothing to live out their dreams. But that’s just not true anymore, if it ever was. Class matters in America. It determines the level of your opportunity. And this has gotten worse. Higher education has gotten prohibitively expensive. A hollowed-out industrial base has savaged the middle class. Income inequality means that there are wealthy executives and McJobs, and never the twain shall meet. Tax policy has been structured to make sure the wealthy hang to their money for generations to come.

People definitely have this impression – it’s part of what the Occupy movement is all about – but the evidence has been confined to academic journals. In the media you instead hear grandiloquent, dramatic stories about how you can be anything you want to be in America. Since corporate-run media executives have an interest in spreading that myth, it rarely gets challenged. But it’s really not true. 

Obama ACTUALLY Does Something!!!

Briefly, the really, really good news of the day, was Obama FINALLY recess appointing Richard Cordray to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This is something he almost never does – as he is a coward. In fact, Reagan did it over twice as often, and, he does it far less than any President in recent memory…even though he’s facing a GOP far, far more obstructionist than ever before…so those numbers are even more jolting.

But, let’s give credit where credit is due…as my friend Pedro Morillas of CALPIRG noted, “For months Wall St. has been using every trick in the book to try and derail this nomination and ultimately undermine the entire consumer bureau. Today’s appointment is a bold and important step by the President that will allow the CFPB to get to the important work of protecting consumers…Without a director, the CFPB would have remained a second-class regulator without full authority over the Wall Street banks that destroyed the economy or the payday lenders seeking to pick consumer pockets."

Watch the Daily Show’s excellent piece on the GOP outrageover someone who’s sole purpose is to protect consumers from fraud:

Newsflash: AUSTERITY DOESN’T WORK!!!

As I have argued over and over again here…austerity is a powerful method of control and wealth distribution, taking from the bottom to give to the top, often utilized by corporate/banking/political interests  around the world…usually demanded from such criminal enterprises as the World Bank and the IMF…but also demanded by the GOP, a significant portion of the Democratic Party, and those forces behind the EURO. 

AS Richard Eskow notes, “It's easy to understand austerity's attraction for power elites inside and outside of government. The people who suffer from austerity budgets aren't the kinds of people they know personally, since they're typically public employees like teachers, police, firefighters and the administrators of social programs; people who need government assistance, like the poor; and middle-class people with the temerity to either grow old or become disabled. 

Austerity's attraction became even greater in the U.S. because once it became conventional wisdom that tax increases on the wealthy was "politically infeasible." That made it a program whose sole purpose was to cut government spending, lowering the pressure to increase taxes on the wealthy from today's historically low levels.

The idea's been around in one form or another since that 1921 paper, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had been imposing it on Third World nations for decades. And it was more than an economic strategy to its backers. Austerity became a way to demonize those who had suffered most from the banking abuses and self-indulgences of the wealthy, a totemic "blame the victim" response that turned the political debate into a grotesque inversion of morality.

It's not just that austerity has NEVER worked ANYWHERE in history...but Britain does provide yet another perfect case study: As many as two million public sector workers went on strike in Britain recently, a number which accounts for 1 out of every 30 citizens in the country (that would be the equivalent of 10 million people going on strike in America). This is the biggest strike in Britain in 30 years, when the protests focused on another purveyor of austerity, Margaret Thatcher. In this case, the main complaint concerns cuts to public sector pensions, which threaten the retirement security of British workers.

For good reason...thanks to austerity measures nearly seven million Britons are risking a "spiral of debt" through using credit cards, overdrafts and payday loans to pay off their rent or mortgage, a major housing charity has warned.

Of those almost one million have taken out high interest payday loans to meet housing costs...

In addition, we also know, as Keynes would have predicted, interest rates outside the euro area have remained low despite massive government borrowing, inflation has been small despite huge increases in the monetary base, and fiscal austerity has deepened the economic downturn everywhere it has been put in place.

All of these results are DIRECT contradictions to what all pro-austerity (anti-human, pro-corporate) forces predicted throughout the globe, be it Ireland, Greece, Austria and on down the line. The fact the Obama stimulus didn’t bring unemployment way down is again, what we Keynesians predicted, as it was too small, had too many tax cuts, and was balanced out by all the austerity measures being implemented at the state level. What it did do, was create/save millions of jobs and double GDP...the only problem was it wasn't enough in the face of the crisis our country faced. 

As for the European debt troubles, these are most related to the housing bubble and the global economic collapse - exacerbated by the refusal of the European central bank failing to act as a lender to those in need.

The fact is, countries haven't created their debt crises due to investing in stimulus, nor does austerity solutions EVER actually increase investor "confidence".

Obama drank too much of this koolaide…but thanks to Occupy Wall Street…the austerity delusion has largely faded here (though the battle will continue). As we are seeing now, President Obama has dropped his austerity rhetoric, and adopted populism instead, no doubt largely because its election time…and he’s already proven to the owners he’s an ally not to be feared, so they’ll let him do this for awhile.

And, economist Dean Baker elaborates on the alternative to stimulus, and the real world pain (to humans, not bankers) of austerity:

"Finally, what is the alternative (to stimulus)? Tens of millions of people are supposed to go unemployed or underemployed. These are people unable to care for their children properly, unable to prepare for their own retirement, and in many cases, unable to keep their homes. Absent major stimulus, things are not going to get better for these people anytime soon. And given the consistently overly optimistic track record of forecasters, it may be close to a decade until we have fully recovered from the downturn. 

It is important to remember that the unemployed/underemployed are not in financial trouble because they messed up. They are in financial trouble because people like Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke, and Robert Rubin messed up. They are in financial trouble because news outlets like the Washington Post only had room in their news and opinion pages for people whining about budget deficits. (This is back in 2004-2007, when deficits were small.) They had no room for the people warning that the housing bubble would inevitably burst and sink the economy.

But Samuelson (pro austerity writer) says that we have no choice but to make these people suffer because if we don't then something really bad will happen. It is difficult not to ask whether Samuelson's assessment of this risk of the bad unknown may be somewhat different if it was his family that was facing unemployment and eviction."

VIDEO SECTION

Daily Show on “Republican voters go through a rite of passage wherein they desperately explore every possible option before ultimately and unhappily voting for Mitt Romney.”

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/jon-stewart-mitt-romney-least-bad-chocolat

“Keith Olbermann and Dan Savage on Rick Santorum's Gay and Straight Bashing”

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/keith-olbermann-and-dan-savage-rick-santor