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All seem angry about global economy except America
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“The main trade union federation called the protest, saying the government’s free market economic policies have meant poorer conditions for workers.” – http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6969439.stm.
So a bunch of Americans stood up to their tyrannical bosses, at the behest of their union leader. Wait, this was from the desk of South America—Chile, to be exact. Recently, Chile got screwed over by the World Trade Organization, because our dear old W convinced them to sign onto CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement. It’s like our NAFTA, but not as good for them as our “N” is for the U.S.
America is wealthy enough that it has only been bleeding money at the sieves since former President Clinton balanced the budget. Then a rich party-boy got elected by a group of judges, and handed out Clinton’s achievement in the form of free money, like so many cheap plastic whistles on New Year’s. Firstly, he gave it to the largest corps in AmeriCorps, and then a $300 check to everyone employed full-time the last year—or at least those in my income bracket.
After that, it was bye-bye birdie, the economy has got you down. But that’s okay, because we can march into Baghdad unimpeded. Today, we bleed into debt as our administration smirks—they’re insulated against the damage, but Chile wasn’t, when they signed on to CAFTA. They were cozened by Big Business, and their sprouting 3rd-world economy was sprouting.
Now, like America, it isn’t. The only countries doing really well are China and India, and India gets more terrorism than America sweats about at night.
Americans sweat to debt; it rides our mind like a million pregnant sows, causing stress, sleeplessness, and a feeling of indebtedness that is oddly much harder to break than is our sacred vows of family and marriage. The worst part of debt is that it is a barbaric business: if you die in debt that gets passed to your next-of-kin, who, according to the collectors, can be anyone with your last name.
So why is debt more pervasive and lasting than marriage vows in this country?
Money matters more than anything, and watching it shake its effluence into your brain via the idiot TV has taught us that having money is enough to fool people, for a while.
I may still be a twenty-something know-nothing, but I figured out how to get rich in the United States—it’s super-easy, and there are three routes.
Number one, think of the most despicable way to exploit both workers and customers, at cutthroat prices and ruin your competitors. This is called the Debilitative Business Method.
Number two, manipulate your talents in the right direction.
People told me to write, and its worked fairly well for me thus far. My brother grinds out crunchy jams on his guitar, the older of my two sisters is a phenomenal chef and my younger sister is a whiz at computer layout and design. We are all actively pursuing what we are good at, and if you work it just right, you can end up like Rupert Murdoch, Gwen Stefani, Flava Flav, Les Claypool, and Donald Trump—become an icon.
Number three, win the lottery, which is why it comes last on the list—only the foolish really believe those numbered balls are going to align for them, week after week after months after years.
At least that lottery buy-in goes to public schools.
So we all become manipulators and eerie clones of Montgomery Burns, or work our damnedest on our magnum opii, or count on dumb luck to bankroll us, not ambition.
The better bet on that point is getting drafted to fight for American dominance in the Middle East, wherever the Crusade for Oil takes U.S.
The only way for Americans to challenge their oppressors—the poverty-perpetuating barons of payday-and-title loans—is to make coalitions, or do what the Chileans do, create unions.
All we have is a myriad of greedy lawyers, ready to suck the latent spores from the desiccated corpses of multi-national corporations, whose liquid assets are continuing to disappear more and more rapidly into the wide-open mouth of the people on the Forbes 500. Most media lies, but luxury reporting pays more dues—the aggravating scale of wealth.
Michael McLaskey
