Friday, July 27, 2012

The Great Theft

 A  L  O  H  A !

 “Well, Doctor, what have we got—
a Republic or a Monarchy?”

  “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

 Benjamin Franklin
 (1706–90)















 " Give us this day,
our daily noodles. "












" In America
 there is not one single
 element of civilization 
that is not made to depend, 
in the end,
 upon public opinion. "

HENRY WARD BEECHER










 " - these days young Americans
 are considerably less likely
 than young people
 in many other countries
 to graduate from college.
 In fact, we have a 
college graduation rate 
that’s slightly below
 the average across
 all 
advanced economies."
 
PAUL KRUGMAN,





My grandparents came to America from Europe
 as young children.  I have no pictures,
but in my mind's eye, I see them hand in hand
 with their parents who I never met.

They left behind homelands
 (Rumania, Kiev, Vienna)where your father's class
determined one's own. 
They came to a Dream, a Promise:

"I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door."

It was a dynamic, early 20th Century America
 of great wealth,
and also
teeming poverty in great slums;  
BUT a ladder too existed-
difficult, challenging,
 requiring hard work,
 and no little luck-
and this ladder could
 provide a worker with a 
decent home,
a community,
in which to raise a family.  

That great 20th Century invention: 
the Middle Class,
grew, and raised all boats 
with it's swell.  

 It was a land where 
if you are white: alright!
If you are brown: stick around.  
If you are black: get back!
We have come a long way 
since those times, 
and that progress was made
by growing the pie, 
expanding our "Us" 
and including all of us, 
all of our children,
in the Dream.

Now, the Dream seems far away 
to many Americans.
We are in a time of huge changes
 that I call the Great Theft.

The broad and fluid Middle Class 
that won WWII, and built
unprecedented shared prosperity, 
all while becoming increasingly inclusive,
was based on shared values 
like a level playing field, basic fairness,
transparent rules of the road.  

We were told that Capitalism
was better than Communism
 because average people
had decent lives under Capitalism.
 
But with the end of global Communism, 
pronounced forces in America 
turned their eyes 
to new forms of business;
business that created nothing,
 added no real value, 
that decreased our tax base, 
and abandoned 
whole regions of American workers.

Instead of making things
that our huge domestic market,
and vast potential foreign ones
 wanted,
 we turned to the making of
deals.

All of the painstakingly created 
prosperity of the 20th Century
was chiseled off
 of this still-great nation 
and pawned to the highest bidder.

One of my least favorite political commentators,
 Patrick Buchanan,
recently explained the details
 very concisely: 

"For decades America has been de-industrializing,
 with manufacturing shrinking
 as a share of Domestic product
 to 11% from over 30% in 1950.
Not since before the Civil War 
have we been so dependent
 on foreign goods-"

     " When the history of American decline
 is written, the historians will zero in on
a choice the nation made 
when the interests of Middle America collided
 with those of Corporate America.
     "Decades ago, America's great companies,
 having saturated the American market,
wanted to go out and capture 
the world's markets.  
Free to move production out
of the U.S.A., 
they wanted to bring their products
 back to the United States,
duty free. 
 Make them there; sell them here.  
And if the US companies were to be
allowed to produce and to sell
 in foreign countries, 
those countries wanted the right
to dump their goods in the U.S.A. "
      "And here is where
 the national interest 
and the interests of Corporate America
diverged. . . 
where what was good for 
the boardroom elite 
collided with what was
best for Middle America. . . .
North American Free Trade Agreement. . . 
GATT, the
WTO - what they all produced
 is a Magna Carta of the transnational corporation,

( I would say "Transnational Class" - Cloudia )

which looks longingly
 to the end of nation-states,
 and the arrival of 
world government."

The Government
 is supposed to be
 "By, for, and of the People" 
as Abraham Lincoln said.

By subverting, 
then destroying our government, 
the broad swath of us
is made defenseless
 in a time of global changes
 that are rocking our families.   

Right now, a
masterful job of misdirection
 is causing us to squabble
 with one another over
inconsequential issues.

In 2008, 
a vanishingly small group
 of people basically
 STOLE 40% 
of the average
American family's "wealth". 

"Too Big to Fail"
 is another word for
 EXTORTION.

And the game rolls on.
We bailed them out.

Now we learn
 that private hands
 hold untaxed wealth 
in the TRILLIONS (32)
of US dollars
in hidden off-shore accounts.  
[ Study  LINK ]



Seems the "job creators" 
are REALLY hoarding
what USED TO BE
 shared prosperity! 

This untaxed hoard
 is estimated 
equivalent to the 
economies of Japan
 and the USA!  

And yet 
we are firing police 
and teachers.

A few years ago,
 a respected Navajo wise man 
came to Oahu.
  I was lucky
to hear him speak to a small group.
  He told us of unprecedented changes in
our life times.  
World Changes.  
He advised us not to hoard,
 but to use, enjoy,
 and share 
what we have accumulated
 before the changes, 
which he felt were
quite near.  

He did advise us
 to hoard one thing:  
Food.

     Many feel that 2012
 is the year for pivotal change.
But it can be a 
transformation
 of how we live together
 on this globe,
 for good,
 or for struggle.

     The peaceful, wise, 
ancient Navajo 
said one thing that I remember specifically;
 In his words:

" We will hunt the rich down 
in the streets like dogs."

     A small group of people,
 with no loyalty to nation,
 or any community,
 beyond their elite bubble, 
hold the power to indeed 
create jobs. 
Ask Mitt Romney about that. 

 Will they?

     We changed our laws
 so that drug dealers
 lose their assets even before
 they are convicted of any crime!

     We are the police, the army, 
Interpol. 
 How bad will we let things get
 for average people, 
before we depose the Corporate-ocacy?

     They bought legislation 
and made laws
 that allowed all this
 to happen. 

We can change the laws
 and change things back.

     What human family
 needs TRILLIONS, 
or Billions in the bank?

     OUR larger human family does. 

We are all stake-holders
in the human experiment!

     Fear not.
  Tomorrow, I shall go back 
to posting personal,
 and positive vibrations
 to share with you.  
But this had to be said.
We now return you
to the joy
in THIS MOMENT,
already in progress. . . 

Thank YOU, dear friend, 
for your valuable time.
YOUr visit
 adds much to my day!

Do YOU have a comment to add?
 PLEASE DO!

     Most Sincerely & Fondly, cloudia
 
 
 

 
 

  

18 comments:

the walking man said...

hey sista welcome to the war "game."

The only thing I can add is store food hoard Cash. why cash? Because it is the weapon being used against us.

We purchase crap from corporations filling their coffers and they then go out and use that cash against us.

Do you think for example Chiken-fil-A refuses to serve gay people? Aww hell no their cash is green but then they take that cash and spend 5 billion against gay rights.

Romnet says he can fix the economy but he is a Morman church bishop yet the Mormon church put 8 million dollars into Prop 8 in California trying to make it illegal for gays to marry---No the war is all about the power to decide the fate of the worlds poor and getting poorer for the benefit of the already have to much.

By second hand local and when able barter.

Robert Rieche should have Bernanke's job and Paul Krugman should have Giethners.

mermaid gallery said...

We all need to be aware that every action we take is a political decision. Research where your money goes and spend it wisely. Do we really need all this junk? Keep it simple....and be aware....

Anonymous said...

And I so hoped the reason we went to our recent wars was to make America prosperous,like WWII, but that didn't happen this time. Totally cool sunset full of gems. DrumMajor

Charles Gramlich said...

Well said. I think the thing is, we know what the big problem is, we just don't seem able to fix it.

Teresa said...

Great post, Cloudi!! You have really hit the nail on the head. And unfortunately, I think you are also right about hoarding food. The drought this year is ruining the corn crops, which will affect the prices of meat and many other things come fall. Vegetables and fruit are also not doing well. And the ethanol companies are competing with the farmers for water... do we want cheap gas for our cars or food to eat? Which group has more political clout and lobby money? Food farmers generally are NOT the big agribusiness types...

Myrna R. said...

Love what you've said Cloudia. Wish you were running for office. Wish those who are had more heart to do what is best for all, not just the few. Thank you for your words. They wake me up.

Linda said...

Great post, Cloudia. Thank you so much for sharing.

Magia da Inês said...

彡✿✿⊱╮
Amiga, não está fácil para ninguém em lugar nenhum... queria que houvesse outro jeito...
Bom fim de semana!
Beijinhos do Brasil
✿彡¸.•°`♥✿⊱╮

Ruby said...

Great post Cloudia. It is too sad that the hard work of honest people are being stolen in the name of government and finance that too legally. Very sad state of affairs. No matter what a common man does he ends up the loser.

Anonymous said...

What a moving entry. Pictures as well. Made me wonder what my son would write in a few years, about his father coming to a foreign country.

Please have you all a kind weekend.

Cloudia said...

It touches my soul
to read these thoughtful,
awake,
humane comments!

Nothing less is expected
from the true core
of friends
that bless each other
by visiting each other.

Something new is being born;
You & I, average people of heart,
ARE creating tomorrow with each thought and act. It is a wonder and an HONOR to be part of this community!

THANK each of YOU

Fireblossom said...

I am not very political, but I can't help but be dismayed at what I see; the very things you describe so well in this post. History shows that the wheel will turn.

Tammie Lee said...

such a wonderful and diverse grouping of images and facets of our society.

Bob Bushell said...

A nice piece in a "United States of America".

Unknown said...

Ignorance is the killer of most people. When you have ignorance it means you do not have the ability to understand,forgive,and to use unconditional love no matter where you have been or done. Love is the key to all. Love heals all wounds. Love understand it and donʻt miss use it.

Indrani said...

Great description. Very interesting and worrying too. Lovely pics.

Cloudia said...

The wheel indeed turns.

EACH of YOU has brought a gift here.

Much appreciated.

Unknown said...

Claudia, You have created something very important. The word "OHANA" is usually today misunderstood and misinterpreted by many you live in Hawaii. You have created Ohana to a level of conciseness and reconciliation. By your walks through Honolulu and the hustle and bustle of daily life you have made us look and be aware of our city. Honolulu can be a beautiful place but you remind us of its beauty and its hardships. I thank you from the bottom of my heart in reminding Comfort Spiral Ohana of our city. You have created something real big here and I appreciate you for doing that. Itʻs called unconditional love at all times and thatʻs how family should treat each other with respect and love no matter what.