Beyond Capitalism: Problems and Solutions

By Charles Sullivan 04/10/06 "ICH" -- --

Too often my neoconservative detractors accuse me of being a whining liberal eager to point out problems but short on solutions. While I would argue that has never been the case, the following is one man’s attempt to not only clearly define some of our most pressing social problems, but also to provide practical solutions. These solutions, while not easy, can provide a way out of the hell we are creating for ourselves. There are no guarantees that any of them will work; although I believe they will if enough people participate. What I am certain they will do, however, is offer hope. To do nothing and allow matters to run their course is certain to destroy not only our country but also much of the world. That would be unforgivable. During the height of the great depression of the late 1920-30s, Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the face of America by giving us the ‘New Deal.’ Roosevelt’s New Deal created the present Social Security system, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Civilian Conservation Corps, along with a wealth of other programs of social uplift. These social programs were intended to lift the nation out of the depression and to put people to work rebuilding the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Because of its benefit to working class people and to the common good, Roosevelt’s New Deal has been under assault since its inception: a process that continues to this day. The idea of an American president giving aide to the nation’s working class was more than some conservatives could stomach. Roosevelt’s detractors declared that he was “a traitor to his class.” Between the years 1929-1933 the unemployment rate rose from 4% to 25%. Fortunately, Roosevelt’s economic policies worked as intended. They lifted the nation out of depression and put the nation back on its feet. Millions of the unemployed went back to work which in turn stimulated the economy. Social security is a concept borrowed from socialism in that it provides for the common good rather than the more customary privatized wealth of capitalism. No one will ever accuse George Bush of being a traitor to his class. Bush’s self proclaimed political base consists of the wealthiest one percent of the population; and he has rewarded them handsomely for their financial support. You see, elites think of themselves as privileged; more deserving of wealth than the rest of us. The elite believe they are our moral and intellectual superiors as a right of birth, like royalty. Thus, in only a few years of transparent class warfare Bush has managed to turn the huge budget surplus he inherited into the greatest national debt in history. At the same time he has essentially bankrupted the nation both economically and morally. During this time of economic downturn suffered by working people (the fat cats on Wall Street are still making money), Bush has managed to provide enormous welfare to the rich by stealing from the poor. His every policy is detrimental to working class people while simultaneously beneficial to the wealthy. There can be no question about Bush’s class loyalty, or the class loyalty of those who preceded him into the White House. One might suppose that Bush’s brutish behavior is aberrant. To the contrary, this is exactly how Plutocracy is supposed to work. Those in power maintain their positions of privilege by operating beyond the pale of the law; by enjoying advantages that the rest of us do not. Every policy enacted by Bush demonstrates his attitude of contempt for the common people, as well as for the rule of law. Mr. Bush sees himself as an emperor, not as a servant of the people. The emperor views the people as his servants. He takes from them what he wants and does not hesitate to send them to die in foreign conflicts not of their making. The defining character of the emperor is hubris that knows no bounds and a profound lack of respect for ordinary people in their daily struggles.