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Guest Post: The Cost Of Corporate Communism

Tyler Durden's picture




Lately I have been using the phrase "Corporate Communism" on my television show I think it is an especially fitting term when discussing the current landscape in both our banking and health care systems.

As Americans, I believe we reject Communism because it historically has allowed a tiny group of people to consolidate complete control over national resources (including people), in the process stifling competition, freedom and choice. It leaves its citizens stagnating under the perpetual broken systems with no natural motivation to innovate, improve services or reduce costs.

Lack of choice, lazy, unresponsive customer service, a culture of exploitation and a small powerbase formed by cronyism and nepotism are the hallmarks of a communist system that steals from its citizenry and a major reason why America spent half a century fighting a Cold War with the U.S.S.R.

And yet today we find ourselves as a country in two distinctly different categories: those who are forced to compete tooth and nail each day to provide value to society in return for income for ourselves and our families and those who would instead use our lawmaking apparatus to help themselves to our tax money and/or to protect themselves from true competition.

If you allow weak, outdated players to take control of the government and change the rules so they are protected from the natural competition and reward systems that have created so many innovations in our country, you not only steal from the citizens to on behalf of the least worthy but you also doom them by trapping the capital that would be used to generate new innovation and, most tangibly in our current situation, jobs.

We are losing the opportunity cost of all the great ideas that should be coming from the proper deployment of that 23.7 Trillion in capital. Everything from innovation in medical delivery systems to accessible space travel, free energy to the driverless car; all of these things may never come to bear because those powerful individuals who have failed, been passed over by technological advancements, innovation and flat-out smarts, have commandeered our government to unfairly sustain their wealth and power.

Unfortunately, they use our wealth and laws not only to benefit their outdated, failed companies, but also spend a small pittance of their ill-gotten gains lobbying and favor-trading with politicians so the government will continue to protect them from competition and their well-deserved failure.

The massive spike in unemployment, the utter destruction of retirement wealth, the collapse in the value of our homes, the worst recession since the Great Depression have all resulted directly from the abdication of proper government.

Even with all that -- the only changes that have been made, have been made to prop up and hide the massive flaws on behalf of those who perpetuated them. Still utterly nothing has been done to disclose the flaws in this system, improve it or rebuild it. Only true rules-based capitalism ensures constant adaptation and implementation of the latest and best practices for a given business, as those businesses that don't adapt fail and those who deploy the latest innovations to their customers benefit, prosper.

The concept of Communism is rightly reviled in this country for the simple reason that it is blind to human nature, allowing a small group of individuals near-total control, while sticking everyone else with the same crappy systems -- and the bill. America spent countless lives and half a century fighting against this system of government...so why are we standing for it now?




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Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:27 | Link to Comment TraderMark
TraderMark's picture

nice

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:28 | Link to Comment Village Idiot
Village Idiot's picture

As the name implies, I defer to the more intelligent minds on this sight.  How about some ideas/ways to affect change, for a guy who is looking to make a difference.  Lay it on me.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:59 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:26 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

1.  Keep on Congress to pass HR 1207.

2.  Starve the Beast - pull your money immediately from the Stress Test 19.

3.  Do not buy a GM or Chysler vehicle, ever again.

4.  Do not buy insurance from AIG

etc.

There is plenty an ordinary citizen can do, but most are just sheeple.  Look at that lady who posted the protest video against BofA and "Ken Lay" - they agreed to roll back her interest rate to 18% or whatever, and she agreed to keep paying it!!!!  Stupid sheep.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:00 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:21 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

By etc I meant don't do business with any of the other bailout monsters, but to add to the list, I would say spread the word, encourage your family and friends to also refuse to do business with them.

I hear a lot of people say they will never buy a GM product again, but then they still bank at Citibank and use a BofA credit card.  WTF?

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:39 | Link to Comment TumblingDice
TumblingDice's picture

Ill second that motion. Snatch up the attention of as many people as you can, family, friends, and strangers and let them know what kind of system they are living in and what they can do. Just talk about it. Some people hate talking about finance because they think this is too complicated, but its really not; dont use jargon, just explain it in simple terms: elimination of competition, oligarchy, robbery, unfair. Let them know how corrupt the people in charge of our money are. I have found that once you have awakened a person to the injustices that were subject to every day, they will never do back to sleep. So keep talking.

Secondly I'd like to add another thing you can o which is to invest in yourself. If you know about this shit and would participate in extreme political activism then make sure you are up to the task. Work out, and learn. And keep learning. I recommend, in addition to the many useful sources recommended here, to visit these sites:

http://wiki.stealthiswiki.org/wiki/Table_of_Contents

(or read the outdate but still calssic original) http://www.tenant.net/Community/steal/steal.html

And also, don't forget to call you senators and representatives as often as possible, gt informed on the bills they are discussing, like the federal reserve sunshine act in the senate, and let them know your opinion of it. Make sure you remember that you are speaking to a fellow person on the other end. Starting a conversation (instead of just  yelling...youre not doing this to vent) at them is the best way to get your point across.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:28 | Link to Comment Miles Kendig
Miles Kendig's picture

 

http://thomas.loc.gov/

This is the place for all the information concerning pending or enacted legislation.  Votes, sponsors & co-sponsors, links to the record of every proceeding.  Everything congress.  Make sure you learn about what is actually happening and do not rely upon someone else's commentary.  Read.  Learn.  Look for quality references.  Read them and share them.

So much of what is happening today stems from the desire by many in popular media to perpetuate a "trust us, but don't verify" approach.  If you cannot verify, then do not trust it.  Breaking society into as many little pieces as possible and setting those pieces against each other over what amounts to crumbs while the big robberies happen is how those in power stay in power.  This has little to do with one political party or another being more right than another.  It has to do with sustaining the power structure, backed by big money & years of know how in keeping you, your loved ones, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens in the dark and angry at another citizen rather than at those that made things this way and how they operate..

Be informed and participate.  An informed and engaged electorate is the biggest threat those who hold power face.  Engage in discussion and share your perspective.  Many folks believe that they are isolated and powerless.  The more you are engaged and share your slice of experience the more others will learn and the more you will learn what others know becoming a positive feedback loop.

Cheers.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:57 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 18:00 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:44 | Link to Comment sethstorm
sethstorm's picture

Addressing point 3:
Unfortunately General Motors makes original cars and not detuned copies(anything with a Korea or China brand name)/golfcarts(About every brand except for General Motors/Ford/Chrysler, given a price point).

Having just Ford in the mix does not bring enough choice in the matter.

I'd replace #3 with:
3. Repeal any part of the Taft-Hartley Act used in the PATCO firings as well as any provisions that may apply towards any automotive firms covered by bailouts.

I'd add:
5. Remove 20 CFR 655 and 20 CFR 656 and replace them with equivalents that preclude labor relations firms(or any functional equivalent of them) from creating H1-b/L1 job funnels.

5a. Grant immunity from prosecution or retaliation to anyone who witnesses or observes violations or circumventions of such regulations/laws, with a very low threshold on their part.

6. Extend offshoring prohibitions present in the bailout to all firms of any type in the US, and are valid with a >3.5% U-6.

It might be painful, but at least it would make it possible for non-government work to appear in our neck of the woods.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:56 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 10/08/2009 - 10:55 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:30 | Link to Comment Careless Whisper
Careless Whisper's picture

PROPS. Corporate Communism - you nailed it.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:31 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

I like Dylan, but I would encourage him to read "The Road To Serfdom" by Hayek, he can probably even get it free online, the copyright should have run out by now.

Hayek lays today's scenario out perfectly, and calls it for what it is - fascism.  Communism is just one distorted form of it, as are most attempts at socialism.  Hayek argues correctly that the pull towards facsism is strong, and sure enough that is what we are ending up with.

It may take another Revolution to break the trend, unless we can break the Fed.  IMHO it is the Fed that is the enabler of this; with a sound money policy, a lot of today's looting would not be possible.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:35 | Link to Comment pigpen
pigpen's picture

Ghost, as usual you are spot on. Road to Serfdom is required reading for everyone.

Not sure if you saw most post regarding Harvey and the SEC but are you not the master list compiler for all the traitors.

Joe Six Pack is going to need some instruction on who is to blame.

Cheers,

Pigpen

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:13 | Link to Comment Deficient Market
Deficient Market's picture

Definitely agree, especially since what he was refering to was actually a totalitarian regime and not a communist one. The world has never and will never see true communism because human nature will always corrupt the top of the system. Fascism is definitely what we are in right now, and we're headed toward Feudalism as you point out. This is also not the first time the US has experienced strong Fascist tendencies, it also happened in the early thirties, but thankfully we were snapped out of it when we fought the official fascist incarnation in WWII. Wonder what will snap us out of it this time...

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:46 | Link to Comment TumblingDice
TumblingDice's picture

I think he may have been leaning towards fascism to begin with. Thats what I thought he meant by corporate communism. Regardless, youve got to give him props for highlighting the fact that capitalism is dead on such a public forum as he is enjoying now. We need more outrage of the kind that Mr Ratigan is demonstrating.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:26 | Link to Comment greased up deaf guy
greased up deaf guy's picture

"the greatest weapon of the fascist is the tolerance of the passivist." - mike muir

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 18:13 | Link to Comment PD Quig
PD Quig's picture

"Call out the instigator, because there's something in the air"

There is a false dichotomy between left and right. The true ideological fault line is constitutionalist vs. revisionist. The Founding Fathers understood perfectly well that large government would result in corruption and they specifically structured the federal government to frustrate its growth and limit its powers. The dam was broken by the Supreme Court in the 1930's-40's with the perversion of the interstate commerce clause. The ICC is now twisted to justify the federal government's intrusion into every aspect of our lives, precipitating rampant growth of power and spending--and inevitably attracting the corrupt. Without the plutocrats the federal government could not finance itself. Without the federal government the plutocrats could not retain their extra-Constitutional powers to create money for themselves, to take all the profits, and to consign to the taxpayers any losses that result.

It's an interesting debate as to whether the plutocrats could be controlled even by a small, constitutional government. It is beyond debate, however, that a large anti-constitutional government simply becomes a more powerful accomplice for them.

"We've got to get it together sooner or later, because the revolution's here, and you know it's right"

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:34 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

I am really beginning to love Dylan Ratigan... he really cuts through the BS... it is clear we have an oligarchy in our country... and we all pay for their incompetence, ineptitude, and stranglehold on our country.  The system is out-of-balance... and if it is not able to re-balance itself... it will slowly become non-functional and be unable to meet the needs of the populous... we can already see that occurring.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:38 | Link to Comment richardprice9
richardprice9's picture

Note to Mr. Ratigan,

Please be wary of black helipcopters in the middle of the night. If they take you, we will come to your rescue.

YOU RULE!

 

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:43 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:32 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

See my post above - read Hayek, he argues quite accurately that Communism as practiced in the USSR just became a version of Fascism.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:04 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:46 | Link to Comment blackebitda
blackebitda's picture

bring it...Dylan! so glad you left CNBS

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:53 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:48 | Link to Comment pigpen
pigpen's picture

Dylan, welcome to the honesty principle atoll surrounded by the tempestuous sea of corruption. looting, corporate communism, crony media/political system and brainwashed masses.

Cheers

Pigpen

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:48 | Link to Comment Danz Gambit
Danz Gambit's picture

Yes, we already know we are in the valley of despair. The question is, does anyone know the way out?

 

 

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:01 | Link to Comment Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Let's all ask ourselves a basic question and they push aside wishful thinking and pie in the sky hope and answer honestly. The needle is clearly in the red with regard to political and corporate corruption in the United States.

Does anyone really think the people who currently hold the reins of power are willingly going to release those reins and allow their influence and competitive advantage to wither away and disappear?

And who exactly is going to step in front of this bulldozer (or more accurately Tiananmen Square battle tank) and risk life and limb to fight for any more than token changes?

Token changes BTW that the powerful will happily agree to in order to maintain the popular illusion that America is a democracy? Or more accurately a republic.

The way forward is clearly revolution and I don't believe this country has the stomach for it.

 

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:29 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:57 | Link to Comment Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

No, we simply need to become desperate enough that we become willing to discard the old and accepted ways and look for alternatives.

We aren't there yet. People rarely change without being forced to, usually because they're experiencing great pain and thus are more likely to look outside their comfort zone. 

Our culture can't continue in it's present form. We are exhausting our so called natural resources and destroying our only planet. To be blunt, we are shitting where we eat.

Until we acknowledge the obvious and become willing to make changes, it will be more of the same. An outside observer would call us insane. Of course, there is no outside observer and even if there were, we wouldn't listen to him/her anyway.

Thu, 10/08/2009 - 00:14 | Link to Comment PD Quig
PD Quig's picture

I don't worry much about the planet. We are mice nuts, and it will be fine because the current course is unsustainable. All 1.3 billion Chinese and 1 billion Indians are not going to consume at the level of Americans circa 2007. Americans are more likely to consume like Chinese levels of 3-4 years ago. Say goodbye to mindless entertainment and say hello to callouses and sore muscles earned in physical work. The Earth in total is a closed system that self-regulates. If we screw it up, it will do away with enough of us for the system to recover. Things are going to get very interesting. I hope I live another twenty years to see how it all comes out.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:29 | Link to Comment clickjaw
clickjaw's picture

Reminds me of a short story I wrote, back in High School.

The world is reset through a catastrophic event, we essentially start from scratch. The fear is that it will end up the same way as before. So the emerging idealistic "PTB" set up a secret system  to chemically labotimize everyone (yes, including themselves) who survives the apocalypse through everything "consumable". In place of fallible human leaders, we set up an extremely complex computational "over-mind" of sorts to govern us based solely on statistical outcomes, anthropic principles, etc.

Well, to make a long story short, everything went perfectly as planned, except one of the programmers slipped in some encrypted code to awaken him after the process had taken place. He, in effect ran everything after the new system took place.

The moral of the story? There are no benevolent overseers in this world, every system of governance will start out as an idealistic body of optimism and then slowly devolve into a mere fetid zombie. Oh, It's alive, no one know's how or why, but it's alive. And the first urge anyone has upon seeing this monster is to shoot it in the head. So it is with America now, and so it will be with the next system to come.

Cheers!

Thu, 10/08/2009 - 09:40 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:46 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

Sadly, I must agree with you, CD.  And as for "corporate communism" I much prefer Michael Parenti's long-used and more accurate term, "Socialist Plutocracy" - as with everything else, they have monopolized socialism in America, only allowing it for the super-rich with everyone else on their own.

And think of how very long it has been going on and how many times has one heard someone from Corporate America, or their very own senator or congress critter proclaim that "we" must offshore American jobs to (communist) China and (communist) Vietnam (etc.), so that "we" can compete. 

An economy is not an open pipeline, but a loop....

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 18:49 | Link to Comment Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

OMG, are you the other person I heard about who also reads Michael Parenti? I finally found you. Michael said you existed but I wasn't too sure. :>)

All kidding aside, Parenti takes names and kicks ass and calls a spade a spade. Unfortunately, that's exactly the opposite one must do in order to hit the best sellers list.

It doesn't matter anyway because people most certainly don't wish to hear the truth about their corporate masters. It's better if you turn up the volume on American Idol than to think about all that hard stuff Parenti talks about.

 

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:51 | Link to Comment phlsti
phlsti's picture

Government is supposed to be the Referee;  but somewhere along the way they allowed one of the quarterback's to pay for dinner, and now they seem to think it would be better to own part of the team.  Doesn't look like the hometeam is going to win this game.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:52 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:48 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

Not altogether that intricate: private equity vultures, offshoring of jobs (and inshoring of foreign scab workers), and the banksters/insurance/investmestment fraudsters' securitization and derivatives scams.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:53 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:58 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:51 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

Man-oh-man, are you a complete and utter douche!

Negative, rodger-dodger, it's about more securtization and derivatives, with this nothing more than a backdoor bailout (as others even more intelligent than I have noted) of the health insurance scumsters (along with their pharma freaks).  Word up, dood, who owns the lion's share of pharmaceutical companies?

Check out detailed info of ownership with JPMorgan Chase (and their main buds, the Rockefeller family).

Geez, what claptrap Anon be spewing....

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 21:37 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:05 | Link to Comment JR
JR's picture

Darn, that’s good, anonymouses 91564 and 91688.  It’s wise to remember that what we think is failing economic policy is actually successful policy in the eyes of Keynesian economists such as Drs. Paul Krugman and Nouriel Roubini.

Interesting isn’t it that the theoreticians who drafted the IMF/World Bank’s manipulated paper standard—the monetary unit called the SDR or Special Drawing Right)--were Fabian Socialists from England, John Maynard Keynes and then Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, Harry Dexter White.

The most revealing component of the Fabian crest is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“The Fabians were an elite group of intellectuals who formed a semi-secret society for the purpose of bringing socialism to the world.  Whereas Communists wanted to establish socialism quickly through violence and revolution, the Fabians preferred to do it slowly through propaganda and legislation.  The word socialism was not to be used.  Instead, they would speak of benefits for the people such as welfare, medical care, higher wages, and better working conditions.  In this way, they planned to accomplish their objective without bloodshed and even without serious opposition.  They scorned Communists, not because they disliked their goals, but because they disagreed with their methods.  To emphasize the importance of gradualism, they adopted the turtle as the symbol of the movement.”—G. Edward Griffin, 1994.

Of course, the hidden agenda behind the IMF/World Bank was the building of world socialism with the Federal Reserve’s role that of bringing it about.

Thu, 10/08/2009 - 11:52 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:55 | Link to Comment jm
jm's picture

"We" are standing for it because many voters, corporations, and other entities are invested in the system due to handouts and redistribution policies.  It has become so entrenched that there is no way out but down.

And yet for people that produce, investment returns from income earned are taxed.  Tax cheats (aside from Tim G.) are hammered.  The dollar is getting killed on purpose, which is itself a tax.   

There is no political party that opposes this abuse, because too many people are bought off.  Instead we get sideshow lectures on family values from airport bathroom stalls. 

Taxes are going to go through the roof soon.  Find a way to hide.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:10 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:31 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:05 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:34 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

Exactly.  If you want an accurate phrase, maybe Corporatism, a form of Fascism.  But Fascism in its pure form will do.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:13 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:25 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:57 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:01 | Link to Comment BobPaulson
BobPaulson's picture

Good post and I agree but on a hair-splitting note, communism as it was originally defined has very few real examples. What you're referring to is authoritarianism or some other kind of -ism, but communism only has existed in teeny things like communes. Arguably it _can't_ exist because once it get bigger than a couple hundred people, you can't have everybody equal anymore. 

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:03 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:09 | Link to Comment Miles Kendig
Miles Kendig's picture

It is all but amazing that once the facade of communism & democracy was stripped away what became undeniable in all the major centers of power was the ascendancy of high octane versions of oligarch centered kleptocratic governance.

I am hopeful that Dylan Ratigan turns out to be more than a bit of symbolism and actually represents an effort by some to corral the monster.  Regardless, I join others in welcoming his continued efforts.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:08 | Link to Comment ozziindaus
ozziindaus's picture

There is a slow but persistant brain drain occuring in the US and has been for some time now. Foreign students are opting to return to their home countries and the brightest are expatriating out. With government salaries exceeding the private sector in many technical fields, no wonder the next dotcom explosion is barely on the horizon. Whether it's by design or circumstances, it seems as though the developed and emerging nations are swapping roles in some sort of controlled experiment. This could not happen without the cooperation of both government and corporations. Have they given up on the US or are they just trying to protect what technology would destroy? Bill Gates once said (paraphrasing) that the one thing he is most fearful of is the next tech. revolution concieved in someones garage.

Message to congress and CEO's, either innovate or get the fuck out of the way.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:52 | Link to Comment sethstorm
sethstorm's picture

Bill Gates is the same person who perpetuates H1/L1 fraud.

No thank you, but if there is any, it's due to offshoring being too easy to do.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:54 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

You are sort of right, although that reverse brain drain is rather simplistic and misleading.

It IS a reverse flow of capital, jobs, and opportunity elsewhere.  It is no surprise that the EXACT same percentage of wage growth was seen in Chinese workers aged 20 to 29 in year 2007, while the EXACT same percentage drop occurred in wages of American workers, aged 20 to 29 in the year 2007!

They, whoever they be, have deemed America to be the next cheap labor country - it is our term, they have so declared.

Thu, 10/08/2009 - 12:02 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:14 | Link to Comment Michael
Michael's picture

Ron Paul for President, Dylan Ratigan for Vice President.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:26 | Link to Comment polizeros
polizeros's picture

What we have now isn't communism, as the State does not own the means of production.

Nor do they even control it. The control is firmly in private hands, and a tiny few control way too much, and effectively dictate to DC what to do. That's certainly been true with the bailouts and banks.

I'd say it's more like a theftocracy or a kleptocracy.

Check out this amazing quote. It's from an article by singer James McMurtry, quoting Peter Coyote's father, who was a Wall Street financier in the late 60's.

---

"Capitalism is dying, boy. It’s dying of its own internal contradictions.[He was, after all, a Wall Street financier, so I listened carefully.] You think the revolution’s gonna take five years. It’s gonna take fifty! So keep your head down and hang in for the long haul, because I’ll tell you something. The sons of bitches running things don’t give a shit about their children or their grandchildren, and they certainly don’t give a shit about you! They’ve paid their dues, and they want to get out with theirs! They’re gonna sell off everything that’s not nailed down to the highest bidder. Don’t get crushed when it topples down. Take care of yourself and your family. If you can make a difference, do it, but there are huge forces at work here, and they have to play themselves out according to their own design, not yours. Watch yourself."

- Wall Street Financier, Morris Cohon, to his son, Peter Coyote—Winter of 1969/1970

The above passage is from Peter Coyote’s excellent memoir, “Sleeping Where I Fall”. In the next sentence, Coyote adds,

"As far as I can determine, everything he prophesied has come true."

Link:
http://blurt-online.com/blogs/view/2781/

---

Interesting isn't it, that McMurtry, a populist socialist, and John Rich, who is sharply right wing, are doing songs about the same subject. Unemployment and pain for many caused by the plundering done by a few.

"We Can't Make It Here" - James McMurtry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcBWlblRDjg&feature=player_embedded

"They're Shutting Detroit Down" - John Rich.
http://heavens-gates.com/usworkers/

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:04 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

George Orwell has often been called every libertarians favorite socialist, for good reason - both philosophies are against totalitarianism.  Which is what we have today.

Pure communism and pure socialism have never existed in the world, except maybe in some hippy communes, but never at the national level.  They have always morphed into totalitarianism/fascism of some form.

As has democracy.  Our experiment with democracy lasted a few hundred years, speaking volumes for the power of the Constitution, but it has been over for awhile, as you so correctly point out.

EDIT: I should also point out, isn't it telling that Ron Paul, a libertarian, and Bernie Sanders, a socialist, are the two leading the bill to Audit the Fed?

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:05 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 10/08/2009 - 12:35 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:26 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:01 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

Once more, ignorance thy name is Anon!

Catch a clue, clueless wonder.  The Prez Obama has the most Wall Street lobbyists and Biopharmaceutical lobbyist appointments conceivable!  Diana Farrell (McKinsey Global Institute, Goldman Sachs), Laura Tyson (Morgan Stanley, NAFTA), Timothy Geithner (Kissinger & Associates, NY Fed, Treasury-under Bush, under Clinton and once again), Larry Summers (World Bank, everywhere on the Street), Richard Holbrooke (AIG, Perseus), Robert Hormats (Goldman Sachs, etc.), Peter Orszag (Brookings Institution-Hamilton Project, McKinsey & Co.), Herbert Allison (Merrill Lynch, NY Fed, Fannie Mae, McCain for Pres.), Gary Gensler (Goldman Sachs), etc., etc., etc.

Thu, 10/08/2009 - 11:54 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:29 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:42 | Link to Comment Miles Kendig
Miles Kendig's picture

Which all?

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:29 | Link to Comment JR
JR's picture

The Fed’s mission, like all collectivist planners, is picking winners and losers.  Under the current Fed scenario, the average American citizen can expect lose-lose and your average giant corrupted investment bank can expect win-win.

Nic Lenoir of ICAP reports on this page in Hallway Talks About The USD: “Overall though, I think for now the Fed has expressed concerns about consequences of excess liquidity but has not done anything to back it up. Certainly trying to start draining before year-end could cause disruptions in the market. They will get criticized if they do and the funding markets panic, but they will get criticized if they do nothing. While I think they should start draining and show the world (which shows no respect) that they won't bend to fear indefinitely, the most likely scenario is that they won't do a thing until they are cornered by market conditions or when there is no doubt the economy has fully and sustainably recovered... but there will always be risks, and at some point you have to take some.”

Fed central planning will never let Americans get back to living the American Dream that gave us our freedom and prosperity in the first place, because central planning is socialism and the American Dream is free enterprise.

The Fed’s calls of “insufficient liquidity” and a shortage of “reserves” and plans for “new reserves,”  i.e., coverups for inflationary deficit spending and credit expansion, may have duped the Congress and some of the people but it appears to be a tough sell in China and Russia.  Unlike Congress, these people recognize the short end of the inflation stick when they see it.

America is committing financial suicide.  As the author Robert Ringer said: We have two choices: We can all take our lumps together, let the ‘crash’ come and take its toil (which is another way of saying that we will pay our overdue bills), let wages and prices settle to their normal market levels…or, by continuing to grab for all the short-term benefits we can get, we can keep fueling the political fires that in turn fuel inflation, which ultimately must lead to a total collapse of the economy and bring to power a dictatorship…

“[A]ll the material wealth in the world is useless if one has no freedom.  Wealth can be produced if men are free.  If men are not free, then slaves produce wealth for those in power.”

Indeed, slavery is the ultimate "cost of corporate communism."  I vote "awesome!" post.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:42 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

No question, the Fed is the enabler of a lot of this.  Americans think they have democracy, but embrace a central planner over its money supply.  It is a joke.

We either End the Fed within the next 5 years, or our country is lost forever.  It is as simple as that.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:03 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

Right again!  With Obama's econ advisor (Rubin) and McCain's econ advisor (the vile Gramm) who could possibly claima democracy here?

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:20 | Link to Comment Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Sorry to bust up the party but we do not, nor did we ever, have a democracy. Our form of government is a representative republic.

A very big difference between the two. Democracy is essentially majority rule. And if that majority wants to kick you out of your home or take your land, they can. A simple majority is all democracy is.

A representative republic is more like rule by elected committee. We vote to decide on representatives to protect our collective interests for our part of the country, state, county etc and they then vote on laws and such. They act as a buffer against mob rule.

I always cringe when I hear a politician say we have a democracy. It's all part of the American myth enabling us to think we can actually affect the outcome of what goes on in Washington.

 

 

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:43 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 18:55 | Link to Comment Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

I can sort of understand the pandering politician using the word to his/her advantage. Where I'm disgusted is the so called liberal "free press" promoting and reinforcing the myth. No excuse other than our freepress is simply there to support today's version of fascism.

We don't have reporters anymore. We have repeaters.

 

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:47 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

Agreed, bad choice of words on my part.  What I should have said is, American's think they have capitalism.  We don't now, and haven't in a long time.  Arguably we had some small periods of it in our past.

My point is, Americans think "Communism" and central planning are evil, but say nothing when their money supply is centrally planned, and quite the opposite - Greenspan was treated like a God.  Very hypocritical.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 19:02 | Link to Comment Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

I correct you and others because once we adopt the language of the tormentors and oppressors, we have lost half the battle.

You win the hearts and minds of people by establishing your agenda early and by controlling the premises of the conversation. If you use their controlling language, you concede the high ground.  

A perfect example of controlling the outcome is a loaded question such as "So when did you stop beating your wife?" It's a lose lose proposition for the person being questioned.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:49 | Link to Comment channel_zero
channel_zero's picture

the American Dream is free enterprise.

JR, 

You realize you've been 'living the dream' for +/- 25 years right? That's about how long it has been since the era of light-touch capitalism started.  Do you like what you see going on around you?  Because almost free enterprise is what we've got.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:05 | Link to Comment JR
JR's picture

Almost pregnant, right?

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:50 | Link to Comment channel_zero
channel_zero's picture

Almost pregnant, right?

Uh.  Okay, let's just shut down the SEC altogether.  Let's make Antitrust regulations historic too.  Bank regs and FDIC insurance are just needless overhead.

There you go, 'free enterprise.'

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:55 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:34 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:35 | Link to Comment crzyhun
crzyhun's picture

Mons R. what a puff piece. Until you name names and follow the $$, it is mere soap box rhetoric. MSNBC will not allow it- real dogged journalism.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:50 | Link to Comment channel_zero
channel_zero's picture

Well said. 

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:40 | Link to Comment channel_zero
channel_zero's picture

Dear Dylan,

You have been completely assimilated into the American propaganda machine.

As Americans, I believe we reject Communism because it historically has allowed a tiny group of people to consolidate complete control over national resources (including people), in the process stifling competition, freedom and choice.

That's not communism, that's leadership by few and it occurs in democracies too. You and the Americans that continue to abuse the word communism picked this up from cold-war hawks who used it to consolidate power, stifle competition, freedom and choice.

Communism is a form of social organization.  Variations are known as 'Employee-owned businesses' and co-operatives. (REI members, you are all communists.)

Lack of choice, lazy, unresponsive customer service, a culture of exploitation and a small powerbase formed by cronyism and nepotism are the hallmarks of a communist system that steals from its citizenry

I'm looking around and seeing that going on in the U.S. anyway.

Grow a pair and start being responsible for your words and the consequences of abusing them. For all you idiots drinking his propaganda in, you are part of the problem.

Coward.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:48 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

I wouldn't go so far as call him a coward, at least his is out there putting his name on something and calling out injustices.  But you are correct in that he is a typical American in that he sees every attempt at government control as "communist" or "socialist" (or even funnier, "Marxist", a term used by those who attempt to appear ultra-educated).

We are experiencing fascism/corporatism.

Ratigan's heart is in the right place, he just needs to find the right words.  As I mention above, if he does some research on the best thinkers on this subject, he will come to the proper conclusions.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:05 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

You are right, ghost, as he is simply too ignorant and uneducated to understand, or even have heard of, the concept of ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY!

(ied.info)

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:58 | Link to Comment JR
JR's picture

Please.  In the midst of a serious discussion on how to save the world’s most innovative country from now going down in flames, you want to do dictionary definitions and sidetrack serious discussion by debating how many angels dance on the head of a pin.  This is oligarch control of a once free society and it’s more than naïve to call it “leadership by few.”

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:14 | Link to Comment channel_zero
channel_zero's picture

My point being: in the midst of a serious discussion on how to save the world's most innovative country from going down in flames, this genius is whipping out cold war propaganda and not contributing a thing to the discussion.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:50 | Link to Comment JR
JR's picture

My point being: in the midst of a serious discussion on how to save the world’s most innovative country from going down in flames, discussion is being boiled down to “let’s just boil it down to words not the issue,” right?  I hear this on talk radio when someone suggests a definition for a term.  And the board just lights up, as everybody has an opinion not on the core discussion but on the definition.  Call it by any name, the operating method of the Obama Administration is state control.  It is big government making the decisions for individuals and whether it’s communism, fascism, statism, democracy or socialism, it is the decline of representative government and free market enterprise.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:20 | Link to Comment channel_zero
channel_zero's picture

Call it by any name, the operating method of the Obama Administration is state control.

Really?  Obama is POTUS #1?  No.  He's #44.  It didn't happen overnight.

It is big government making the decisions for individuals

I see.  You know the SEC leaves AIG alone to do as they please in true 'rugged individualistic' fashion and look how that's turned out.  What about the zerohedge favorite GS?  Still doing as they please.  It has worked out great for them. 

So, you see how that rugged individualism BS let Wall Street give you the bill for all of their failed operations?  Slavishly sticking to 'Rugged individualism' fronted a bunch of individuals *lots* of money.  When it came time to collect on the fronted money, they passed the bill to the sucker at the other end of the table.  You and I.

it is the decline of representative government

The 'decline' you reference is the simple fact most citizens not participating.  So, why not make it a personal goal to get 10 people involved in congressional politics?  I may not agree with your perspective, but I bet I could find 10 people and us 20 people could learn to agree on some issues and work towards a common goal.(Ak! communism!!!)

Or, you could slavishly adhere to that 'rugged individualism' myth, and be totally unable to work with anyone outside your comfort zone and be where we are right now.  Which is what was so annoying about the article to begin with.


Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:56 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

I see.  You know the SEC leaves AIG alone to do as they please in true 'rugged individualistic' fashion and look how that's turned out.  What about the zerohedge favorite GS?  Still doing as they please.  It has worked out great for them.

 

To my point above about the Federal Reserve being the enabler of American Fascism, both of those organizations would have failed last fall in a capitalist system.

Their failure in turn would have discouraged others from taking similar risks in the future.

To fault the "free market" in this failure is misplaced.  We haven't had free markets in this country for a long time.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:08 | Link to Comment E Thomas St.
E Thomas St.'s picture

So when are you going to blow up a Federal building?

Coward.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:27 | Link to Comment channel_zero
channel_zero's picture

1. How would that improve anything?

2. What are you insinuating?

3. We are a nation foundend on the principal of laws.   Lawless acts like that are for cowards and weirdos.  And the system works BTW. 

Coward.  Indeed.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:46 | Link to Comment E Thomas St.
E Thomas St.'s picture

Incremental progress, no matter how tame or phony it may seem, is progress. Don't discount something because it isn't hard enough fast enough.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:08 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

I wasn't aware of any Rockefellers residing in federal buildings.

You might want to check out all their "foundations" (ever hear of the Markle Foundation, etc.) and their share ownership of JPMorgan Chase and Citi.

Pick up a big enough rock, and out crawls a Rockefeller.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:45 | Link to Comment mjfitz9
mjfitz9's picture

This type of common sense is few and far between these days.  A modern day Thomas Paine, that is the type of stuff that should be emailed around, short enough so the lack of attention span can be overcome.  People are looking for legitimate leadership in this vacuum thats been created by the 2 party system.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:43 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:50 | Link to Comment Cheeky Bastard
Cheeky Bastard's picture

With all due respect mister Ratigan, but you are wrong. The term you call " corporate socialism " is a wrong definition of a state in which the US and most of the Western World are for the last 30 yrs. See, you can call something " communist " if and only if there is a disequilibrium between the State and the People.Next, when you call something communistic; one should take note of the role which the State plays in the whole schema; so for example if most of businesses are State owned a definition of something being communistic stands firmly and it is indisputable; but when a business sector, owned by private citizens of a State, control the political process and other non-political processes via controlling the legislative branch of a state it is called FASCISM. If you really want to get the " word " out; throw your PC ideology out of the window and give the current state of events a real name; FASCISM. I see no difference in the matter of the State and Business in the 20th century, and the matter of the State and Business in the first half of the 20th century. The 21st Century state wages wars to control the blood of the economy via unlawful invasions of other sovereign nations while killing million in the process, so Business could secure the necessary means to continue to dominate the total sphere of what one calls; human existence; and keep bribing and literally buying political processes, while the State in the first half of the 20th century did the same practice to secure total domination of Businesses and itself via waging unlawful wars and killing millions in the process. The goal, mister Ratigan, of the 21st century state and business is global dominance of Anglo-Saxon model, and its implementation globally; and the goal, mister Ratigan of the 20th century state and business was global dominance of the German model, and its implementation globally. So, mister Ratigan, say it like it is; Fascism ( with not so ) human face.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:03 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

Well said, and very proper comparison of today's push for dominance of the Anglo-Saxon model and the German model of the last century.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:22 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:32 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

Well Cheeky... I know better than to argue with you over fascism since coming from that part of the world you have a bird's eye historical view... and I will agree that we seem to be moving closer to fascism (even our two- party system seems to be more homogenized)

But in Dylan's defense he's actually calling it 'corporate communism'... which he must have coined himself... and when you look at it on the surface the corporations are doing a hell of a good job in assuring common ownership of our country's assets and controlling the means of production... the corporations are acting independently of the populous and distributing the country's wealth among themselves without anyone to stop them... they make the rules they want and could care less about the people... they have just forgotten that there is an entire nation of people who have been left out of the distribution matrix.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:10 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

You are technically and linguistically correct, of course. So perhaps the Ratman is a misdirector, much in the same vein as a Kevin Phillips and various others who endeavor to direct our attention and focus away from the obvious (in this case: the Corporate Fascist State).

50,000 Foundations + 40,000 D.C. lobbyists + 5 media-controlling corporations = reality

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:58 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

Not to mention the well-documented connection between many economists and the Federal Reserve.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:50 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:42 | Link to Comment Translational Lift
Translational Lift's picture

I have no statistics to back this up but I believe Americans are now one of the most "undereducated" group in the industrialized world.  Everything has been tailored to the lowest common denominator and now it is in place.  No a-hole left behind be it person or corporation.  No more recess in schools fearing that someone might scrape a knee, no failing grades fearing some little shit's psyche might be impaired for life, companies too big to fail, etc.etc.etc.  Since the late sixties our schools and universities have been packed with liberal, left-leaning "teachers".  The NEA is 90-95% democratic and backs up most democratic initiatives.  We now have a gullible populous that walks around like lemmings with blinders on incapable of performing critical thinking that vote these a-holes into office based on pole-driven promises and won't hold them accountable when they don't keep their promises.  The powers that be now have a constituency that will continue to vote them into office and slowly, now becoming rapidly, erode the values of this once great country for what??  A freeby or hand-out of some sort all the while giving up their individual freedoms meanwhile we are about to be taxed into oblivion!  It truly is a sad day unless we can figure out a way to turn this around.....

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:13 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

Hmmmm

Have you seen Fred?

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:20 | Link to Comment JR
JR's picture

One man's "junk" is another man's treasure.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:38 | Link to Comment Roman Biko
Roman Biko's picture

forget about reform. we are witnessing the death of late capitalism. i still can't believe what kanye pulled at the vma's. for serious

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:01 | Link to Comment Prophet of Wise
Prophet of Wise's picture

"The greatest travesty of the 21st century will be to have valiently fought the evils of communism for the past fifty years only to embrance its principles once the victory was declared."

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:15 | Link to Comment sgt_doom
sgt_doom's picture

Bulltwicky!

Communism (Soviet and Chinese-style, that is) is about state monopolization of the land and capital.

Predatory capitalism is about the Corporate-monopolization of the land and capital.

Until it is all evenly divided, we will never know peace. 

Pass the peas, please....

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 18:08 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:40 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:48 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:25 | Link to Comment channel_zero
channel_zero's picture

Word Up!

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 18:08 | Link to Comment JR
JR's picture

 

The pursuit of communism by Lenin and  Stalin is one of history’s worst economic disasters: millions were shot but many millions also starved.

Solzhenitsyn would weep at such flippant mockery of suffering. He left America disillusioned and I am beginning to understand why. To think of the millions of beautiful people who died under the worst butchery and inhumanity to man that cruelty has ever devised, and, economics aside, you equate their silent screams and suffering with a workers’ paradise that never existed.  I must say you have a lot of nerve to state this in 2009, decades after the world witnessed the dramatic collapse of the failed Soviet Union and the breakup of the wall built to keep those workers in “paradise.”

“Governments are not moralists,” said Solzhenitsyn. “Governments never imprisoned people and executed them FOR having done something.  They imprisoned and executed them TO KEEP THEM FROM doing something… They imprisoned all of them TO KEEP THEM FROM telling their fellow villagers about Europe.  What the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve for.”

Fortunately, there are many who still live that would have to be imprisoned TO KEEP THEM FROM TELLING…

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 18:19 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 22:00 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:06 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 18:00 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 21:00 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 22:38 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 23:22 | Link to Comment Hephasteus
Hephasteus's picture

Dude You're getting a Dell. And YOURE GETTING A DELL AND YOURE GETTING  A DELL AND ALL OF YOU ARE GETTING A DELL!!! And you'll like it because you won't have any other choice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjSTTb_siCU

The support guy just fucks with the caller for 5 minutes then answers his question question in 3 seconds at the very end.

Once they have all the money. They'll create nothing but will breaking and you can't fight back armies. They'll put your only contacts with them on other contintents so you can't just drive to thier offices and mow the motherfuckers down with guns. They'll put antisocial behavior in every aspect of human society and call everyone who rebels or fights against it antisocial.

 

Thu, 10/08/2009 - 03:03 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 10/08/2009 - 18:15 | Link to Comment E Thomas St.
E Thomas St.'s picture

Yeah, it's a goddamn outrage that the caller tried to bully someone over the phone into giving him information while not letting the person speak for more than 3 seconds at a time while he yelled at him incoherently. 

Are you fucking kidding me?

Sun, 10/11/2009 - 03:57 | Link to Comment Hephasteus
Hephasteus's picture

What's your account number again?

Man I could so control you into outrage so easily.

You can't see past one step in action/reaction.

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!