Uitgebankierd: Beurs keldert

[Henk Elegeert]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

Op 22 oktober 2008 20:32 heeft Ernst Debets <edebets1 at euronet.nl> het
volgende geschreven:

> Rustig afwachten heren,
>
> Nu instappen en over 1 1/2 a 2 jaar lach je iedereen uit! (Dat doet
> Woutertje Bos toch ook?)

Ernst,

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/14-reasons-main-street-loses/story.aspx?guid={F63EC448-D9C1-4138-AC18-97BF0FE68EE3}&print=true&dist=printMidSection

"
Wall Street's 'Disaster Capitalism for Dummies'

14 reasons Main Street loses big while Wall Street sabotages democracy
By Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch

Last update: 7:10 p.m. EDT Oct. 20, 2008

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- Yes, we're dummies. You. Me.
All 300 million of us. Clueless. We should be ashamed. We're obsessed
about the slogans and rituals of "democracy," distracted by the
campaign, polls, debates, rhetoric, half-truths and outright lies.
McCain? Obama? Sorry to pop your bubble folks, but it no longer
matters who's president.

Why? The real "game changer" already happened. Democracy has been
replaced by Wall Street's new "disaster capitalism." That's the big
game-changer historians will remember about 2008, masterminded by Wall
Street's ultimate "Trojan Horse," Hank Paulson. Imagine: Greed,
arrogance and incompetence create a massive bubble, cost trillions,
and still Wall Street comes out smelling like roses, richer and more
powerful!
	
Yes, we're idiots: While distracted by the "illusion of democracy" in
the endless campaign, Congress surrendered the powers we entrusted to
it with very little fight. Congress simply handed over voting power
and the keys to trillions in the Treasury to Wall Street's new
"Disaster Capitalists" who now control "democracy."

Why did this happen? We're in denial, clueless wimps, that's why. We
let it happen. In one generation America has been transformed from a
democracy into a strange new form of government, "Disaster
Capitalism." Here's how it happened:

    *
      Three decades of influence peddling in Washington has built an
army of 42,000 special-interest lobbyists representing corporations
and the wealthy. Today these lobbyists manipulate America's 537
elected officials with massive campaign contributions that fund
candidates who vote their agenda.
    *
      This historic buildup accelerated under Reaganomics and went
into hyperspeed under Bushonomics, both totally committed to a new
disaster capitalism run privately by Wall Street and Corporate
America. No-bid contracts in wars and hurricanes. A housing-credit
bubble -- while secretly planning for a meltdown.
    *
      Finally, the coup de grace: Along came the housing-credit
crisis, as planned. Press and public saw a negative, a crisis.
Disaster capitalists saw a huge opportunity. Yes, opportunity for big
bucks and control of America. Millions of homeowners and marginal
banks suffered huge losses. Taxpayers stuck with trillions in debt.
But giant banks emerge intact, stronger, with virtual control over
government and the power to use taxpayers' funds. They're laughing at
us idiots!

Amazing isn't it, Wall Street's Disaster Capitalists screwed up,
likely planned or let happen this meltdown and recession. Yet
America's clueless taxpayers just reward them by giving the screw-ups
massive bailouts, control over more than $2 trillion of tax money, and
the power to clean up the mess they made. Oh yes, we are dummies!

This end game was planned for years in secret war rooms on Wall
Street, in Corporate America, in Washington and the Forbes 400.
Democracy is too cumbersome. It had to be marginalized for Disaster
Capitalism to take over. Reagan, Bush and Paulson were Wall Street's
"Trojan Horses."

Naomi Klein summarizes the game in "Shock Doctrine: the Rise of
Disaster Capitalism." This "new economy" generates enormous profits
feeding off other peoples' misery: Wars, terror attacks, natural
catastrophes, poverty, trade sanctions, subprime housing meltdowns and
all kinds of economic, financial and political disasters. Natural
(Katrina) or manmade (Iraq), either way "disaster capitalism" creates
fortunes.

So you, me and the other 300 million better get out of denial. America
is no longer a democracy. Voting is irrelevant. Best case scenario:
We're a plutocracy, a government ruled by the wealthy, the richest 1%,
the Forbes 400, the influential wealthy elite, while the other 99% are
their "servants." Meanwhile, the inflation-adjusted income of
wage-earners has declined for three decades.

Worst case scenario: America's no democracy and as a result of the
meltdown and the surrender of our power to Wall Street's new Disaster
Capitalism we are morphing into what one WWII dictator called
"corporatism," a "merger of state and corporate power," kind of like
what's going on now with Goldman Sachs' ex-boss as de facto president.

Wolves in sheep's clothing
Yes, a strong charge. But like a lot of our readers, I don't like
what's happening to America. I'm a patriot. I volunteered for the
Marines. Served four years. Volunteered for Korea. I don't like how
our freedoms, rights and value system are being subverted in the name
of greed, arrogance, self-righteous intolerance and other false gods.

We know for the last eight years disaster capitalists ignored obvious
warnings of a coming meltdown. They apparently planned it. They road
the bull, got very rich. Now they have the ultimate disaster
capitalist weapons, trillions in tax money, virtual control of
government.

That's why I fear we're on the edge of a dangerous line between Wall
Street's version of disaster capitalism and a toxic "merger of state
and corporate power." The wolf is in sheep's clothing. Wall Street
pretends we're a democracy. Yet America more closely resembles the
kind of "corporatism" that Laurence W. Britt wrote about five years
ago in Free Inquiry magazine.

We adapted his historical analysis of 14 key traits for today's
discussion. Notice how they have a huge impact your investments and
retirement:

1. Wall Street rich get first priority
Think "bailout." Wall Street's greedy con game spins out of control
globally. Millions of homeowners misled, lose. Who gets hundreds of
billions first? Wall Street's con men.

2. National security obsession
Think of the expansion of executive powers in the name of national
security: Preemptive wars, wiretapping private citizens, Gitmo,
torture; driven by a dark wealthy neocon elite.

3. Superpower with massive military
Think of our $3 trillion Iraq/Afghan War. Disaster capitalists love
the thrill of military power. We outspend all nations, over half the
federal budget to strut before the world.

4. Extreme nationalism
Signs are everywhere: Flags, lapel pins, "support the troops" slogans,
all to get huge military budgets passed. Challenge them and you're
un-American and unpatriotic.

5. Rally the masses by scapegoating enemies
Think "axis of evil," mushroom clouds, "Islamofascists," more
terrorist attacks on the homeland. Propaganda creates "enemies" in the
public's mind and distracts from real issues.

6. Corruption and cronyism
Think earmarks, no-bid defense contracts, paid mercenaries
outnumbering military in Iraq, superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, biofuels,
bridge to nowhere, millions donated to campaigns.

7. Obsession with crime
Think of prison-building as just another investment opportunity,
rather than focusing on reforming our criminal justice system. Stoke
irrational fear of criminals and extremists.

8. Labor and low wages
Think corporate earnings versus the wages paid to workers. No
"trickling down," leaves more for tricklers: Rich insiders,
stockholders. Wages dropping as CEO salaries skyrocket.

9. Contempt for human rights
Think of abuses of habeas corpus, loss of right to trial, bogus
charges, plus "demonizing" the victims, all in the name of national
defense and homeland security.

10. Mass media manipulation
Think of leaking false information, Joseph Wilson, Valerie Plame,
Scooter Libby, Colin Powell's United Nation's testimony, Condoleezza
Rice's mushroom clouds, WMDs, all to suppress the truth.

11. Obsession with sexism
Think of paternalism, antigays, antiabortion, subordinate women --
then codify the system as the law of the land reinforcing a
male-dominated society, punish violators.

12. Disdain for intellectuals
Think of conservative intellectuals Francis Fukuyama and Bill Buckley.
Contrast them to Sarah Palin and Joe Sixpack conservatism, Bush's
funding cuts for arts and science education.

13. Religion in government
Think of all the faith-based programs versus antiscience in drug
approvals, creationism vs. evolution, Ten Commandments enshrined in
public buildings, public money to churches.

14. Fraudulent elections
Think of police and prosecutorial intimidation and threats to voters,
challenging minority voters, ballots disappearing, party election
officials committing outright fraud.

Yes, officially America is still a democracy. We have enough signs and
rituals to support that illusion. But the truth is America has become
a plutocracy run by and for the wealthy. And since Wall Street's
Disaster Capitalism coup de grace, we are rapidly morphing into a
dangerous new government.

For more, read Britt's original
article(http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?page=britt_23_2&section=library),
then add comments here: Was the meltdown planned by Wall Street's
Disaster Capitalists? End of Story
"

Ik verwacht van de politiek, zeker de bestuurders dat ze duidelijk en
helder maken wat er nu werkelijk aan de hand is en wat er nu allemaal
precies, en waar en waarom het fout zit en wat de daarop te nemen
maatregelen zijn. En, waarbij de overheid zichzelf als de wiedeweerga
uit de belangensfeer terug trekt, en niet zelf mee gaat doen teneinde:
´om ons allen rijk te maken´?!! Kwats derhalve, en maakt de overheid
zich nu niet zelf schuldig aan wangedrag?!!!

Ik stel vast dat we met z´n allen in een soort van ´god zegene de
greep¨ zitten waarbij de hoop gevestigd wordt op een voor ons allen
florissante toekomst. Die komt er niet !! De kans is groter dat we ons
massaal in een lemmingenverhaal storten.

Henk Elegeert

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