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Inequality Drives Egyptians to Streets, But Ours Worse
It's amazing what inequality can drive people to, eventually. Just look at Egypt.
“These big guys are stealing all the money,” one 24-year-old textile worker standing at his second job as a fruit peddler told a reporter this weekend. "People are desperate.”
"I wish we could be like the United States with a democracy, but we cannot," said another.
And so they protest, regardless of police batons, curfews and shootings. With over a 150 estimated dead, a march of millions is scheduled for Tuesday.
In spite of what some on Fox News (and the Israel lobby's camp) sought to argue this weekend -- namely that the protests were all the work of Islamist radicals -- every report from the ground contradicts that. As in Tunisia, the protesters are driven by fury at poverty, lack of options, and the looting of their state by the super powerful.
It's an equation we understand -- elsewhere: a massive gap between rich and poor is inconsistent with democracy. But before you get carried away with third world conditions there, try here. On Friday a guest blogger at Yves Smith's Naked Capitalism blog noted a remarkable fact: the U.S. actually has much greater inequality than Egypt—or Tunisia, or Yemen.
The Gini Coefficient is a number economists use to measure inequality, and the U.S. is ranked as the 42nd most unequal nation — Egypt is 90th.
It's not just numbers — we can see it every day. As Edwidge Danticat told us last week, “There are places in the US that are like Haiti, that are like Zimbabwe.”
While 22 million were searching for jobs in the US this week, Goldman Sachs tripled Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein's base salary and awarded him $12.6 million of stock, a 42 percent increase from '09. The billionaire Koch brothers threw a lavish secret party for their looter cronies, to talk about their election plans.
The average American may not be suffering the way the average Egyptian has been but as Danticat noted, there's a tendency to exaggerate the suffering of what we think of as the “third world” while assuming that the U.S. has it better.
As for that anti-democratic gap between rich and poor -- not better, worse. And here too, our democracy is suffering. What are we going to do about it?
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Show AllIn our country we have corporate wealth with the help of supreme court activists controlling government. Yes the diparity between the enormous income among the top 1% and the rest of us grows ever larger. The national debt enhanced by tax cuts for the rich, 725 military bases around the world and 2 plus wars is threatening our social security safety net and future prospects for our youth. Progressive movement for the benefit of ordinary people is much needed.
Perhaps Egyptians don't eat as many anti-depressant pills as Americans do ?
Perhaps Egyptians don't fall for false prophets (the Democratic and Republican Parties) like Americans do ?
Your comment intrigues me--I suspect we do anesthetize ourselves. I read a very haunting book titled "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman. Most memorable to me is his premise that our distractions and amusements pacify us when we're faced with injustice. Finally I offer a quote whose source eludes me, "When there is a credibility gap, there is a gullibility fill." Thanks for the comments.
During the Viet Nam occupation the US credibility gap was big enough to fly a B-52 through. Today you could fly a fleet of B-52s in V-formation through it.
So we just need to send more Cymbalta to Egypt ?
>^^<
"When there is a credibility gap, there is a gullibility fill."-Richard Clopton
Actually I think that was a misquote of the original;
Richard Cobden (3 June 1804 – 2 April 1865)
"For every credibility gap there is a gullibility gap."
shach, yes, it is genuinely encouraging to see articles like Laura's in the popular (or at least broader) media about the seminal importance of GINI.
Professional economists have been sadly slow and quiet in informing the populace about the awful state of inequality in the US.
It is also very important to understand that the 'symptom' of crushing income (and wealth) inequality is 'caused' by Empire --- and also to understand (as the CIA does) that a high GINI is the best predictor of civil unrest.
1. High GINI indicates that a steeply hierarchical and totalitarian government - or - Empire exists.
2. High GINI indicates that popular revolt will inevitably come.
[The US GINI is far above/worse than the level at which the CIA would expect revolution in any countries]
However, in addition to understanding the two points above, there are two crucial additional factors that need to be more broadly understood by Americans:
3. A high GINI without revolt means that a government is using overt (or covert) tyranny and oppression on its people.
4 A high GINI for any large, wealthy, global power government without overt tyranny means that Empire exists --- but has been hidden from the people.
The United States is provably such a disguised Empire, which has to be successfully using extremely guileful controls, including a totally 'captured' political facade of Two-Party 'Vichy' faux democracy and corporatist(fascist) 'Vichy' media to maintain such softly felt/covert control.
As Margaret Thatcher wrongly said of other situations, but is absolutely true here, "TINA --- There is no alternative". It is simply impossible to run a global Empire without the populace being even aware of it --- unless an extremely sophisticated propaganda charade exists below the conscious level of the citizens, or as Chris Hedges calls it, an "Empire of Illusion".
Thus, the United States today can be absolutely proven to be a well disguised global corporate/financial/militarist Empire --- which is unknown to the vast majority of its citizens.
Of course, the US can also be ineluctable proven to be such an Empire by a second method of directly calculating its Empire Coefficient, instead of its GINI Coefficient of Income Inequality. [The empirical Empire Index is simply the product of a country's percentage of global weapons sales, times its number of foreign military bases, times the number of its own citizens in prison, times its GINI of Income Inequality, times its percentage of global energy resources consumed.] The US, of course, is nearly two orders of magnitude over any other country on earth by this measure of Empire Index.
And the last (5th) factor that should be understood by Americans is the mechanism of the fraudulent economics of Empire which is used to support such a global Empire for the brief period before its unsustainable death-spiral; negative externality cost dumping.
While this last factor, the hidden mechanism of the "Economics of Empire" in externalizing negative costs to generate faux profits has, in the past been accomplished with physical products such as; cigarettes, asbestos, deadly chemicals, coal and oil fired over-consumption, or weapons of war, the last stage of global Empire's negative externality pump mechanism is now being done with what Warren Buffet rightly called financial WMDs; the ethereal negative externality cost dumping of 'debt bombs'.
Yes, shach, there are a few key factors that must be understood about the invariable nature of the economic inequality of empire and its elite scheme of externality debt bombs before we reach a level of extinction. But this is not rocket science, and can/must be understood by a majority of Americans.
Best,
Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine
"Democracy over Empire" party headquarters
Alan: Another marvelous post!
On the "externality" cost issue, allow me to relate another way it's done.
One of my accounts was recently compromised, so I had to get a new credit card. When I called to activate it, the company person tried to work me into one of those credit protection programs.
I let her have it about cost externalities... that their credit card company was passing ITS RISKS onto borrowers who were already paying massive fees, added to so inflated an interest rate as to hardly warrant being lawful! That their costs of business were expedited by the Internet; but then the risks of compromised accounts (a direct product of that milieu) were passed onto those holding accounts.
Of course the worst externality costs are those drawn against the natural world, or extracted through a profound loss of natural capital. It's happening at break-speed thanks to so many technologies of destruction, a/k/a programs of resource "development."
Thank you for spelling out this powerful case in this forum. Well done!
excellent Alan.
Well said.
Thanks for posting.
Liberty & Justice,
sj
Great comment, Alan. When I look at #3&4 on your list, it reminded me of another frequent poster here that posits we suffer from a form of inverted totalitarianism, which I think both you and they describe quite clearly. Thanks again. minnow
"there's a tendency to exaggerate the suffering of what we think of as the “third world” while assuming that the U.S. has it better."
Injustice is a perception.
Once Americans see their own lives for what they are then there will be hell to pay.
Michael Moore showed that so well in Sicko by cheery picking the areas he used n the movie, Making America look so bad, yet showing France and Cuba as such lovely places to live.
Neglecting that their lowcost medications are subsidised by the US thru the UN assistance to 3rd world nations programs.
Perception is indeed Everything!!
>^^<
I didn't know France was "Third World"
richard catz , are you another Zionist dissembler. We, the U.S., already overturned a democratically elected govt in Iran. Afraid the Egyptians wont go along with the Palestinian genocide for a measly billion in arms. The Arab world needs to shine a light on the military state of israel which blackmails the U.S. for money and arms with the myth of being our only friend in the Mideast. Always the victim, Israel, with enough military might to take out all the countries in the Levant simultaneously. Let democracy reign, even in Gaza and the West Bank.
Truthfully the U.A.R. model looks fine to me, keeps religious nuts out, 400+ reps means nothing can be pushed thru easily. and the dismantling of all parties is brilliant; should happen here!
Democracy, is never per se a good idea. Responsable leadership is, democracy doesn't gaurentee that as the U.S. has proven so well. democracy is as easily subverted as any other system!
Isreal can take care of itself if need be. They have plenty of troops, toys and nukes!
>^^<
richard catz , are you another Zionist dissembler. We, the U.S., already overturned a democratically elected govt in Iran. Afraid the Egyptians wont go along with the Palestinian genocide for a measly billion in arms. The Arab world needs to shine a light on the military state of israel which blackmails the U.S. for money and arms with the myth of being our only friend in the Mideast. Always the victim, Israel, with enough military might to take out all the countries in the Levant simultaneously. Let democracy reign, even in Gaza and the West Bank.
t_g
Maybe they can't charge things to their credit cards, like the US populace? If you just whip out the plastic, you don't feel that you haven't really paid for it. These people don't buy anything for credit: if you have the money, you get it, if you don't you go without.
Maybe if US Americans couldn't use their credit cards, they'd realize that things actually cost money!
I think credit cards really mess with the mind. While in the US I was richer on a day-to-day basis in the respect that I could always buy what I felt I needed. But I was in debt. Since moving to Norway I have yet to get a permanent job, and I have barely squeezed by. But I paid everything off in the US. I have no retirement left. BUT I don´t owe anything, and it is liberating despite we are now poor (but not homeless - the Norwegian government will keep you afloat with an apartment and food while waiting for work).
Here is a link to a fairly decent piece on RT about how the the US corporate propaganda system spins the various protests going on around the world.
http://rt.com/usa/news/usa-egypt-protest-media/
Despite the frequent hyper-ventilation of left-wing commenters on this website, (i) the rich in our country didn't steal their money from foreign aid , from the "workers" or from the government, (ii) a majority of voters approve of a system that makes it possible to become hugely wealthy through one's own efforts, regardless of whether that competitive result leaves many far behind, (iii) while it applies to very few decedent estates, the so-called "death" tax is not popular because it is viewed by many as double taxation and many younger people think they may very well become rich enough to have to worry about it, and its effects on their heirs, when then die, (iv) unlike Egypt, there is not a state of emergency here, with a repressive military government.
Of course, the loons who write on this site will dispute all of that and claim that this a corporation-driven fascist state, but that's why there's loons. They are, finally, amusing. I can't wait to hear their howls when the Supreme Court throws out Obamacare.
The rich got wealthy through their own efforts? You been living in a cave on Mars, Bud? In MY country the upper class ruined their businesses, and the entire economy along with them, by running a 10 year racist Ponzi scheme based on fraud, then had their lackeys in government transfer what came ultimately to 13 trillion dollars to their banks... which they refused to lend, or re-negotiate leases... they just used it to speculate and drive up commodity prices. Without Gov-Welfare they'd be BROKE! The Finance Industry is a bunch of parasites who produce nothing of value. Their wealth is theft in the form of Fractional Reserve Banking.
Where will we get our daily dose of neocon talking points (that never let facts get in the way of a good story) if Horace ever stops posting on CD ?
Also, Horace, based on the pro-corporate history of the current SCOTUS, we will all be surprised if SCOTUS rules that the "individual mandate" in the corporate welfare program called Obamacare is unconstitutional. Obamacare is one of the most generous corporate welfare programs the US has ever seen and SCOTUS has a history of protecting such programs.
I watched the Keiser Report on RT this morning, and Matt referred to the crap investments that the big banks were selling as "Fecal Backed Securities". I LOLed at that one! I came up with one of my own for any investors that do business with the big banks. We should start calling them Chumps for Goldman Sacs, if they do business with GS.
People need to use language to take the shine off of these turd blossoms. If they are selling shit, lets call it shit, and if you are stupid enough to buy the crap from them, then you should be referred to as a chump or a fool. or a coconspirator in illegal activities, not as an "investor".
rudyspeaks,
If it is what you say, would not the government prosecute the thief? And the people, in their infinite wisdom, have re-elected most of the political shills of corporate America.
So it must be you who have the wrong world view, not the rich, powerful or their servants, the people.
Democracy rules, and the rich have the votes.
"The people in their infinite wisdom" have not re-elected most of the political shills of corporate America. The people, unfortunately, lack infinite wisdom. Especially people who vote for the Democrats. There people have been tricked, by their firm belief and the endless propaganda, that the Democrats are not as bad as the Republicans. The fact I know (from my infinite wisdom) is that the two corporate political parties are funded by and working for the same interests---the top 2% of the wealthiest people in this nation. Democrat = Republican or Republican = Democrat.
Those of you who continue to vote for Democrats are being had---but your ignorance is hurting all of the working people in this nation. Take a look at how far our nation has fallen in terms of "Liberty and Justice for all".
Some 'justice' when our democracy has been sold to the corporations who have one value---make a profit.
Some 'justice' when we don't have the right to a trial if accused of being a suspected terrorist.
Some 'justice' when the people want an end to all the wars that are so profitable for the Military Industrial Complex and so tragic for us that have our family members in the military. We say we "support our troops" but that does not mean we approve of the endless wars. In spite of the desire of the people of this nation for peace, our Congress continues bankrupting our nation by voting for the wars to go on and on.
Rudy speaks the truth when he says "the rich have the votes" but in error when he says "democracy rules" The tragedy is that our democracy has died.
I hate to agree with you on most points. The personal greed factor is definitely in lay.
The greed and 'I-me-mine' mentality that grips the general population comes from ignorance of the real world. They are supporting policies directly inimical to their well-being thanks to the framing done by the rich corporate elite owners of the mass media.
You, I'm afraid are one of the loons if you fail to see the control of the corporate oligarchy over the government, creating policies that fill their pockets - otherwise known as corporate socialism - Mussolini called it fascism.
Everybody called it fascism until the Raygun Revolution included a thirty year media propaganda blitz that convinced most Americans that up was down and 2+2=8.
There is no question that we live in a fascist (corporate) state. The illusion of democracy is maintained by having two "opposing" parties with different ideologies, so one must choose between the two. Any third party is dismissed as a throwaway vote that might let the "bad" (democrat or Republican depending on your own philosophy) party win.
What is realized by only a few is that this facade is just a two backed beast. One back has an "R" emblazoned on it, the other a "D". If the discerning individual looks carefully at this strange beast, they will notice that, if you spread the beast apart a bit and look closely, you will see that at the center of the beast is a group of very wealthy and powerful individuals and corporations pulling the strings on both sides.
In fact, they don't care who wins as they control both sides, and both sides do as they are told. The apparent differences are left to provide an illusion to the people that they still have a democracy.
Many that follow the money have written that the Congress, Senate, Executive and Judiciary have all been bought and paid for. They occasionally get a peanut to throw to the masses to convince them that they are working for them, but on anything of import they follow what the puppet masters want done. Hence these crazy, unconstitutional, judgments coming from SCOTUS; the totally unconstitutional and misnamed PATRIOT Act and its numerous incarnations; the endless wars which enrich the oligarchy through government contracts.
We the People have no importance. We have been stripped of our wealth and jobs, which have been outsourced to places where people will work for a few dollars a day, then further when they can find a populace that will work eighteen hours for a bowl of rice for their family.
Meanwhile, We the Sheeple follow the nice goat with the bell, right through the doors of the abattoir. Sometimes the goat wears a "D" and sometimes an "R", but the result is the same.
Unless We the Sheeple become We the People and take back this country from these greedy robber barons, we shall soon find that the US Citizen is no more. We will become nothing more than serfs to the Oligarchy, to be used up and thrown away as they have been in many dictatorial oligarchies of the past.
And when the vote goes against them they just manipulate them 2000 Florida, 2004 Ohio (Rove's IT guru Mike Collins altering electronic vote tallies.)
Despite the frequent hyperventilation of right wing trolls such as on this site,
(i)the rich steal their money via bailouts, tax evasions, tax breaks, government aid to corporations, laws written explicitly to benefit the owners of capital, laws written to protect the owners of capital of any sort, see for the most egregious example, intellectual property laws that protect the owners of "intellectual property" many decades after the original writer / artist / singer, the original creator of the work is long dead.
(ii) The electoral system is deliberately rigged to concentrate power, all FPTP systems do so. The entire American electoral representative system is deliberately rigged to counter "arrant system"
Of course, the right wing loons who troll this site, such as you, will dispute all this, but that's why you are all right wing loons. You aren't even amusing. I can't wait to hear your howls when the Middle East, just like Latin America, throws of the yoke of American imperialism.
Eygpt is required by the USA to spend its $1 Billion in Military aid in USA corporations.
Thus foreign aid goes directly to the MIC stockholders.
glenn ford...you make a VERY important point. Most in the U$A do not know that. The myth of the US being a benevolent nation is too widespread. I can't go a day without someone saying to me that 'we' spend too much helping the people in other countries. That leads to an interesting discussion, BUT the truth and facts are not usually accepted. Years of propaganda in the media and also in the educational system have taken their toll.
Think about the current health care debate. Almost never are the CEOs of insurance companies held responsible for the health care costs. It is usually a blame the victim debate. Blame the poor guy who is overweight and doesn't have a membership in a gym. Being poor is a big risk factor to obesity and obesity is not the leading health risk. It is exaggerated to let the corporations off the hook......
I only hope they in their hurry don't trade it for a reliogous dictatorship aka Iran, and probably Iraq if they ever get anything resembling a free election.
>^^<
Do not worry anyone standing in the real world knows there is no chance of Muslim Brotherhood gaining more than their 20% representation.
The USA MSM is pumping Islamic fear.
In all seriousness if voting really mattered any more in this country the oligarchs would out law it. We are just given carefully chosen "choices" of candidates that TPTB know will mainly do what is in their best interests of the rich in the end.
As far as the Paris Hilton tax goes, I figure it won't take too many more years before the American Dream will be realized by most Americans to now be the American Delusion. They will develop a deep seeded, seething disgust for the rich under taxed upper class in this country. They will grow very tired of seeing the crop of idly rich Paris's rubbing their inherited wealth in their faces, as they get foreclosed on, and THEIR own kids graduate deeply in debt from college, with little chance at getting a decent paying job.
Any propaganda system like the one we have in this country always ends up loosing its credibility in the end, as it becomes more and more detached from the reality of the average persons life experiences. People are starting to catch on, as the declining Faux News ratings demonstrates.
How this all ends? My guess is not well. Unlike the "repressive" military government you describe in Egypt, I can never imagine our military saying it will not use violence against its own citizens. The students of Kent state can attest that.
You are correct, our military would not hesitate to fire on its own people as in Kent State, as in the Bonus Marchers. Hoover called out the military to disperse the Bonus Marchers and their Hooverville encampment with the army, tanks and calvary under the direction of MacArthur with subordinate roles played by Eisenhower and Patton. In this case, we had the US army turning on and firing upon WW1 veterans. Gee, thanks for your service guys and drop dead.
You are both of course wrong. A leaf fell in the forest yeaterday, using your reasoning, the entire forest is will fall.
When the rot gets deep enough, and the wind blows hard enough, the tallest tree will indeed fall!
>^^<
Do you know that the bonus was promised and paid on time, in 1945?
Their protests were acknowledged, and the bonus army was warned to leave for over a week.
I think the government showed forbearance.
Two FBI shot over the students heads towards the Guard, but the two agents were aquitted in a Kent court years later.
"I figure it won't take too many more years before the American Dream will be realized by most Americans to now be the American Delusion."
This state of affairs has existed since Reagan. How long do you think it will take, exactly?
The American public, in general, are stupid, lazy and greedy. A destructive condition for any people.
Since Kennedy in fact (another stolen election) If the Americans ever took off the blinders they might go out in the streets too!
>^^<
(But not not tonite V is on tonite!)
Horace
Gee Horace, you must not read many posts on this site if you indicate a belief that Obamacare is popular here.
1. You are correct, they simply used the present corrupt system to gain unearned wealth. No one begrudges earning so you are incorrect.
2. The majority of people absoluitely disapprove of the curreent system of unrgulated capitalism, proof being the last TWO elections.
3. The inheritance tax applies to so few people its not worth mentioning. It's a straw man argument akin to claiming that opposition to illegasl immigration is based on racism. Both are obviouslyu foolish.
I also don't find that many "left-wing commenters" engaging in "hyper-ventilation" I do see some posting passionate defenses of their position's and opinion's, a number throw rotten eggs my way from time to time (but they are usually honest throwers) but only a very few that are the bigoted radical's you indicate are rampant here.
So that would be a BIG 0 for 4.
Your only valid point being that of course the average American citizen in no way resembles the average Egyptian citizen in circumstance or governance.
Horace you are so misguided in so many ways as you having been drinking the koolaide of faux news but thank you for leading these informative articles here on CD. First we have a Justice Department that does not hold people in power accountable for their wrongdoings i.e. George Bush, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove all lied to Congress to get us in this war and they all averted the constitution in executing this war, wire tapping, war crimes, ignoring Geneva convention. Never held accountable just like Nixon, Reagan for Iran Contra and selling arms to Iran. Reagan and Bush never held responsible for S&L Crisis. The supremes giving corporations personhood does not manipulate the playing field. Horace please think a little bit about these actions. The supremes like Roberts and ?? can't remember lied to congress when they were bearing witness to their non partisanship and they would adhere to rule of law. Their actions have proved them liars. Not enforcing the Sherman Anti-Trust laws have put ordinary individuals in a lesser position competing. Now if any of us stole $100 for a 7 Eleven we would be in jail, but Wall Street manipulated the financial system and stoled billions think of individuals retirement accounts. Enron, Worldcom, on and on in their illegal behaviors stole millions from retirement accounts. Estate Taxes and Dynasty families or monarchy families. How many little George Bush's and Paris Hilton's do we want running around out there. Why should they pay only 15% tax on their unearned income. Just a chance of birth. I will not resort to name calling as you do Horace as it is very unbecoming and so typical of your kind.
This should become more and more entertaining as time goes by.
Please do post a lot, because people need to see this for what it is.
Be carful man you may find yourself to be loon in chief...If you have no clue how the system works...I wouldn't be judging others...a system that only saves the rich from accountability and failure has little to do with competition..It will take way too much time to educate you on this ..so be careful what you wish for...unless you are the top 1%er's
We know Horace is correct because Rich men are better then anyone else because they never Murder anyone, proven by the fact that we never find Rich men on Death Row.
Snark.
OMG Horace you are really clueless. You are likely sitting ok in a decent job with a roof over your head, and oh by the way, a child just died in the US of starvation.
You need to get out more and stop watching Fox news. The other posters here are quite right, you are brainwashed. And totally unaware, as the last line shows on your post. I busted out laughing.
As for Laura's question...General Strike Here in the US we don't need to take TO the streets, we need to get off the streets. No shopping at any whorporate stores, mom and pop only. As close to home as possible so as not to support whorpor-oil, and get on the net and shut down stuff. There could be a list set up so we could email or call the same whore at the same time...or however they do that. Not going to work will be touchey for some, but if everyone took one day off during the week, it would decrease the tax base by a considerable amount. Taking a week off without pay might hurt your budget, but done in masse would make DC's budgeteers nervous.
BTW, I don't mean to be disrespectful to prostitutes. Your business needs to be made legal anyway. You have a blessed place in society.