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All Pledge and No Punch in Pittsburgh
The G20 summit wrapped up in Pittsburgh Friday with pledges but little punch. Except in the streets.
On climate change, world leaders vowed "strong action" and on the
economy, "balanced economic growth." The summit endorsed granting more
voting rights at the IMF and World Bank to 'underrepresented' countries
like CHINA. With a billion people and the world's second largest
economy -- China may budge up from having 3.6% of all votes.
Sep 29, 2009
The G20 summit wrapped up in Pittsburgh Friday with pledges but little punch. Except in the streets.
On climate change, world leaders vowed "strong action" and on the
economy, "balanced economic growth." The summit endorsed granting more
voting rights at the IMF and World Bank to 'underrepresented' countries
like CHINA. With a billion people and the world's second largest
economy -- China may budge up from having 3.6% of all votes.
Underrepresented booming countries may get a bigger voice in global
finance. Nice. But under-represented people? Well there's the rub.
Around 200 people were arrested during the two-day Pittsburgh
summit. Heavy policing seems to be the only plan world leaders have
come up with for shutting reality out.
Reality, for those in the streets, not the suites, of the world, is
a whole new economy -- way more than a downturn -- and the prospect of
long-term, possibly permanent, unemployment.
Read the papers, and the stats are all there. In the US, job seekers
now outnumber job openings six to one. Official unemployment stands at
9.7 percent, its highest level in 26 years. If you're a teenager, it's
over 25 percent. No reason there to shun protest for fear of ruining
your job prospects, they're grim and only getting grimmer. That's if
radicals like Paul Craig Roberts, a former officer of the Reagan
Administration, are to be believed.
If measured according to the methodology used when he was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Roberts says "the unemployment rate today in the US is above 20%. Moreover, there is no obvious way of reducing it."
Consumer spending -- the engine that drove 70 % of the US economy
and by extension much of the world's -- isn't coming back. And that's
just the way it's going to be, President Obama's chief economic adviser
Larry Summers told the BBC (my sister, actually) in Pittsburgh.
"The US can't, shouldn't and won't continue to experience the
consumption-led growth of the past few years." said Summers. And the
world -- and we -- should just adjust...
The message is pledge-on! Endorse "strong action" on climate and
"balanced growth." But all those poor people out of work? They'll just
have to adjust.
While banks are doling out cash by the millions
to kill any new regulation of Wall St. (which clearly has its heart set
on making another buck off all that poverty...) There is one part of
the economy that seems actually to be getting stimulated: Policing. If
ever civil society finds a voice and decides actually to wield it,
they'll be ready. How else to reign in reality, for lawd's sake?
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Laura Flanders
Laura Flanders interviews forward-thinking people about the key questions of our time on The Laura Flanders Show, a nationally syndicated radio and television program also available as a podcast. A contributing writer to The Nation, Flanders is also the author of six books, including "Bushwomen: How They Won the White House for Their Man" (2005). She is the recipient of a 2019 Izzy Award for excellence in independent journalism, the Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award for advancing women's and girls' visibility in media, and a 2020 Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship for her reporting and advocacy for public media. lauraflanders.org
The G20 summit wrapped up in Pittsburgh Friday with pledges but little punch. Except in the streets.
On climate change, world leaders vowed "strong action" and on the
economy, "balanced economic growth." The summit endorsed granting more
voting rights at the IMF and World Bank to 'underrepresented' countries
like CHINA. With a billion people and the world's second largest
economy -- China may budge up from having 3.6% of all votes.
Underrepresented booming countries may get a bigger voice in global
finance. Nice. But under-represented people? Well there's the rub.
Around 200 people were arrested during the two-day Pittsburgh
summit. Heavy policing seems to be the only plan world leaders have
come up with for shutting reality out.
Reality, for those in the streets, not the suites, of the world, is
a whole new economy -- way more than a downturn -- and the prospect of
long-term, possibly permanent, unemployment.
Read the papers, and the stats are all there. In the US, job seekers
now outnumber job openings six to one. Official unemployment stands at
9.7 percent, its highest level in 26 years. If you're a teenager, it's
over 25 percent. No reason there to shun protest for fear of ruining
your job prospects, they're grim and only getting grimmer. That's if
radicals like Paul Craig Roberts, a former officer of the Reagan
Administration, are to be believed.
If measured according to the methodology used when he was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Roberts says "the unemployment rate today in the US is above 20%. Moreover, there is no obvious way of reducing it."
Consumer spending -- the engine that drove 70 % of the US economy
and by extension much of the world's -- isn't coming back. And that's
just the way it's going to be, President Obama's chief economic adviser
Larry Summers told the BBC (my sister, actually) in Pittsburgh.
"The US can't, shouldn't and won't continue to experience the
consumption-led growth of the past few years." said Summers. And the
world -- and we -- should just adjust...
The message is pledge-on! Endorse "strong action" on climate and
"balanced growth." But all those poor people out of work? They'll just
have to adjust.
While banks are doling out cash by the millions
to kill any new regulation of Wall St. (which clearly has its heart set
on making another buck off all that poverty...) There is one part of
the economy that seems actually to be getting stimulated: Policing. If
ever civil society finds a voice and decides actually to wield it,
they'll be ready. How else to reign in reality, for lawd's sake?
Laura Flanders
Laura Flanders interviews forward-thinking people about the key questions of our time on The Laura Flanders Show, a nationally syndicated radio and television program also available as a podcast. A contributing writer to The Nation, Flanders is also the author of six books, including "Bushwomen: How They Won the White House for Their Man" (2005). She is the recipient of a 2019 Izzy Award for excellence in independent journalism, the Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award for advancing women's and girls' visibility in media, and a 2020 Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship for her reporting and advocacy for public media. lauraflanders.org
The G20 summit wrapped up in Pittsburgh Friday with pledges but little punch. Except in the streets.
On climate change, world leaders vowed "strong action" and on the
economy, "balanced economic growth." The summit endorsed granting more
voting rights at the IMF and World Bank to 'underrepresented' countries
like CHINA. With a billion people and the world's second largest
economy -- China may budge up from having 3.6% of all votes.
Underrepresented booming countries may get a bigger voice in global
finance. Nice. But under-represented people? Well there's the rub.
Around 200 people were arrested during the two-day Pittsburgh
summit. Heavy policing seems to be the only plan world leaders have
come up with for shutting reality out.
Reality, for those in the streets, not the suites, of the world, is
a whole new economy -- way more than a downturn -- and the prospect of
long-term, possibly permanent, unemployment.
Read the papers, and the stats are all there. In the US, job seekers
now outnumber job openings six to one. Official unemployment stands at
9.7 percent, its highest level in 26 years. If you're a teenager, it's
over 25 percent. No reason there to shun protest for fear of ruining
your job prospects, they're grim and only getting grimmer. That's if
radicals like Paul Craig Roberts, a former officer of the Reagan
Administration, are to be believed.
If measured according to the methodology used when he was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Roberts says "the unemployment rate today in the US is above 20%. Moreover, there is no obvious way of reducing it."
Consumer spending -- the engine that drove 70 % of the US economy
and by extension much of the world's -- isn't coming back. And that's
just the way it's going to be, President Obama's chief economic adviser
Larry Summers told the BBC (my sister, actually) in Pittsburgh.
"The US can't, shouldn't and won't continue to experience the
consumption-led growth of the past few years." said Summers. And the
world -- and we -- should just adjust...
The message is pledge-on! Endorse "strong action" on climate and
"balanced growth." But all those poor people out of work? They'll just
have to adjust.
While banks are doling out cash by the millions
to kill any new regulation of Wall St. (which clearly has its heart set
on making another buck off all that poverty...) There is one part of
the economy that seems actually to be getting stimulated: Policing. If
ever civil society finds a voice and decides actually to wield it,
they'll be ready. How else to reign in reality, for lawd's sake?
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