A Terrible Divide - Bob Herbert

[groovedaddy]

The Ronald Reagan crowd loved to talk about morning in America. For millions of individuals and families, perhaps the majority, it’s more like twilight — with nighttime coming on fast.

Look out the window. More and more Americans are being left behind in an economy that is being divided ever more starkly between the haves and the have-nots. Not only are millions of people jobless and millions more underemployed, but more and more of the so-called fringe benefits and public services that help make life livable, or even bearable, in a modern society are being put to the torch.

Employer-based pensions, paid vacations, health benefits and the like are going the way of phone booths and VCRs. As poverty increases and reliable employment becomes less and less the norm, the dwindling number of workers with any sort of job security or guaranteed pensions (think teachers and other modestly compensated public employees) are being viewed with increasing contempt. How dare they enjoy a modicum of economic comfort?

It turns out that a lot of those jobs were never so secure, after all. As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities tells us: “At least 44 states and the District of Columbia have reduced overall wages paid to state workers by laying off workers, requiring them to take unpaid leave (furloughs), freezing hew hires, or similar actions. State and local governments have eliminated 407,000 jobs since August 2008, federal data show.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/opinion/08herbert.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

[raccoon]

1. Great article. Thanks for posting.

"Employer-based pensions, paid vacations, health benefits and the like are going the way of phone booths and VCRs."

Amen to that....

[jtown1123]

2. everything the writes is pure gold

[J. N. Horsburgh]

3. Comment:"A Terrible Divide" Bob Herbert

Ever since I saw the movie, "The Sting," I endeavored to understand what really went on in it. As an assist, I developed the following truism: Once a P. T. Barnum is discovered, the picture in a jig saw puzzle becomes clear. I see this "Terrible Divide" as one aspect of a diabolical long term plan to completely destroy the US people, economy, and our democracy. First, I want to say the whole concept of elitism is flawed because history has shown - "All are Equal." I sight the ancient Greeks, Christ's teachings (and derivatives - Roman Law, and our Rule of Law, (UCC)). The Magna Carta and our Declaration of Independence are also prime examples. (Incidentally, cave man had to have incorporated their thinking the rudiments of the Golden Rule to have survived through out history.) The following is postulated as an explanation of the craziness we have today, and the real why behind the "Terrible Divide." You might call this the "Salt the Earth" (of the US) theory. It is based on reading I have done over my many years and observations of people in their quests for power and money. Partly this is guess work and conjecture, but as they say: "If the shoe fits...." This revenge theory starts toward the end of WW-II. I read Hitler was so enraged at the fire bombings of Hamburg and Dresden he went "over the edge." Goebbels, (his propagandist) was so brilliant he had "mental effects" on the people around him by virtue of proximity to him. He worked closely with Hitler. Goebbels gradually understood this and probably correctly ascertained Hitler, his beloved leader, went nuts because of him. He felt responsible for the German war loss. He understood more than any man in history how people worked, (ego, sex, power, fantasy, secrets, how money played into these). He hatched a long term pay back plan incorporating sleeper cells. These loyal men were schooled in using his proven techniques of spin and manipulation. He could easily see after Germany's defeat the value to such a plan of drugs and fantasy - (ref: cartoons and the "free lunch"). He had data from "experiments" on prisoners that supported his theories. The overall concept was to make America see the policies Hitler propagated (re: Jews) were actually extremely efficient and necessary.

What a hoot it would be if the US founding fathers' principles and ideals were turned inward and became a cancer that - unobserved - slowly ate the soul, economy, and collapsed the mighty dollar of the enemy that principled conquered the Third Reich, (salt anyone). What had stumped me for years is this object. When Bill Clinton trashed the main tenant of democracy, my antenna went up. In considering all trends, especially lobbyists, useless wars, and Congressmen who many years ago lost their abilities to think, (maybe from drugs), I see purpose and direction in all this as explained above. With the use of extortion, black mail, sophisticated versions of Mafia tactics (Bush's tapping network) and lots of money, (of course - ours), the plan inexorably moves forward. Maybe start with doctors - aren't we a Christian nation - and doctors perceived as "god like?" They have proved for all the value of the falsehood: "The end justifies the means."......Now we have 30 million unemployed, under employed and more to come. Hitler only eliminated 7 or 8 million Jews. It will soon be necessary to take care of all our sub people - mainly uneducated Blacks and Hispanics. At a cost of at least $5 k/year for each, this amounts to $1.5 t/year. For reference, total tax take 2009 of the US was $3.5 t. How long will it take for "Americans" to realize there is a better L. T. Solution - aided by the spin of un-truths and born out of necessity. (Any reports of foul smells from waste burning in, say, Texas?)

J. N. Horsburgh

[BridgeTheGap]

4. I always love posting these Presidential quotes - which predates your theory about the Nazis

“Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of today.” Theodore Roosevelt April, 1906

“Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men’s views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the U.S., in the field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive., that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.” Woodrow Wilson

U.S. Presidents make the best conspiracy theorists. That people collude, conive and conspire is beyond doubt. But revealing the truth of any conspiracy is extremely problematic. Worse yet, we now have intelligence agencies that developed expertise at spawning conspiracy theories that lead the unsuspecting down blind alleys, destroying said theorist's credibility. These are designed for use when people are getting uncomfortably close to the truth. While researching history a few years ago, one method I used was to look at the conspiracy theories of both the left and right, seeking to find where they converged. And I did find points of convergence.

If you are interested in attempting to change the balance of power, it is good to know who the key players are and what they're up to. But trying to convey this to the public is like walking into a minefield. Glen Beck is trapsing there a lot lately, frequently making himself look like an idiot in the process. But he really believes the crap he's putting out there and is being paid very well to do it. He is a puppet being used to stir the pot in a rightward slant.

I firmly believe that our real hope lies in what is happening right now in Egypt, Tunisia and the other places where people are spontaneously rising up to challenge the existing power structures. The fact that much of this is occuring without "leaders" is encouraging as this makes it far more difficult for the "authorities" to deal with. We need millions of visionaries who can't paint a picture of what is possible when real democratic principles are realized and human rights are honored.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Just a correction to your arithmetic

30 million unemployed x $5k/year = $150 billion/year, not $1.5t/year

The cost to the government of someone unemployed rather than employed and paying taxes is more than $5k/year, though, I'd say.