Reality Liberation Front

I know…it’s been a long, LONG time since my last post.  To be perfectly honest, the incessant and often moronic healthcare discussions, combined with near-constant partisan hackery, had me feeling…well…a little overwhelmed.

Yet, there are conversations and events that wake us out of such a malaise, and last night’s discussion with members of my wife’s extended family qualify as such a “wake-up call.“  Over the last few days we have been enjoying a visit from my wife’s cousin and her daughter, who I found to be truly fun, loving, and beautiful people.  Knowing that “ideological differences” existed, I think we all intentionally avoided topics of a political nature…that is, until the 18-year-old daughter brought up the subject of health care.  I quickly became alarmed: an adult mentor, claiming to be “independent“…claiming to be “researching thoroughly“…claiming to be teaching “critical thinking“…had been filling the young woman’s head with the single most pervasive and damaging distortion of the “American Dream” possible.

She is in good company: Nearly 300 million Americans now share this distorted view. A re-write of the American Dream, that occurred a mere thirty years ago, and replaced the “Dream” with what I refer to as the “American Illusion.”

What has occurred in the last thirty years?  Who is responsible for the creation of this “Illusion?”  What purpose does this new vision serve?

I’ll give you the short version, and I think as you read this, an honest search of your own memory and heart will tell you that it is a true accounting of events.  Thirty years ago, the wealthiest 1% of the population was taxed heavily.  This money supported a vast number of public programs from so-called “entitlement programs” to infrastructure development and maintenance, and this balance of taxation provided a stable class structure in America, as well as for increased ease of federal budget-balancing.  Business, particularly in the areas of banking and investing, was heavily and successfully regulated.  This tax structure, as well as the regulations, were enacted following the Great Depression and brought to Americans an enjoyable level of economic opportunity and security.  There was only one problem: the wealthiest 1% was not satisfied with only making millions, or even tens of millions…they wanted more.  Their solution was simple: dramatically reduce taxes on the rich…reduce regulation on big business…exploit all possible corporate tax, anti-trust, and investment loopholes.

While the solution was simple enough…the harder question was: “How do we get the other 99% of Americans to allow us to do this?“  In selling us on this plan…they were, quite simply, ingenious.  First, they tell the 99% of Americans that economics works best when you give the money to the wealthiest people…particularly the big-time investors and CEO’s.  Explain to them that in a “trickle-down” fashion, those rich people will take that money and invest in business, which will create more businesses…more jobs…more money in everybody’s pocket.  What really happened?  The wealthy…used this money to get wealthier through investments, mostly in defense firms or in foreign companies.  Big corporations, did not expand…did not hire more workers…did not increase their workers’ pay or benefits.  Instead they laid off their American workers, hiring workers in other countries for mere pennies on the dollar.  The shrinking number of American workers?  They were told that they had to work harder, with fewer benefits, with less time off, and for the same pay as before…because they were the “lucky ones” who still had jobs.  Over this period of time, such practices caused American productivity to skyrocket, CEO salaries to jump by 600%, while salaries and wages stayed static…the same…no change.  More monopolies and pseudo-monopolies formed…allowing product quality and customer service to decline (if you don’t have marketplace choices…you can’t do anything about bad products and services).  Small businesses were driven under (or gobbled up by big companies) in vast numbers…unable to compete against corporate giants and the fixing of prices (and policies) among various industries.  Meanwhile BIG business achieved a new and enviable status: personhood.  Yes, now corporations were to be considered “people” in the eyes of the law, and were entitled to participate in our democracy as any other citizen could…only as a gigantic, unidentifiable, unaccountable, super-wealthy and influential citizen.

But it’s not enough.  In order for this plan to work, more control has to be exercised over the lower and middle classes. It’s a delicate juggling act: you have to keep the members of the lower and middle classes in economic “stasis” while still convincing them that they could, one day, be a member of the wealthy elite.  So…first step is to get everyone in debt up to their eyeballs.  DEBT is a powerful form of control.  They convinced everyone that they could (and SHOULD) live outside their means…have a bigger house…have cool consumer electronics…drive an expensive and inefficient vehicle.  Credit cards were extended to everyone with a pulse, with limits those individuals could easily fill…and never pay off.  Home loans, car loans…were given freely, and loaded with the equivalent of a classic shell game: structured in terms of interest and the repayment of the principal in such a way that no sane person would agree to…if they understood what they were agreeing to, which most people did not.  The rates on most lending that occurred during this period…would violate the usury laws of almost every country in the world.  Every country, except ours…of course.  When one adds our health care insurance system in with this lethal lending, it is a devastating one-two punch.  Everyone with health care – pays through the nose for it, finds that it doesn’t serve them when they need it, loses it if they lose their job or ever have a serious condition, and is one serious illness away from bankruptcy.   Everyone without healthcare – pays through the nose directly for services, with the remaining balance passed on to everyone who DOES have insurance through constantly rising premiums, and they too are one serious illness away from bankruptcy.  The effect of these two systems is simple:  Middle class and lower class citizens…can only hope to maintain their current standard of living…with the strong possibility that it will decrease in the event of job/health misfortune.  Their children…will be locked into the same class, the same standard of living…or may also plunge into the lower class.  And all the while, like a mantra, the wealthy and their handmaidens in government tell them: “Don’t let them tax us…don’t let them regulate us…because YOU could someday be one of us…THAT is the American Dream.“  But this is no longer the American Dream…it is the American Illusion, and in it, you will never (barring a freak stroke of luck) be ONE OF THEM.  You will not be a member of their club, and neither will your children…you are not invited, not welcome, and there are no avenues open to you.  You have been led to believe that you might sell the better “widget,” provide the better service, reate a better website, win the lottery, or become famous…but it is a rigged game, and its current winners can buy you, legislate you, or sue you into oblivion a thousand times over.  Want to see the current state of social mobility in America? Check out this report from the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD).

On top of this system, they proceeded to layer the propaganda on THICK.  “Don’t let them take your hard-earned money,” prevents the 99% from allowing the 1% to be governed or taxed.  “Don’t allow the socialists to take over,” keeps the 99% from allowing government to provide the services and security that they need (or may one day need).  “Down with big government,” tells the 99% that they should oppose government regulations to keep companies in check.  “Protect the free market/capitalistic system,” scares the 99% into allowing big companies to operate without limits, without ethics, and without competition.  “Unions are evil,” keeps the 99% from supporting or joining groups that would actually give them a big enough voice to protect themselves against abuses by management.  And then…to fully distract the 99% from acting in their own best interests, they throw some complete diversions into the mix, playing on the fears and prejudices of the citizenry.  They focus on issues of “family values,” “gay people,” “foreigners,” “atheists/Muslims/etc,” and they tell the 99% that these issues, these people, are the TRUE THREAT to their happiness and prosperity…not imbalance of tax distribution, predatory lending, oversees outsourcing, toxic financial instruments, health care unavailability/abuses, unethical business practices, unequal opportunity or political voice.  Yes, they gave a new “illusion” to Americans: we’re still the best at everything, with the most liberty/freedom/equality, with the best education in the world, with the best economy, with the best health care…as long as we don’t let the gays/non-Christians/liberals/foreigners take it all away.  Anybody who disagrees?  They are anti-American, they are wrong, and they are dangerous.  Meanwhile, the gap between the “dream” and the “illusion” widened.  Schools got worse…infrastructure improvements crumbled…more families fell from the middle class into struggle and poverty…more people worked harder for less…other countries surpassed us in almost every measure of a successful society…equality faltered, at times was abandoned…freedoms were taken away…and the rich, became oh-so-much RICHER.

So, what was the “Dream” originally? Have we lost sight of it so much that we can’t even remember it?  Here’s a few reminders.  In THAT America, the goal was for everyone, anyone, with no other consideration (such as race, gender, religion, sexuality) to have equal chance for self-development and, therefore, potential for success.  If a person could better themselves through education and training, could express themselves through actions that gained them acknowledgement and respect, could work hard in their chosen field of endeavor…then with a little luck, that person could rise above their current station, or the class/station occupied by their parents.  In THAT America, all people were protected equally and viewed equally in the eyes of the law.  The Constitution does not mention “citizens“…it says “persons,” and these persons, regardless of their standing, ethnicity, religion…regardless of whether or not they are even a citizen…regardless of whether or not they have been accused of a crime or other atrocity…regardless of whether or not they are deemed an “enemy combatant“…they ALL enjoy the presumption of innocence, equal protection, right to counsel, right to file a Writ of Habeas Corpus, and all the rights and freedoms enumerated within the Bill of Rights.  In THAT America, companies that abuse their workers OR their customers OR the environment OR who violate our nation’s laws regarding ethical business practices…ARE PENALIZED, PROSECUTED, and at times, CLOSED FOR GOOD.  Companies must compete against all comers – if someone comes along and produces a better product, or sells at a lower cost, or provides better customer service, then those companies that CAN compete…DO…and those that CAN’T…FALL.  In THAT America, you may fall and hit bottom…but the rest of America will make sure that “the bottom” is raised as high as we can make it.  You may not eat well, but you WILL eat…and you may not have a fancy roof, but you WILL have a roof…and though you may suffer bad fortune, the more fortunate among us will make sure you are able to recover from it, so that you may one day strive for happiness once again.  At present, there are areas in this country that most closely resemble third-world countries, in terms of their widespread poverty, illiteracy, and suffering…but those places do not exist in the “American Dream,” because our character, our pride, will not ALLOW such places to exist.  In THAT America, we are proud for good reason.  We strive for betterment, advancement, progress in all areas of human accomplishment.  All children enjoy education of a quality that allows them to compete with ANYONE, at home or abroad.  Our scientists, properly funded, provide new medicines and technologies in ALL areas…not just the areas where the most profit is available.  We extend our beliefs regarding human rights, freedoms, and dignities to all those within our borders…and around the world, because we hold these principles to be both “self-evident” and “inalienable” in terms of ALL humanity.

If you in reading about THAT America, you find yourself envying its vision, its hope, its principles…then you are not alone.  This is the dream held from the founding fathers, the early settlers and pioneers, through generations of Americans, all the way through to as recent as the 1980′s.  A great many of them fought for it, and no small number of them died for it.  They knew that the dream had not been fulfilled, but they reveled at each step forward that it took, and they dared to hope that it would advance even further during the lives of their children and grandchildren.  And you know what:  I have no doubt that they would reject the illusion that has replaced it.  They would chastise us for allowing others to tell us what the “new dream” should be, or for allowing ourselves to be thoroughly fooled into thinking that this illusion…is what the dream has always been.

So, how do we get it back.  Well, we certainly have to let the politicians and the corporations know that we reject this “illusion:”

- We have to tell the Republican Party that we KNOW that they only represent the wealthiest 1%, and the wealthiest corporations…and that we are no longer willing to accept their pandering to the working class, their “family values” distractions, their fear-mongering tactics…while they gorge themselves on corporate money and gifts, doing nothing to help 99% of the American people.

- We have to tell BOTH Republicans and Democrats that we expect ALL the economic laws and regulations put in place after the Great Depression will be reinstated.

-  We have to tell our government that we expect our tax money to go into the revitalizing of our infrastructure, through the improvement of roads, bridges, dams, and schools (which, by the way, creates lots of JOBS…just like it did following the Great Depression.  This is a TESTED solution, people).

-  We have to tell our government that we expect all people…ALL PEOPLE…to have the exact same rights under the law, and to be handled by the exact same process.  (personal note:  I am so tired of hearing people say that we didn’t have a process for handling terrorist suspects.  YES, WE CERTAINLY DID.  Our criminal justice system was designed to handle them, has handled them in the past, and MUST handle them now…we just DIDN’T WANT to give those suspects any rights, the presumption of innocence, a speedy trial, or lawyers).

-  We must remind ourselves that we are a nation of IMMIGRANTS, DIVERSITY, OPPORTUNITY, and FREEDOM.  Sorry…we are not a “Christian Nation“…as a history teacher I assure you that a full 99% of the founding fathers would scowl at the very notion.  Nor is it time for us to “close the nation’s doors” and proclaim that only the people currently living here are allowed to be “Americans.”  If you are here right now, and your ancestors weren’t Native Americans, then your immigrant ancestors would be ashamed to hear you utter such nonsense.  Anyone can come here, become a citizen, and be deemed an “American.”  That is an essential part of our image, our character, our dream.

-  We must tell the wealthy, and our representatives, that in this country…those who have more, PAY MORE.  The wealthy can pay more, and still be wealthy…I promise.

-  We must tell our representatives that spending 43% of the Gross Domestic Product on defense spending is asinine, by any country’s standards…and reflects their preferential treatment of the military industrial complex.  That is money that could be much better spent.  We want to see it going to various kinds of important scientific research, as well as into revamping the way our schools are run.  That’s right…no more making cheap, ineffective fixes to education by focusing on the students and teachers; Anyone who has worked in the schools longer that ten minutes will tell you that 90% of the problems with our nation’s schools directly result from BAD ADMINISTRATION keeping teachers and students from having a safe, productive working and learning environment through the implementation and consistent enforcement of sound policies, emphasis on academics, and the procurement of necessary resources.

-  We must discard the convenient illusion and prejudice that tells us that those people who are less fortunate are LAZY, STUPID, or somehow DESERVING of their fate.  Most of the time, these people are either just profoundly unlucky, or have been raised in an environment which did not give them any reason to believe they could succeed…and which provided no tools to do so.  There but for the grace of God…it could have been you.  It still could be.  Those people are your “fellow Americans,” your brothers, and human beings no different from you.

-  We must make it clear that we expect progress.  On all fronts.  And until we see it, we will not allow politicians, pundits, or other demagogues to call us “unpatriotic” or “anti-American” for being critical and embarrassed.  We will be proud whenever we have cause to be, not because they tell us we should be.

-  We must tell our businesses that we will not work for companies that won’t pay us what the work is worth, and that don’t respect our needs in terms of our families.  If we add value…we expect to be treated as valued.  If the company prospers, we expect all in the company to prosper based on their contribution…and if the company suffers, we expect all in the company (including the CEO) to share the effects of the downturn.  We also will not buy the products made by companies who do not treat their employees properly…and no, we don’t care if that drives these companies out of business.

-  We must tell the politicians that we can tell when they are serving their contributors and not their constituents.  Such politicians…will not be reelected.

This is not a comprehensive list.  There is much more we must do to undo the substantial damage that has been done, and that is because the damage cannot simply be measured in dollars, or the number of people exiting the middle class, or going into bankruptcy…the damage is in our minds, our psyche.  They didn’t just pervert the dream for one person or even one group of people.  The dream was a SHARED dream, and its corruption has affected all those who shared it.  It is the veritable “poisoned well,” and as each citizen has become sickened by the toxin’s spread, our America became a place we barely recognize, run by people whose names and faces are not known to us.  It’s been like thirty years of slowly watching our democracy be replaced by some twisted puppet theater…and we’ve been watching long enough that we not longer see the strings and have come to see the puppets as authentic persons.

It’s still not too late…not while there are still those of us who remember what the history books used to say, the truths once taught in classrooms across America…and who haven’t forgotten what America REALLY used to be like.  Some of us are stubborn..and some of us still have a dream.