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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSouthern Republicans Drag the Rest of the Nation Down by Doing the Kochs’ Bidding
Even though conservatives and right-wing extremists tout America as an exceptional nation, it is fairly common knowledge there is nothing about this country that is exceptional except it has more guns and gun deaths, highest incarceration rate, food insecurity on par with Indonesia, highest first day infant mortality rate, infrastructure behind every developed country in the world, 33rd in life expectancy, highest percentage of adult-onset diabetes, 2nd highest child poverty rate, and the highest proportion of low-wage workers in the developed world. It is true America is the richest nation on Earth, but by every other measure America is a third-world nation.
One of the reasons America has become a third-world nation is three decades of Republican trickle-down economics, the monopolization, privatization and deregulation of industry, and decimation of labor protection has sent 50 million Americans into wretched poverty while all the wealth has risen to the top 1% of income earners instead of investing in America. In fact, the destruction of labor has gotten so bad that real first-world nations offshore their jobs to the American South making this country the new Indonesia because foreign corporations look at America as having one of the worlds cheapest labor forces on the planet; solely because of the non-unionized, right to work for less Southern states.
The author of Better Off Without Em, Chuck Thompson, says Like Mexico, the South has spent the past few decades systematically siphoning auto jobs from Michigan and the Midwest by keeping workers salaries low and inhibiting their right to organize by rendering their unions toothless. In fact, the average wage for an auto worker in the South is over 30% lower than a state like Michigan. Republicans claim liberal policies killed off Detroits once venerated automobile industry and bankrupted the city, but the truth is that Detroit is bankrupt due to the Republican business model that transformed the entire Southern United States into a declining third-world nation on par with Indonesia.
The GOP business model they want to privatize the federal government with forces every company in America to compete with poverty wages, low or not corporate taxes, no property taxes, no environmental protections, no labor protections, and no revenue for improving individual states; all to enrich foreign corporations and suck jobs and industry from the rest of the country. It is a business model that has already transformed America from an exceptional nation that was the envy of the industrialized world with a vibrant middle class into a decrepit nation behind developing third-world nations like Barbados, Haiti, and Tunisia.
Read More:
http://www.politicususa.com/2013/12/19/southern-republicans-drag-rest-nation-kochs-bidding.html
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)"The promise of a prosperous middle-class life with decent work, rising living standards, and the potential for a better future has long been the foundation of the American dream. But as America continues to struggle to recover from the Great Recession, it has become clear that the middle class is in jeopardy -- and many of the policies of the last 40 years are to blame.
Examining the political, legislative, and corporate choices that have pushed the middle class to the brink, Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, and bestselling author Hedrick Smith details the story of this demise. In his new book, Who Stole the American Dream?, Mr. Smith analyzes how "pro-business" policies dismantled the previous American social contract and tells the stories of the people who have been left behind. ..."
The Book - Who Stole The American Dream
http://www.amazon.com/Stole-American-Dream-Hedrick-Smith/dp/1400069661
See the Powell Manifesto Here.
http://www.thwink.org/sustain/articles/017_PowellMemo/PowellMemoReproduction.pdf
Commentary Here.
http://www.thwink.org/sustain/articles/017_PowellMemo/
sheshe2
(83,319 posts)Bookmarking.
Brigid
(17,621 posts)It is both hilarious and enlightening. But read this too; it explains a lot about what Thompson found.
http://www.salon.com/2010/09/07/southern_labor_history/
grasswire
(50,130 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)The real tragedy is that as stupid Southern voters do the Kochs, Wall Street, and corporations bidding by keeping Republicans in power, at least in their states, they are dragging the rest of the nation down to their level and conservatives depend on them playing an integral part in transforming the entire nation into their vision for America. However, the rest of America is sick and tired of the old Confederate mentality sucking the life out of the rest of the country and facilitating Republican and their money machines effort turning this once exceptional country into a third world laughingstock of the developed world for its rapid decline due to an incredibly stupid voting bloc.
Decent Americans have a message for so-called real Americans down South and across the country the Kochs and Republicans manipulated into transforming a once-great nation into a third world backwater. Wrap yourself in that Chinese-made flag, clutch that bible to your bosom, and sling that assault rifle across your back, because the only thing you accomplished by supporting Republicans is helped the Kochs and their ilk transform America into a statistical third world nation. That may be your definition of Southern pride and real Americans, but just remember you work for poverty wages, depend on Americans charity to feed you, use our charity tax dollars for religious indoctrination, and boast you will fight and die for your religion like every extremist in every third world country.
This is the Confederate model and the Koch brothers method. Those who want that kind of society never gave up their work of destroying the Constitution and what it stands for.
It's been a thorough con job, spreading across the country and soon the world. Worried about the UN, NWO?
The Koch world order is coming and it has been building a long time. FDR knew what it was:
THEY WHO SEEK TO ESTABLISH
SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT BASED ON
THE REGIMENTATION OF ALL HUMAN
BEINGS BY A HANDFUL OF INDIVIDUAL
RULERS... CALL THIS A NEW ORDER
IT IS NOT NEW AND IT IT NOT ORDER.
~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt
And that was when we considered the enemy to be far away on foreign shores. It is the challenge of our nation. It is right here, and has always been. We cannot ignore the South. We know by history that such zealotry knows no boundary.
To let them secede is just giving them room to regroup and attack as their vision of power requires constant infusion of wealth, and they don't mind killing others for it. That's why they are homeschooling and teaching their youth old testament ways and hatreds.
Obama stepped into office at a dire time in our history, when we are at the precipice. While we divert ourselves with many things, we cannot stand back and allow this Koch plan for a permanent status quo to win.
JMHO.
sheshe2
(83,319 posts)"Wrap yourself in that Chinese-made flag, clutch that bible to your bosom, and sling that assault rifle across your back, because the only thing you accomplished by supporting Republicans is helped the Kochs and their ilk transform America into a statistical third world nation. That may be your definition of Southern pride and real Americans, but just remember you work for poverty wages, depend on Americans charity to feed you, use our charity tax dollars for religious indoctrination, and boast you will fight and die for your religion like every extremist in every third world country."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt had it right, the REGIMENTATION is strict discipline and enforced uniformity characteristic. It is marching to our masters tune, we will no longer be individuals.