The True State of the Union - Paul Craig Roberts

[Wind Dancer]

More Deception from the Bush White House

By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

Gentle reader, if you prefer comforting lies to harsh truths, don't read this column.

The state of the union is disastrous. By its naked aggression, bullying, illegal spying on Americans, and illegal torture and detentions, the Bush administration has demonstrated American contempt for the Geneva Convention, for human life and dignity, and for the civil liberties of its own citizens. Increasingly, the US is isolated in the world, having to resort to bribery and threats to impose its diktats. No country any longer looks to America for moral leadership. The US has become a rogue nation.

Least of all did President Bush tell any truth about the economy. He talked about economic growth rates without acknowledging that they result from eating the seed corn and do not produce jobs with a living wage for Americans. He touted a low rate of unemployment and did not admit that the figure is false because it does not count millions of discouraged workers who have dropped out of the work force.

Americans did not hear from Bush that a new Wal-Mart just opened on Chicago's city boundary and 25,000 people applied for 325 jobs (Chicago Sun-Times, Jan. 26), or that 11,000 people applied for a few Wal-Mart jobs in Oakland, California. Obviously, employment is far from full.

Neither did Bush tell Americans any of the dire facts reported by economist Charles McMillion in the January 19 issue of Manufacturing & Technology News:

During Bush's presidency the US has experienced the slowest job creation on record (going back to 1939). During the past five years private business has added only 958,000 net new jobs to the economy, while the government sector has added 1.1 million jobs. Moreover, as many of the jobs are not for a full work week, "the country ended 2005 with fewer private sector hours worked than it had in January 2001."

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts02012006.html

[jackster]

1. Roberts does it again....

and man is this scary. We're phucked.

[Wind Dancer]

4. I always make a point to read his editorials.

It's worth noting for new DUers or lurkers, Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration.

He's no shill or partisan hack, the man speaks the truth.

[jbfam4]

2. How refreshing

a republican who tells the truth.

[AllegroRondo]

5. An old school republican, not a neo-con

I can respect that.

[Wind Dancer]

6. Refreshing in a horrifying kind of way.

The people that have hijacked the government are not repubs but a radical fringe group hell bent on ruling the planet.

[thereismore]

3. Stunning, but it rings true. This is the true state of the union. nt