Outsourcing Will Ultimately Lead to Fascism in America by Richard Backus

[Joanne98]

Thursday, 21 February 2008

The current outsourcing and downsizing of manufacturing in the U.S. will eventually lead to fascism if past history is a dependable predictor of the future. A decrease in the contribution of a country’s manufacture to its trade balance will lead to large trade deficits causing a drop in the value of a country’s currency. When this occurs, an accompanying decrease in the living standard of its citizens will result in political unrest leading to the establishment of a political state under the control of a powerful ruling class. The U.S. is currently in experiencing the beginning stage of this process.

Post-war Germany is a good example of what occurs under these conditions. The German people’s reparations payments to the victorious Allies after World War I were unsustainable and eventually led to an unwillingness of the working classes to continue their manufacture. The proceeds of almost all their production had been going to foreigners. This discontent and “revolt” of the industrial working classes led to an essential halt in manufacturing. Without production, there were no consumption items available for purchase by foreigners or industries in which to invest. The Reich’s mark went into free-fall and hyper-inflation destroyed the wealth of the middle class.

With a poverty-stricken populace and massive unemployment, the scene was set in Germany for someone who had the will and ability to take control and reestablish prosperity. The public was rightfully interested in a return to prosperity and was unfortunately ready to accept whatever means were necessary to attain it.

Hitler and the Nazis were the means, backed by what remained of the capitalists, to control the disillusioned citizens (by force if necessary), and to restore production. They accomplished this by establishing public works programs and a resumption of manufacture accompanied by a repudiation of reparation payments. Once the Nazis assumed power there was no chance of a return to a democratic government.The history of Italy under Mussolini and Spain under Franco was similar. To control a disgruntled populace believing socialism to be their salvation, these despots were supported by the rich (as well as the church) in the suppression of the people in the presumed interests of all. All these fascist governments ruled by means of intimidation of the populace by the military or paramilitary under their immediate control. They were in turn financially backed and encouraged by the rich who were interested in maintaining social and economic control. Doesn’t this sound just a bit like the “law and order” so prized today?
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/outsourcing-will-ultimately-lead-to-fascism-in-america-by-richard-backus/

[amborin]

1. the absence of intermediary organizations/institutions

in civil society, mediating between citizenry, corporations and the state (such as labor unions)...can also lead to fascism....

durkheim spoke to this

[trthnd4jstc]

2. This is a concern of mine. This is why I wish for Greater Democracy.

When the will of the People, and not merely a simple majority, but the vast majority, and no less than a super-majority, must be met by our government, I think that we may avert Fascism.

[OneBlueSky]

3. ya know, it's becoming clearer and clearer that the people who have made the decisions . . .

in this country over the past thirty years or so have REALLY fucked things up . . . as in FUBAR -- "Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition" . . .

and what really hurts is the knowledge that we elected them . . . or, in some cases, we allowed them to steal the elections -- and did NOTHING about it . . .

makes us all look like a bunch of toads, don't it? . . .

[Briar]

4. The absence of real commitment

to the principles underlying a free, enlightened and democratic state will lead to fascism. If Americans are prepared to embrace any vile ideology in order to restore their consuming power, then the fault is just as much with those who make that choice as those who take advantage of their amorality. I have no patience with those making excuses for wicked choices on the grounds of expedience. Just as "following orders" is no excuse for war crimes (however happy the US military is to accept that it is) so "being poor" is no excuse for welcoming a right wing, authoritarian, police state. Just where did the notion that being poor also means being morally corrupt and unprincipled gain respectability?

But just such expedient morals are precisely what are already being promoted by that great "educator", the modern entertainment industry. I note that a US export about to start showing here proposes that serial killers are heroes if they restrict themselves to torturing and killing other serial killers. (The sadistic murders are, I am told, shown in just about every gory detail.) Apparently nobody in the US is disgusted enough by such moral relativism to make a stand against it and argue the contrary case (I certainly don't expect US tv to risk losing revenue by doing so).

Though the idea that the American working class isn't already living under the control of a powerful ruling class is, frankly, risible. I have too many American friends who have no contract of employment and no power to resist unreasonable demands by their employers to think anything different. "If you don't like it, don't work here" is a very effective whip. For some, that fascist state is already here.