Richard Clark:"The Road To Serfdom"- In A Nutshell-The World Is Being Prepared For "Neo-Feudalism"

[kpete]

What we have here, therefore, is indeed a "Road to Serfdom."
by Richard Clark

.................

In a nutshell, what it says is that the world is being prepared for the kind of "neo-feudalism" that these banksters (intent on ever more completely becoming our masters and lords) intend to implement. And so it is that America is in the early stages of being subjected to the same type of plundering as Greece and Ireland.

.........................

"This is the biggest transfer of wealth in history," as the giant banks have handed off their toxic debts (stemming from fraudulent activities) to tax payers in their respective countries. These big banks created bubbles -- using fraud -- because that's the only way they could make the obscene profits they feel they now deserve.

......................

Indeed, this isn't the "Great Recession", it's the Great Bank Robbery . In simple language, the big banks have pillaged and looted the rest of the world, and now they are beginning to pillage and loot the USA. It is not only Greece that is losing its sovereignty; the big banks are in the process of turning America into a banana republic as well. Remember, the trillions in bailouts went to banks, not to Main Street , and a large percentage of the bailouts went to foreign banks (and see this ). And so did most of the money from the second round of quantitative easing .

In short, warfare initiated by the big banks has now gone global. As Warren Buffet, one of America's most successful capitalists and defenders of capitalism, has pointed out, "There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making that war." And winning it.

the rest:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Ultimate-Goal-of-the-B-by-Richard-Clark-110714-667.html

[Hawkowl]

1. And our "administration" is owned by them

The banksters have a choke hold on our government. The recession, the wars, will not end until we hold our leaders accountable.

[Fuddnik]

27. "Serfin, USA"

2012 campaign slogan.

[peace frog]

36. "We're on a Serfin' Safari"

Let's go serfin' now, everybody's learnin' how, come on and safari with meeeeee,,,


**apologies to the Beach Boys**

[SpiralHawk]

38. Serfin U.S.A.

[peace frog]

44. KOWABONGA!11!!

:evilgrin:

[SpiralHawk]

53. Gnarly

Serfin on the serfs. Check it out.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

41. It's still hard to believe the Obama Administration is helping them loot

this country as much as it is. It's still hard to believe how badly we were lied to by this man.

But it looks like he'll get lucky again (like he did with the Senate in 2010) because Republicans have done gone crazy with their Tea Party freak out.

[swilton]

58. I don't find it hard to believe- just look beyond his campaign

to his actions

- his cabinet appointees
- bailout of WS vice MS
- Health Care Reform
- multiple wars for corporate profits and dominance of the world's resources
- cuts to SS, Medicare and Medicaid

[sulphurdunn]

55. Isn't that like shooting

the deputy?

[sulphurdunn]

57. Remember HG Wells

novel "The Time Machine"? The American people are the Eloi. The Banksters and politicians are the Morlocks. The only difference is that the Well's Morlocks took much better care of their Eloi before eating them than ours do.

[woo me with science]

56. "...will not end until we hold our leaders accountable."

Exactly.

We cannot be satisfied with the lesser of two evils.

[LooseWilly]

73. Hear hear!

I concur...

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. *pops blood pressure pills*

[Chimichurri]

3. I'm afraid for our future. It couldn't be any more obvious. All the plutocrats are out-of-the-closet

and proud of it.

The few Americans who are paying attention are so confused, they get mad at their fellow working man. The Oligarch's plan couldn't be orchestrated any more perfectly.

Unfortunately, Obama should be doing something about hindering them but instead he helps them at every turn.

[lunatica]

4. The entire Bush administration's agenda was a coup d'etat for

Bush's have and have more base. If you paid any attention it was obvious.

Stealing elections and relying on the Supreme Court Justices to select him was just the first public glimpse we got about what was happening.

[WCGreen]

13. It's been the agenda since Goldwater....

Hell, Nixon was more liberal than Obama...

[harun]

65. +1

[davidwparker]

61. 9/11 was the second

Had it not occurred, these changes would not have taken place so quickly.

[Lint Head]

5. If this is true it will take total destruction of the system for things to change.

I mean 'total' and it would not be pretty. Pitchforks are in the future as long as 'people' are able to eat and sleep and can maintain the energy to do what it would take to bring down the robber barons.

[CleanGreenFuture]

62. I've seen posters pounded HARD for making such a suggestion.

[jwirr]

71. I don't think it matters if we get destruction or not. They are so much

in control now that we will need to take drastic measures to be anything other than slaves. The only countries I can think of where the slaves overcame this kind of mess was Jamaica and some of the islands around there. And they won with violence. I would be interested in what really happened in those islands that freed them from their overlords. We may be able to learn from them.

[originalpckelly]

6. The FDIC was really meant to be a temporary step to 100% reserve banking.

In fact, legislation was introduced that would have required all banks in a couple years to have a 100% reserve requirement during the early '30s, with credit being issued by a Federal Monetary Authority, so that the money supply could be better controlled, and deposits could be safe.

Instead, however, a system where big banks still make big bucks came to be. Temporary insurance for deposits was extended into the FDIC, and the movement for 100% reserve banks died.

The man who introduced the bill, Senator Bronson Cutting, was killed in a plane crash and alas it died off too. Though it was introduced by the Senator, it was actually the idea of a bunch of economists from the University of Chicago.

The problem with the FDIC is that it creates the need for the big bank bailouts. Either we bail their sorry asses out or we have to pay for the insurance costs, because the FDIC Deposit Insurance Fund is woefully under-capitalized all the time, even when at the statutory requirement of 1.15% of the money in deposits.

Basically, it's like fascism: they privatize the profits, and socialize the losses. And we get stuck paying the bill.

We have to pay up, because they use the deposits of average ordinary people like human shields.

The problem with a bank is that you never specifically authorize a particular act of investment. You never know beyond all doubt what kind of risks the bank is taking, because they are really judged primarily on their reserve ratio, not the quality of the loans.

It's a big clusterfuck.

I personally wonder how hard it would be for a people's bank to start up with a 100% reserve requirement. The regulations for fractional reserve banks are very complicated, for good reason, it is a big house of cards. But what of the 100% type? The only businesses I can think of that might possible act in a similar manner are those banks that service prepaid debit cards.

[sendero]

11. The FDIC system works fine..

... as long as you don't allow FDIC insured banks to gamble with derivatives and securitized mortgages and the like. I't was called Glass-Stegall and it worked fine until it was repealed on Clinton's watch.

I actually thought Obama was going to reinstate it but then I was naive about him at that time.

[Fuddnik]

29. It's the "Faith Based Administration."

We had faith, but now we're starting to believe our lyin' eyes.

[JDPriestly]

24. As I understand it, North Dakota has a state bank and weathered

the 2008 banking crisis rather well.

This article is from March 2009, Mother Jones magazine.

The Bank of North Dakota is the only state-owned bank in America—what Republicans might call an idiosyncratic bastion of socialism. It also earned a record profit last year even as its private-sector corollaries lost billions. To be sure, it owes some of its unusual success to North Dakota’s well-insulated economy, which is heavy on agricultural staples and light on housing speculation. But that hasn’t stopped out-of-state politicos from beating a path to chilly Bismarck in search of advice. Could opening state-owned banks across America get us out of the financial crisis? It certainly might help, says Ellen Brown, author of the book, Web of Debt, who writes that the Bank of North Dakota, with its $4 billion under management, has avoided the credit freeze by “creating its own credit, leading the nation in establishing state economic sovereignty.” Mother Jones spoke with the Bank of North Dakota’s president, Eric Hardmeyer.

Mother Jones: How was the bank formed?

Eric Hardmeyer: It was created 90 years ago, in 1919, as a populist movement swept the northern plains. Basically it was a very angry movement by a large group of the agrarian sector that was upset by decisions that were being made in the eastern markets, the money markets maybe in Minneapolis, New York, deciding who got credit and how to market their goods. So it swept the northern plains. In North Dakota the movement was called the Nonpartisan League, and they actually took control of the legislature and created what was called an industrial program, which created both the Bank of North Dakota as a financing arm and a state-owned mill and elevator to market and buy the grain from the farmer. And we’re both in existence today doing exactly what we were created for 90 years ago. Only we’ve morphed a little bit and found other niches and ways to promote the state of North Dakota.

MJ: What makes your bank unique today?

EH: Our funding model, our deposit model is really what is unique as the engine that drives that bank. And that is we are the depository for all state tax collections and fees. And so we have a captive deposit base, we pay a competitive rate to the state treasurer. And I would bet that that would be one of the most difficult things to wrestle away from the private sector—those opportunities to bid on public funds. But that’s only one portion of it. We take those funds and then, really what separates us is that we plow those deposits back into the state of North Dakota in the form of loans. We invest back into the state in economic development type of activities. We grow our state through that mechanism.

More

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2009/03/how-nation%E2%80%99s-only-state-owned-bank-became-envy-wall-street

[Major Hogwash]

25. North Dakota: 640,000 people in one of the most isolated states in America.

Funny how people hold them up as an example of anything other than people from the frozen tundra.

[JDPriestly]

28. It isn't a question of the number of people.

It is a question of a state bank that was independent of the chicanery and thievery on Wall Street and in the "financial sector."

[Major Hogwash]

34. It sure as the hell is. People in California shouldn't be holding up No Dak as an example.

Pure and simple.

[Enthusiast]

48. PLUS ONE! nt

[BulletproofLandshark]

40. Wow, you're from Idaho and you're going to knock ND for being isolated? n/t

[freedom fighter jh]

45. Was it a small plane?

Was the plane in which Senator Cutting was killed a small one?

I mean, was the crash suspicious?

[WillyT]

7. HUGE K & R !!!

:kick:

[firehorse]

8. The world needs a network of hackers who systematically move the money from the banks back to the

people. I'm amazed this hasn't happened yet.

[cyberpj]

16. Me too.

I keep waiting for this Anonymous to do something truly meaningful.

[jwirr]

72. Shhh you will get my grandson in trouble. But I often agree with that

sentiment. They could just deposit it into credit unions. At least it would be local.

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. Grifters are in charge of the Financial System thus

the owners of governments and can repossess the house of governments like a foreclosure..

They have gotten extremely wealthy from this crisis

[Occulus]

10. I tell people who don't "follow the news" that this is the greatest robbery in human history

and they agree completely.

Something has to give eventually.

[Distant Observer]

12. Richard Clarke is being a Patriot, again. Few want to stick their necks out to tell the truth

[JackRiddler]

14. The Richard Clark who wrote this isn't the Richard Clarke you probably are thinking of.

[Enthusiast]

49. They are both patriots. nt

[The Big Vetolski]

15. Feudalism may be what the plutocrats want. It is not going to be

what they get. Feudalism arose in another time and place, specifically, 11th Century or so Europe.

We're not 11th Century people. Not even the Europeans. The plutocrats can try. They will fail and meet the 21st Century version of the guillotine if they do.

[rhett o rick]

67. Actually they probably dont "want" it but it's a natural progression for capitalism.

Then I think Marx tells us the inevitable next step is revolution.

The Revolution is Waiting.

[moondust]

17. I'd be concerned about escaping it this time.

With today's global labor pool, including many desperate people who will work for beans, even the Black Plague could wipe out millions of workers and there would still be billions to take their places. If the U.S. government won't take action to stop it, what government will?

[alfredo]

18. We haven't progressed much beyond the cave.

[FreakinDJ]

19. Can't recommend this topic enough

[roberto IS beto]

20. Viva la Revolucion!

I want to live in a democracy.

[CleanGreenFuture]

63. People here get pounded for even suggesting such a thing. They would just let it happen.

[DeSwiss]

21. If we end up with Neo-Feudalism, whose fault is that???

Number of people in the world (07/18/11)
6,949,668,176 or (0.99713655393379460826792717937674 of the world's population of non-millionaires)
http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/popclockworld.html">link

Number of millionaires in the world (2009)
19,900,000 or (0.0028634460662053917320728206232562 of the world's population of millionaires)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millionaire#Number_of_millionaires_in_the_world">link



- K&R

[CleanGreenFuture]

64. Too many cowards who would watch their country's children become enslaved.

[JDPriestly]

22. It is just the old-fashioned shell game scam.

Wall Street is just a big-time street grifter.

Matt Taibbi wrote the book Griftopia, and I would advise everyone to read it.

I am neither a Communist nor a Socialist (Democratic Socialism in the sense that Germany and other Western European countries practice it is OK by me within limits), but I fear that many people will become so disillusioned with the economic developments that are being imposed on us that they will decide to go to some extreme.

This happened in many European countries in the 20th century.

The extreme capitalists need to stop and think. What does their greed really accomplish?

[Fuddnik]

30. Also try "Democracy Incorporated" by Sheldon Wolin

It's more of a textbook than an expose, but he hits the nail on the head with "Inverted Totalitarianism" and "Managed Democracy".

Highly recommended reading.

[snot]

23. K&R'd. I've called it feudalism for years; same system as the mafia:

might is right, and the best you can hope for is protection in exchange for your fealty. If you're willing to actually do dirty work, you have the chance to be paid well; if not, you pay them much of the wealth you create as protection money.

That is where they want things to go, anyway, although we're not completely there yet.

[Odin2005]

26. And they have their faux-progressive patsy in the White House.

[StarsInHerHair]

31. www.washingtonsblog.com has alot of info on the same subject too

[TheKentuckian]

32. Keep this pinned until the barricades fall!

[bhikkhu]

33. Islamic Extremists, Chinese Imperialists, Communism - now we have to fear bankers too?

Has each one maybe replaced the other in turn, or do we have to fear all of them at the same time?

In any case, I don't find much but empty rhetoric in the article. I know most people are appreciative when they are told who to fear, but you have to have a more solid narrative than that.

I think the banking industry is the fairly disorganized tail of a much bigger dog, which is, more or less, the interplay of consumption and production, global trade balances, and the push-pull between energy and resource supply and population.

[nolabels]

35. Been up and down the road enough times to know the latter is the.....

instigator and originator of all the prior. The banksters have been the catalyst or even perpetrators for almost all modern major wars ( most have made hansom profit off also)and many more social and economic ills today. To be sure about this, think about how all of these other groups of aggression would be able to able originate and grow without the banksters. All us serfs of the world will have to come together before we see them reordered. Until that time we will continued to be plundered.

[avebury]

37. K&R

[spicegal]

39. I believe this is true, and it would seem we're either too

powerless or too stupid to stop it. A significant percentage of Americans, particularly those who lean to the right, really don't get it, and therefore keep voting for Republicans. Many of the elected Democrats aren't much better, although there are some Democrats (i.e. Bernie Sanders, Al Franken, and others) who are willing to fight for the middle/working class. I don't know about Obama anymore. I think in his heart he gets it, but just can't fight these fat cats by himself. They've become way too powerful, plus it's a global problem.

[peacetalksforall]

51. The Republicans in the Dem Party are the DLC. Even though the DLC is supposed to be

disbanded, the charismatic DLC leaders still surround him - Hoyer, Pelosi, Biden, Reid, Clinton. They stood aside to allow the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, they never did anything about vote theft, they all voted x number of times for the Patriot Act and the color degrees of ridiculousness that is killing tourism, they allowed spying and immunity for the spies. Threatening war with Iran, condemning the leaders of Bolivia, Venezuela, getting rid of the duly elected leaders of Haiti and Honduras. Always angry with those who don't allow the industrial and military movement to do what they want in any country. Who's side are they on? They are subtle, charming, but transparent. Sorry for offending with what I believe is the truth.

How many times while reading or watching do we find our body tensing and leaning forward in hope, only to slump back and down with a frown? I trust us and only a few are really for us.

When we examine what we approve of from a variety of leaders, it might be a single issue.

[Hubert Flottz]

42. This is what I've been trying to tell you for about 10 years now.

It's called globalization and the idea goes all the way back to the Romans who also wanted to own the world and everyone in it. Hitler wanted the same thing. So did John D Rockefeller the first. Read this old dusty book sometime...

http://oneheartbooks.com/resources/ebooks/the_rockefeller_file_allen.pdf

[blindpig]

43. It is Capitalism.

Yeah, it's gonna be bad but call it what it is. Feudalism implies a system of mutual obligation, in Capitalism there is no obligation, all social relations are cash on the barrel head.

[tiny elvis]

50. ++ supreme capitalism nt

[IndyPragmatist]

46. Odd choice of title by Clark...very odd

Why would you take a title that is widely credited to FA Hayek? When I saw the title of this thread, I thought it was a discussion on Hayek, which is why I clicked the link.

I agree with much of what he says, but not think line:
The big banks are forcing their bad debts on government

The banks are not forcing anything on the government. Our government has been willingly bailing out banks out of fear of what would happen if they didn't. We had all of these doomsday scenarios of what would happen if we didn't bail out the banks, but even with those predictions, I think we may have been better off letting them fail.

Part of the argument was that if we didn't bail out the banks, we would be hit with years of stagnant growth and high unemployment. Well, we have that now, and I am not completely convinced that we wouldn't be better off right now had we let them fail.

[Butch350]

47. So - what are we suppose to do. Being informed ain't gonna help much...

So now what? I know there's a fire. Are you gonna put it out?

[nolabels]

66. You can never have too much information

Argentina in financial collapse was different but the ideals on how to survive would probably remain the same, here is link about some of it

Preparing for Economic Collapse
http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=15943

[peacetalksforall]

52. Here'e the link for info about the author. It's not Richard Clark - the expert

on bin Laden who wasn't listened to.

This Richard Clark is a social scientist, professor, author.

http://www.opednews.com/author/author8235.html

[woo me with science]

54. K&R

[certainot]

59. the only medium capable of making this possible is the one most ignored by the left- radio

that's the only medium (the talk radio monopoly) that allows the coordinated UNCHALLENGED repetition to the entire country needed to move and enable the rest of the media, some of which is still relatively free (internet). the print and TV mediums still have to pretend to be objective, even fox, there is still dicversity of message, and they can't CREATE like radio can, with limbaugh and then hannioty and then the rest repeating the same lies, with call screeners to make sure the certitude is never challenged and make sure the paid callers go to the top of the line.

the rest of the media is more significant for what it leaves out, and that is partly because those who speak out get named and hounded by team limbaugh and their dittohead/teabagers.

there is NO other medium more capable of dominating and enabling this right wing media than talk radio and thinking americans collectively ignore it because it gives them headaches to listen to it. pitiful.

[swilton]

60. Neo-Feudal Elites

that are the beneficiaries of the 'new world order' span the globe...However, the system that enforces the restructuring is the US MIC which is run from Washington.

[blkmusclmachine]

68. I'm sure this is why the Supreme Court shuttered its doors to the Public:

They know there's some real bad shit on the horizon for this Country.

[BREMPRO]

69. uh.. the banks may have been the problem, but they've paid back the bailouts

with interest to taxpayers. so i don't understand the point. the international bank money and qe is another story, but the reasoning that if your financial system collapses, everyone suffers is true, even if it doens't seem fair that these crooks get bailouts. and look at the current debt talks, the pukes are willing to crash the system just for political points (and to make obama look bad) most serious and honest observers agree the risk of the system collapse is real and potentially catastrophic and that should be taken into account. same for the bailouts. our bubble economy is gone, we can no longer rely on housing for cash or stock bubbles. so this is a new era .. get used to it

[NashVegas]

70. I've Been Saying We're Headed Towards the New Feudalism Since 2000

Damn, should've written a book.