The Chinese model of capitalism is becoming the new (lower) world standard. Anti-worker and anti-regulation activism on the part of even “new” capitalists, will lead to abuse with impunity on the part of American employers. The stories of exploitation of workers’ fragile job prospects, and the spectre of unemployment are many. In New York from various people I hear of hiring for part-time only so benefits do not need to be paid, six or seven day work weeks, ten-hour days. These are the new normal of American capital, and as far as I can see the tendency is for capitalists now to look back to the 1890′s to 1920′s with nostalgia. Unfortunately what goes along with that early stage of capitalism is more income inequality, severe recessions more often; and probably this time around the Second Great Depression in America and Europe.
There has never been a greater threat to the position, direction and prospects of the United States of America than the elites of modern finance capital chipping away at workers’ rights, citizens’ civil liberties and even the Bill of Rights. The manipulation of grass roots organizations by the media controlled by the elites and spouting their ideological positions make the middle class and lower middle class complicit in their own destruction by building a false consciousness around so-called cultural issues of race, religion and anti-government cant.
The utilization of the means of police power, against the young, unemployed, citizens and workers is the obverse of the underutilization of the means of prosecutorial power against the banksters, white collar crime in high places (though the small fry will be sacrificially fried to shield the bosses), corruption, polluters. The state power is a power employed more and more in one direction: favoring the capital owners over and above the citizens and workers. In the 1930′s this was a sign of a fascist state. One hears from the right regular epithets of “Socialist” leveled at President Obama, and I have had it leveled at me for my view – though in my case it is not considered an epithet. Soon I predict you will hear “Fascist” as a response to this level of discourse.
The question for people to decide on is do they wish to support a state that is employed against the citizens worker and immigrants in favor of the owners or can we conceive of a new American nation dedicated to the proposition that all are created equal and none are above the law.
Keep the faith
cross posted at myFDL
Leave a Reply