Shock Doctrine, U.S.A.

[Scar My Machine]

By PAUL KRUGMAN

Here’s a thought: maybe Madison, Wis., isn’t Cairo after all. Maybe it’s Baghdad — specifically, Baghdad in 2003, when the Bush administration put Iraq under the rule of officials chosen for loyalty and political reliability rather than experience and competence.

As many readers may recall, the results were spectacular — in a bad way. Instead of focusing on the urgent problems of a shattered economy and society, which would soon descend into a murderous civil war, those Bush appointees were obsessed with imposing a conservative ideological vision. Indeed, with looters still prowling the streets of Baghdad, L. Paul Bremer, the American viceroy, told a Washington Post reporter that one of his top priorities was to “corporatize and privatize state-owned enterprises” — Mr. Bremer’s words, not the reporter’s — and to “wean people from the idea the state supports everything.”

The story of the privatization-obsessed Coalition Provisional Authority was the centerpiece of Naomi Klein’s best-selling book “The Shock Doctrine,” which argued that it was part of a broader pattern. From Chile in the 1970s onward, she suggested, right-wing ideologues have exploited crises to push through an agenda that has nothing to do with resolving those crises, and everything to do with imposing their vision of a harsher, more unequal, less democratic society.

Which brings us to Wisconsin 2011, where the shock doctrine is on full display.

In recent weeks, Madison has been the scene of large demonstrations against the governor’s budget bill, which would deny collective-bargaining rights to public-sector workers. Gov. Scott Walker claims that he needs to pass his bill to deal with the state’s fiscal problems. But his attack on unions has nothing to do with the budget. In fact, those unions have already indicated their willingness to make substantial financial concessions — an offer the governor has rejected.

What’s happening in Wisconsin is, instead, a power grab — an attempt to exploit the fiscal crisis to destroy the last major counterweight to the political power of corporations and the wealthy. And the power grab goes beyond union-busting. The bill in question is 144 pages long, and there are some extraordinary things hidden deep inside.

For example, the bill includes language that would allow officials appointed by the governor to make sweeping cuts in health coverage for low-income families without having to go through the normal legislative process.

And then there’s this: “Notwithstanding ss. 13.48 (14) (am) and 16.705 (1), the department may sell any state-owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids, for any amount that the department determines to be in the best interest of the state. Notwithstanding ss. 196.49 and 196.80, no approval or certification of the public service commission is necessary for a public utility to purchase, or contract for the operation of, such a plant, and any such purchase is considered to be in the public interest and to comply with the criteria for certification of a project under s. 196.49 (3) (b).”

What’s that about? The state of Wisconsin owns a number of plants supplying heating, cooling, and electricity to state-run facilities (like the University of Wisconsin). The language in the budget bill would, in effect, let the governor privatize any or all of these facilities at whim. Not only that, he could sell them, without taking bids, to anyone he chooses. And note that any such sale would, by definition, be “considered to be in the public interest.”

If this sounds to you like a perfect setup for cronyism and profiteering — remember those missing billions in Iraq? — you’re not alone. Indeed, there are enough suspicious minds out there that Koch Industries, owned by the billionaire brothers who are playing such a large role in Mr. Walker’s anti-union push, felt compelled to issue a denial that it’s interested in purchasing any of those power plants. Are you reassured?

The good news from Wisconsin is that the upsurge of public outrage — aided by the maneuvering of Democrats in the State Senate, who absented themselves to deny Republicans a quorum — has slowed the bum’s rush. If Mr. Walker’s plan was to push his bill through before anyone had a chance to realize his true goals, that plan has been foiled. And events in Wisconsin may have given pause to other Republican governors, who seem to be backing off similar moves.

But don’t expect either Mr. Walker or the rest of his party to change those goals. Union-busting and privatization remain G.O.P. priorities, and the party will continue its efforts to smuggle those priorities through in the name of balanced budgets.

Why is it that the Republican governors are essentially trying the same things in multiple states?

Busting up unions, and attempting to pass laws that give them more authority?

Why is this?

Edited March 13, 2011 by Scar My Machine

[Hellion]

This is similar to the copy cat bs,ever notice how our POS government likes to copy laws from other corrupt countries and impose them on us.

of course the sheeple don't seem to mind.

good thread

[Scar My Machine]

This is similar to the copy cat bs,ever notice how our POS government likes to copy laws from other corrupt countries and impose them on us.

of course the sheeple don't seem to mind.

good thread

Thanks. I am taking hits though for my anti wealthy corporation opinions.

I guess it's anti American to try and stop corporations from running this country and destroying our liberty and freedoms to save tax breaks for the ultra rich.

The Teabag-enabled plan in Michigan: Use the budget to starve cities and towns, then put in an "emergency town manager" who could (1) kill any contract the town entered into AND (2) dismiss elected officials AND (3) "disincorporate" the town itself. Oh, and the emergency manager can be a corporation. (Imagine the bribing for that contract!)

In other words, this wave of "Teabag" governors (really Movement Conservatives with a Teabag cover story) is enacting before our eyes the entire Conservative cadre-revolution agenda.

Cadre revolution — Take control of an organization at the top. Destroy it from the inside by putting your people in key positions. Then either loot it mafia-style, or remake it for an entirely different purpose. Lenin's cadre of Bolsheviks did not topple the Czar; they toppled the Mensheviks, who toppled the Czar. The Bolsheviks were part of the Menshevik coalition.

This is the Movement Conservative project. It's about the revolutionary take-over of, well, the country. It's been operating since the Lewis Powell memorandum and similar documents (see David Brock's The Republican Noise Machine for all the goods).

You could even argue that that movement's been hijacked, by the plutocrats, the very very rich. Control has certainly been centralized into a few hands — hedge fund managers; CEOs as a class; and maybe a dozen billionaires, maybe less. The Billionaires' Coup, as Frank Rich so aptly calls it.

And now Movement's goals are out in the open. Hybris might sink them yet. Thanks to Maddow and Naomi Klein for this clear presentation.

[Hellion]

I refuse to accept fascism and I have extreme hatred towards huge corporations like Big Oil,Big Pharma,and the Federal POS Reserve/banking industry.

I can see tax payer concentration camps being built all over.

[Scar My Machine]

I refuse to accept fascism and I have extreme hatred towards huge corporations like Big Oil,Big Pharma,and the Federal POS Reserve/banking industry.

I can see tax payer concentration camps being built all over.

Haven't you heard? It's anti American to hate big companies. They put people to work (ignore the fact that jobs are being outsourced to India and China and Mexico). And bailing out the fat cats on wall street was for our countries own good (ignore the fact that after the bailout those same banks refuse to lend money to people that they consider too risky, hello kettle).

And the concentration camps being built as we speak, they are called residential centers (which are contracted by the U.S. government by guess who? Big corporations). They are also known as FEMA. You can look them up to find out more.

Looks to me like the that small group of billionaires has almost all the chess pieces in place. All we need now to get the ball in full motion is another disaster a la 9/11 style to convince the sheeps that we need less rights and more protection.

Edited March 13, 2011 by Scar My Machine

[Hellion]

Haven't you heard? It's anti American to hate big companies. They put people to work (ignore the fact that jobs are being outsourced to India and China and Mexico). And bailing out the fat cats on wall street was for our countries own good (ignore the fact that after the bailout those same banks refuse to lend money to people that they consider too risky, hello kettle).

And the concentration camps being built as we speak, they are called residential centers (which are contracted by the U.S. government by guess who? Big corporations). They are also known as FEMA. You can look them up to find out more.

Looks to me like the that small group of billionaires has almost all the chess pieces in place. All we need now to get the ball in full motion is another disaster a la 9/11 style to convince the sheeps that we need less rights and more protection.

Yup,though there will probably be some mass suicides as well,though the government will do anything to prevent that by arresting all US citizens,because they want us to suffer.

Believe me there are more people than you think that know whats going on,a lot of corrupted bs has been exposed,the sheeple I could care less about,they drank water and will pay for it in the future.

[Scar My Machine]

Oh, btw - the fascists are already in power. check out this story.

A BBC Radio 4 investigation sheds new light on a major subject that has received little historical attention, the conspiracy on behalf of a group of influential powerbrokers, led by Prescott Bush, to overthrow FDR and implement a fascist dictatorship in the U.S. based around the ideology of Mussolini and Hitler.

In 1933, Marine Corps Maj.-Gen. Smedley Butler was approached by a wealthy and secretive group of industrialists and bankers, including Prescott Bush the current President's grandfather, who asked him to command a 500,000 strong rogue army of veterans that would help stage a coup to topple then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

According to the BBC, the plotters intended to impose a fascist takeover and "Adopt the policies of Hitler and Mussolini to beat the great depression."

The conspirators were operating under the umbrella of a front group called the American Liberty League, which included many families that are still household names today, including Heinz, Colgate, Birds Eye and General Motors.

Butler played along with the clique to determine who was involved but later blew the whistle and identified the ringleaders in testimony given to the House Committee on un-American Activities.

However, the Committee refused to even question any of the individuals named by Butler and his testimony was omitted from the record, leading to charges that they were involved in covering the matter up, and the majority of the media blackballed the story.

In 1936, William Dodd, the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, wrote a letter to President Roosevelt in which he stated,

"A clique of U.S. industrialists is hell-bent to bring a fascist state to supplant our democratic government and is working closely with the fascist regime in Germany and Italy. I have had plenty of opportunity in my post in Berlin to witness how close some of our American ruling families are to the Nazi regime.... A prominent executive of one of the largest corporations, told me point blank that he would be ready to take definite action to bring fascism into America if President Roosevelt continued his progressive policies. Certain American industrialists had a great deal to do with bringing fascist regimes into being in both Germany and Italy. They extended aid to help Fascism occupy the seat of power, and they are helping to keep it there. Propagandists for fascist groups try to dismiss the fascist scare. We should be aware of the symptoms. When industrialists ignore laws designed for social and economic progress they will seek recourse to a fascist state when the institutions of our government compel them to comply with the provisions."

The proven record of Prescott Bush's involvement in financing the Nazi war machine dovetails with the fact that he was part of a criminal cabal that actively sought to impose a fascist coup in America.

Prescott did not succeed but many would argue that two generations down the line the mission has all but been accomplished. In his documentary film Martial Law, Alex Jones interviews John Buchanan, who was instrumental in uncovering the documents tying Prescott Bush to the financing of the Third Reich.

What a shock to learn that big corporations were behind that attempt to overthrow our sitting President.

It wasn't some liberal group or union workers - it was the wealthy elite.

Go figure.

[Hellion]

What the sheeple want to see

[Vater Araignee]

Oh, btw - the fascists are already in power. check out this story.

What a shock to learn that big corporations were behind that attempt to overthrow our sitting President.

It wasn't some liberal group or union workers - it was the wealthy elite.

Go figure.

And what a shock that what he ended up doing only helped them in a different way.

[angry_darkness]

The gun control laws of 1968 were taken from natzi Germany when Hitler was in power.Just before he started sending people to the concentration camps.

[Vater Araignee]

The gun control laws of 1968 were taken from natzi Germany when Hitler was in power.Just before he started sending people to the concentration camps.

Almost a direct translation.