Emma Berry

The economic ideology that the Republican leadership are touting in Congress today  obviously has  served Wall Street and the upper 5% of the richest people in our nation very well for the past 30 years.

This ideology was firmly embedded in place by the Reagan Administration over 30 years ago now but it has been the guiding principle for Democratic Administrations as well–no finer example of it in action than demonstrated by Bill Clinton.  

CORNERSTONES OF THE FAILED ECONOMIC IDEOLOGY THAT THE LEADERSHIP IN WASHINGTON HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING FOR OVER 30YEARS:

1. THE RULE OF THE MARKET- This means liberating “free” enterprise or private enterprise from any bonds imposed by the government (the state) no matter how much social damage this causes. Greater openness to international trade and investment, as in NAFTA. [NAFTA, along with heavily subsidized USA corn markets (corporate welfare) are the #1 cause of the 12 million displaced persons from Mexico in our Nation today. ]Reduce wages by de-unionizing workers and eliminating workers’ rights that had been won over many years of struggle. No more price controls. All in all, total freedom of movement for capital, goods and services. To convince us this is good for us, they say “an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone.” It’s like Reagan’s “supply-side” and “trickle-down” economics — but somehow the wealth didn’t trickle down very much.Well if you want proof as to how well the “free market” works for the MAJORITY, you can see the “economic growth” that our Nation has gotten by following these rules for the past 20 years.   Look around you and wake up to the ideology for the upper 5% of the richest people.
2. CUTTING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES like education and health care. REDUCING THE SAFETY-NET FOR THE POOR, and even maintenance of roads, bridges, water supply — again in the name of reducing government’s role. Of course, they don’t oppose government subsidies and tax benefits for business.No finer example of this than Bill Clinton’s welfare reform act that he signed into law as part of a bipartisan effort with the Republicans in the 1990’s.  This bill essentially puts a time limit on poverty of 5 years.  That’s correct.  After five years, a single parent is no longer eligible to receive aid for his or her children.  This piece of legislation was even more cynical when one considers that less than five years prior the Clinton administration passed NAFTA, a trade agreement that jettisoned two million low-paying jobs out of our nation.  Remove the job and remove the safety net for children.  You can see why some call Bill Clinton the best Republican president we ever had.
3. DEREGULATION. Reduce government regulation of everything that could diminish profits, including protecting the environment and safety on the job.  That’s right making corporations responsible for the safety of their employees is “un-American.”  After all we are supposed to be responsible for ourselves.No finer example of “deregulation of the market” than Bill Clinton’s “Bank Modernization Act of 1999″ which Sam Johnson voted for.  This act allowed Wall Street financial institutions unfettered freedom to rip off Main Street–and that is just what they did for the entire 8 years of the Bush Administration.  They took from the poor and middle class and gave to the upper five percent.
4. PRIVATIZATION. Sell state-owned enterprises, goods and services to private investors. This includes banks, key industries, railroads, toll highways, electricity, schools, hospitals and even fresh water. Although usually done in the name of greater efficiency, which is often needed, privatization has mainly had the effect of concentrating wealth even more in a few hands and making the public pay even more for its needs.Privatization of key industries makes the citizens or our nation vulnerable to corruption for profit. No finer example do we see of this that the case last year of two corrupt judges who sentenced thousands of juveniles to a newly constructed Privatized juvenile prison–all for kickbacks from the owners.  Imagine!  Children being sent to prison for profit.
5. ELIMINATING THE CONCEPT OF “THE PUBLIC GOOD” or “COMMUNITY” and replacing it with “individual responsibility.” Pressuring the poorest people in a society to find solutions to their lack of health care, education and social security all by themselves — then blaming them, if they fail, as “lazy.”

Around the world, this evil ideology has been imposed by powerful financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. It is raging all over Latin America. The first clear example of  this ideology at work came in Chile (with thanks to University of Chicago economist Milton Friedman), after the CIA-supported coup against the popularly elected Allende regime in 1973.

Other countries followed, with some of the worst effects in Mexico where wages declined 40 to 50% in the first year of NAFTA while the cost of living rose by 80%

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Calling this ideology “right-wing” is misleading.  Over the past 30 years the leadership of BOTH parties have following this broken ideology and it is time to change it before it entirely destroys the fabric of our Democracy.