[Mb-civic] FW: Feb. 3, 06, State of the Union Deceptions

[ernesto ciccarelli]

>*****'Nightmares' nails it!!!...Check this out from my friend Andrea...Amor 
>y Paz,,,Chi<


>From: Andrea Lea <globalgardening at earthlink.net>
>To: fcpj at earthlink.net, ernesto ciccarelli <chiosceola at hotmail.com>
>Subject: Feb. 3, 06,  State of the Union Deceptions
>Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 10:33:20 -0500
>
>
>>
>>In case you're interested in the facts...
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>DID PRESIDENT BUSH PERSUADE YOU THAT HE HAS THE RIGHT
>>>PLAN FOR THE COUNTRY?
>>>
>>>VOTING AT 156174 RESPONSES:
>>>
>>>YES - 30%
>>>
>>>NO - 70%
>>>
>>>MSNBC - Url.:
>>>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11121234/
>>>
>>>
>>>............................
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>The True State of the Union
>>>
>>>By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
>>>(Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration.)
>>>
>>>Gentle reader, if you prefer comforting lies to harsh truths, don't read
>>>this
>>>column.
>>>
>>>The state of the union is disastrous. By its naked aggression, bullying,
>>>illegal
>>>spying on Americans, and illegal torture and detentions, the Bush
>>>administration
>>>has demonstrated American contempt for the Geneva Convention, for human
>>>life and
>>>dignity, and for the civil liberties of its own citizens. Increasingly,
>>>the US
>>>is isolated in the world, having to resort to bribery and threats to
>>>impose its
>>>diktats. No country any longer looks to America for moral leadership. The
>>>US has
>>>become a rogue nation. Least of all did President Bush tell any truth
>>>about the
>>>economy. He talked about economic growth rates without acknowledging that
>>>they
>>>result from eating the seed corn and do not produce jobs with a living
>>>wage for
>>>Americans.
>>>
>>>He touted a low rate of unemployment and did not admit that the figure is
>>>false
>>>because it does not count millions of discouraged workers who have
>>>dropped out
>>>of the work force.
>>>
>>>Americans did not hear from Bush that a new Wal-Mart just opened on
>>>Chicago's
>>>city boundary and 25,000 people applied for 325 jobs (Chicago Sun-Times,
>>>Jan.
>>>26), or that 11,000 people applied for a few Wal-Mart jobs in Oakland,
>>>California. Obviously, employment is far from full.
>>>
>>>Neither did Bush tell Americans any of the dire facts reported by
>>>economist
>>>Charles McMillion in the January 19 issue of Manufacturing &
>>>Technology News:
>>>
>>>During Bush's presidency the US has experienced the slowest job creation
>>>on
>>>record (going back to 1939). During the past five years private business
>>>has
>>>added only 958,000 net new jobs to the economy, while the government
>>>sector has
>>>added 1.1 million jobs. Moreover, as many of the jobs are not for a full
>>>work
>>>week, "the country ended 2005 with fewer private sector hours worked
>>>than it had
>>>in January 2001."
>>>
>>>McMillion reports that the largest sources of private sector jobs have
>>>been
>>>health care and waitresses and bartenders. Other areas of the private
>>>sector
>>>lost so many jobs, including supervisory/managerial jobs, that had health
>>>care
>>>not added 1.4 million new jobs, the private sector would have experienced
>>>a net
>>>loss of 467,000 jobs between January 2001 and December 2005 despite an
>>>"economic
>>>recovery." Without the new jobs waiting tables and serving drinks,
>>>the US
>>>economy in the past five years would have eked out a measly 64,000 jobs.
>>>In
>>>other words, there is a job depression in the US.
>>>
>>>McMillion reports that during the past five years of Bush's presidency
>>>the US
>>>has lost 16.5% of its manufacturing jobs. The hardest hit are clothes
>>>manufacturers, textile mills, communications equipment, and
>>>semiconductors.
>>>Workforces in these industries shrunk by 37 to 46 percent. These are
>>>amazing job
>>>losses. Major industries have shriveled to insignificance in half a
>>>decade.
>>>
>>>Free trade, offshore production for US markets, and the outsourcing of US
>>>jobs
>>>are the culprits. McMillion writes that "every industry that faces
>>>foreign
>>>outsourcing or import competition is losing jobs," including both
>>>Ford and
>>>General Motors, both of which recently announced new job losses of 30,000
>>>each.
>>>The parts supplier, Delphi, is on the ropes and cutting thousands of
>>>jobs,
>>>wages, benefits, and pensions.
>>>
>>>If the free trade/outsourcing propaganda were true, would not at least
>>>some US
>>>export industries be experiencing a growth in employment? If free trade
>>>and
>>>outsourcing benefit the US economy, how did America run up $2.85 trillion
>>>in
>>>trade deficits over the last five years? This means Americans consumed
>>>almost $3
>>>trillion dollars more in goods and services than they produced and turned
>>>over
>>>$3 trillion of their existing assets to foreigners to pay for their
>>>consumption.
>>>Consuming accumulated wealth makes a country poorer, not richer.
>>>
>>>Americans are constantly reassured that America is the leader in advanced
>>>technology and intellectual property and doesn't need jobs making clothes
>>>or
>>>even semiconductors. McMillion puts the lie to this reassurance. During
>>>Bush's
>>>presidency, the US has lost its trade surplus in manufactured Advanced
>>>Technology Products (ATP). The US trade deficit in ATP now exceeds the US
>>>surplus in Intellectual Property licenses and fees. The US no longer
>>>earns
>>>enough from high tech to cover any part of its import bill for oil,
>>>autos, or
>>>clothing.
>>>
>>>This is an astonishing development. The US "superpower" is
>>>dependent on China
>>>for advanced technology products and is dependent on Asia to finance its
>>>massive
>>>deficits and foreign wars.
>>>
>>>In view of the rapid collapse of US economic potential, my prediction in
>>>January
>>>2004 that the US would be a third world economy in 20 years was
>>>optimistic.
>>>Another five years like the last, and little will be left. America's
>>>capacity to
>>>export manufactured goods has been so reduced that some economists say
>>>that
>>>there is no exchange rate at which the US can balance its trade.
>>>
>>>McMillion reports that median household income has fallen for a record
>>>fifth
>>>year in succession. Growth in consumer spending has resulted from
>>>households
>>>spending their savings and equity in their homes. In 2005 for the first
>>>time
>>>since the Great Depression in the 1930s, American consumers spent more
>>>than they
>>>earned, and the government budget deficit was larger than all business
>>>savings
>>>combined. American households are paying a record share of their
>>>disposable
>>>income to service their debts.
>>>
>>>With America hemorrhaging red ink in every direction, how much longer can
>>>the
>>>dollar hold on to its role as world reserve currency?
>>>
>>>The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is the cradle of the
>>>propaganda
>>>that globalization is win-win for all concerned. Free trader Stephen
>>>Roach of
>>>Morgan Stanley reports that the mood at the recently concluded Davos
>>>meeting was
>>>different, because the predicted "wins" for the industrialized
>>>world have not
>>>made an appearance.
>>>
>>>Roach writes that "job creation and real wages in the mature,
>>>industrialized
>>>economies have seriously lagged historical norms. It is now commonplace
>>>for
>>>recoveries in the developed world to be either jobless or wageless--or
>>>both."
>>>
>>>Roach is the first free trade economist to admit that the disruptive
>>>technology
>>>of the Internet has dashed the globalization hopes. It was supposed to
>>>work like
>>>this: The first world would lose market share in tradable manufactured
>>>goods and
>>>make up the job and economic loss with highly-educated knowledge workers.
>>>The
>>>"win-win" was supposed to be cheaper manufactured goods for the
>>>first world and
>>>more and better jobs for the third world.
>>>
>>>It did not work out this way, Roach writes, because the Internet allowed
>>>job
>>>outsourcing to quickly migrate from call centers and data processing to
>>>the
>>>upper end of the value chain, displacing first world employees in
>>>"software
>>>programming, engineering, design, and the medical profession, as well as
>>>a broad
>>>array of professionals in the legal, accounting, actuarial, consulting,
>>>and
>>>financial services industries."
>>>
>>>This is what I have been writing for years, while the economics
>>>profession
>>>adopted a position of total denial. The first world gainers from
>>>globalization
>>>are the corporate executives, who gain millions of dollars in bonuses by
>>>arbitraging labor and substituting cheaper foreign labor for first world
>>>labor.
>>>For the past decade free market economists have served as apologists for
>>>corporate interests that are dismantling the ladders of upward mobility
>>>in the
>>>US and creating what McMillion writes is the worst income inequality on
>>>record.
>>>
>>>Globalization is wiping out the American middle class and terminating
>>>jobs for
>>>university graduates, who now serve as temps, waitresses and bartenders.
>>>But the
>>>whores among economists and the evil men and women in the Bush
>>>administration
>>>still sing globalization's praises.
>>>
>>>The state of the nation has never been worse.
>>>
>>>The Great Depression was an accident caused by the incompetence of the
>>>Federal
>>>Reserve, which was still new at its job. The new American job depression
>>>is the
>>>result of free trade ideology. The new job depression is creating a
>>>reserve army
>>>of the unemployed to serve as desperate recruits for neoconservative
>>>military
>>>adventures. Perhaps that explains the Bush administration's enthusiasm
>>>for
>>>globalization.
>>>
>>>Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan
>>>administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal
>>>editorial
>>>page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of The
>>>Tyranny
>>>of Good Intentions.He can be reached at:
>>>paulcraigroberts at yahoo.com
>>>
>>>Poster Comment:
>>>
>>>  BULLSEYE!!!!!
>>>
>>>Post Comment Private Reply Bookmark
>>>
>>>Top  Page Up  Full Thread  Page Down  Bottom/Latest
>>>
>>>#1. To: Kamala (#0)
>>>
>>>Which is why I am calling for a nationwide general strike this April
>>>15th, on
>>>THIS thread.
>>>
>>>Gold and
>>>silver are real money, paper is but a promise.
>>>
>>>Elliott Jackalope posted on 2006-02-01 20:28:03
>>>ET Reply Trace Private
>>>Reply
>>>#2. To: Kamala (#0)
>>>
>>>  The new job depression is creating a reserve army of
>>>the unemployed to serve
>>>as desperate recruits for neoconservative military adventures.
>>>
>>>They also turn to right-wing fundamentalist Christianity.
>>>
>>>As discussed in the book "What's the Matter with Kansas," the
>>>growth of
>>>religious and political conservatism in last 25 years has arisen in
>>>response to
>>>the economic hollowing out of America.
>>>
>>>Along the same lines, the book "The Moral Consequences of Economic
>>>Growth"
>>>points out that historically in America, political and social
>>>conservatism has
>>>usually gone hand in hand with hard economic times (e.g., the racist
>>>populist
>>>era of 1880-1895 and the backlash era of 1973-1993).
>>>
>>>So it's win-win for Bush -- screw the people economically, and they react
>>>with a
>>>backlash that favors right-wing politics.
>>>
>>>I've already said too much.
>>>
>>>MUDDOG posted on 2006-02-01 20:55:59 ET
>>>Reply Trace Private Reply
>>>#3. To: Kamala, *Paul Craig Roberts* (#0)
>>>
>>>ping!
>>>
>>>"Our work in Iraq is difficult because our enemy is brutal" -
>>>George W. Bush
>>>1/31/06
>>>
>>>robin posted on 2006-02-01 21:02:59 ET
>>>Reply Trace Private Reply
>>>#4. To: Kamala (#0)
>>>
>>>  He touted a low rate of unemployment and did not admit
>>>that the figure is
>>>false because it does not count millions of discouraged workers who have
>>>dropped
>>>out of the work force.
>>>
>>>And I'm one of them, no thanks to the criminals in government.
>>>
>>>The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth
>>>of
>>>private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic
>>>State
>>>itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism -- ownership of government by an
>>>individual, by a group, or any controlling private power. Franklin Delano
>>>Roosevelt
>>>
>>>BTP Holdings posted on 2006-02-01 21:32:41
>>>ET Reply Trace Private Reply
>>>#5. To: MUDDOG, Kamala (#2)
>>>
>>>  So it's win-win for Bush -- screw the people
>>>economically, and they react
>>>with a backlash that favors right-wing politics.
>>>
>>>I posted this same article, Kamala. I picked it up on
>>>http://Vdare.com. The
>>>subjects were different, so I missed it on my search. You posted it
>>>first, so
>>>I'll reply to yours.
>>>
>>>I hope you're wrong about Bush and the War Party, MUDDOG, but history is
>>>on your
>>>side. Bush's real mission is the destruction of America, as we know her.
>>>if the
>>>War Party retains control of Congress in the upcoming November elections,
>>>it
>>>will show that masochisism, a taste for suffering, of domination by a
>>>warmongering moron is really what woos the electorate
>>>
>>>Life is a tragedy to those who feel, and a comedy to those who think.
>>>
>>>Zoroaster posted on 2006-02-01 21:36:08 ET
>>>Reply Trace Private Reply
>>>#6. To: Zoroaster (#5)
>>>
>>>  if the War Party retains control of Congress in the
>>>upcoming November
>>>elections, it will show that masochisism, a taste for suffering, of
>>>domination
>>>by a warmongering moron is really what woos the electorate
>>>
>>>Or else it will show that the vote is completely rigged, and that we are
>>>in fact
>>>living in a dictatorship.
>>>
>>>Gold and
>>>silver are real money, paper is but a promise.
>>>
>>>Elliott Jackalope posted on 2006-02-01 21:37:50
>>>ET Reply Trace Private
>>>Reply
>>>#7. To: Elliott Jackalope (#6)
>>>
>>>  Or else it will show that the vote is completely
>>>rigged, and that we are in
>>>fact living in a dictatorship.
>>>
>>>The above would be the most probable explantion for a Bush/War Party
>>>victory in
>>>November. But will the shadow government have the balls to rig the vote?
>>>The
>>>word is already out, and the elections will be watched more closely than
>>>before.
>>>
>>>Your guess is as good as mine.
>>>
>>>Life is a tragedy to those who feel, and a comedy to those who think.
>>>
>>>Zoroaster posted on 2006-02-01 21:51:32 ET
>>>Reply Trace Private Reply
>>>#8. To: Zoroaster (#7)
>>>
>>>Considering that the exit polls in Ohio showed Kerry winning, but the
>>>"official"
>>>count gave Ohio to Bush, I'd say the deception is already out in the
>>>open. After
>>>all, exit polls are what we have always used in the past to point out
>>>fraudulent
>>>elections in other countries, but when it happens here the media doesn't
>>>give it
>>>a second thought. Then again, being as our corporate media is owned by
>>>the same
>>>people who buy our politicians, there really is nothing surprising about
>>>their
>>>lack of coverage.
>>>
>>>The "powers that be" really have no idea just how close to the
>>>proverbial edge
>>>they've brought this country. Once the dam breaks the resulting chaos
>>>will make
>>>the French revolution look like a children's tea party.
>>>
>>>Gold and
>>>silver are real money, paper is but a promise.
>>>
>>>Elliott Jackalope posted on 2006-02-01 22:05:00
>>>ET Reply Trace Private
>>>Reply
>>>#9. To: Elliott Jackalope, Zoroaster, siagiah (#8)
>>>
>>>  Once the dam breaks the resulting chaos will make the
>>>French revolution look
>>>like a children's tea party.
>>>
>>>Just in case anyone here needs step-by-step how-to illustrations....
>>>;0)
>>>
>>>The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth
>>>of
>>>private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic
>>>State
>>>itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism -- ownership of government by an
>>>individual, by a group, or any controlling private power. Franklin Delano
>>>Roosevelt
>>>
>>>BTP Holdings posted on 2006-02-01 22:34:37
>>>ET (1 image) Reply Trace
>>>Private Reply
>>>#10. To: Kamala (#0)
>>>
>>>Well....this just can't be!
>>>
>>>I'm sure that McMillion and Roberts both just didn't even bother to count
>>>all
>>>those jobs that 'merikans won't do and that the liar in chief plans to
>>>service
>>>with illegal aliens!
>>>
>>>That has to be the answer.........our government would never lie to us
>>>.......... right? Right? C'mon,......right?
>>>
>>>