Sunday, February 14, 2016

Neoliberalism Help Lead To The Decline In Democracy In America


By: Johnny Hill-House Of Public Discourse

Featured Image via Flickr available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license

Neoliberalism Defined


The term " Neoliberalism" is a very challenging one. It does not mean liberal. Neoliberalism is not a new mandate. Neoliberal politics help create the third world.[See Source] If you look back to the 18th century, differences between the rich and the poor back then were nothing like the wealth inequality we see in today's global societies. 

The force implementation of market principles a hallmark of Neoliberalism has forced many nations to a third world status. Protectionism and state intervention developed rich and developed societies while Neoliberalism created slums. 

Our research found it striking to see how every element of Neoliberalism is designed to undercut Democracy. This factoid is never or rarely discussed. One of the biggest successes of Democratic Socialist Franklin Roosevelt [FDR] was to institute financial regulations. There is a reason. This control provides space for governments to undertake programs that are supported by the populist. If you have no regulatory constraints on capital flow, you can attack currency freely which creates what economist call a virtual parliament.

These legislatures of corporations, investors, and lenders can carry out a moment by moment referendum on government policies, and we have seen this ugly reality rear its face in the recent Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.[TPP]

What " We The People"  have endured from economic policies from both parties is if these virtual parliaments feel these government policies are irrational they can lobby politicians to vote against them. What is most troubling these proclaimed irrational policies are often policies that help the middle class and poor people.

We have a prime example of this in the current 2016 Democratic Party presidential race. Bernie Sanders has advocated free universal health care and college education paying for it by raising taxes and taxing Wall Street speculation policies that will not help these virtual parliaments, so they label them irrational and say they're not pragmatic hence the Hillary Clinton mantra " No We Can't."




With the Citizens Untied decision what the American population has had to withstand is the buying of our democracy through campaign contributions and lobbyist influence peddling that has resulted in our governance being one of the dual constituencies. One of " We The People," and one of the corporations and their virtual parliaments. What has been the case now for decades is these virtual houses always win. And when a consistent leader with a consistent message comes along with a record of fighting these corporate influences which have reeked havoc on " We The People." And proclaims enough is enough, and we need a political revolution to change it, and one person, not even the President of the United States can do it alone the push back is that this is irrational and to extreme. Hence Hillary Clinton mantra " No We Can't."

The neoliberalist desires to privatize traditional government programs such as public schools, social security, and others do nothing more than undercut our democracy. These realities form the often unspoken tenants of the political revolution of  Bernie Sanders that has become the Bernie Sanders campaign here in 2016. Progressives, Independents, and Americans across all spectrum's of political ideologies are sick and tired of neoliberalism and its virtual corporate parliament and the politicians they have in their hip pockets. This is why Bernie Sanders mantra of " Don't Tell Me We Can't" is resonating with more and more Americans of all ages not just young people. So, Hillary Clinton don't tell us " No We Can't." 

Bernie Sanders on INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY







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3 comments:

  1. These are not empty platitudes or campaigning to the left, This is the very near future. The rule of the oligarchy is at twightlight

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    1. Actually, I think in the US we have been living in an oligarchy for some time now. Not only have they had near complete control over the US government as evidenced by utilization of private security contractors like the one Snowden worked for with the NSA, the politicians have been bought and paid for as evidenced by ALEC. It is only becoming a matter of the oligarchs chipping away at democracy in Europe through the excuse of terrorism.

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