Failed State

Noam Chomsky states in his interview book Imperial Ambitions (2005) that "The United States is basically what is called a 'failed state.' It has formal democratic institutions, but they barely function." He further notes that from the point of view of the power elite "it doesn't matter that approximately three fourths of the population think" that people should "have some kind of government-funded health care system." It doesn't even matter for the all powerful "if a large majority regards health care as a moral value," for when social and political commentators in the US "rave about moral values, they're talking about banning gay marriage, not the idea that everyone should have decent health care. And the reason is that it's not in their interest." For they are like Chomsky (or me); we have a fine health care. "For the large majority of the population, though, lack of health care is a major issue, and it's becoming an even more serious one. When Medicaid [medical care available to low-income individuals and families in the US, JS] is destroyed, as it probably will be, that's going to really harm people. But those people are unorganized. They're not in unions, they're not in political associations, they don't participate in any political parties. The genius of American [that is, the US, JS] politics has been to marginalize and isolate people. In fact, one of the main reasons behind the passionate effort to destroy unions is that they are one of the few mechanisms by which ordinary people can get together and compensate for the concentration of capital and power." (pp. 198-199.)

And indeed, mediacare has to go, for Bush needs more money for the arms industry, that is, to his alleys in the war corporations. Bush and Cheney's 2007 budjet plan cuts spending on elderly, and poor people, and takes away social services and education from those who need them most while increasing spending on weapons. If not babies, maybe people will eat guns. See more: http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-1/576/576_03_EatGuns.shtml

But, one cannot forget Johan Galtung's prediction after Georg W. Bush had stolen the Presidental election in 2000. After the election this prominent peace researcher and cosmopolitan thinker cut his prediction of the fall of US imperium into half, from 40 to 20 years.

In a country, size of a fly's shit, called Finland, right-wing party leaders has same tones in their voice as their big brothers in the wild wild west, and elsewhere; at the heart of their sermon is an idea of 'trickle-down' effect of capital cumulation. It means that by growing economic gap between rich and poor, the wealth will eventually flow from the top of the food chain to the bottom. It would be fantastic to see some evidence for this plain claim, but for some reason I have not found any. I wonder why.

In addition, their rational of the good life based on continuous economic growth, entrepreneurship and individual as well as global competition is absolutely rocket science to me. I would say that they still build their worldview heavily on contradiction between those who own the world, and those of their servants as their historically eminent class enemy. Class etc. antagonisms are not over nor history in its end.