You didn't get around to Wealth and Democracy yet?

Post #119,542 by ben_tilly 9/30/03 10:38:49 AM Reply	You didn't get around to Wealth and Democracy yet? I understand, it is kind of long. He doesn't quite come out and say it, but the historical parallels strongly suggest that that the USA could wind up with an armed rebellion by 2015 or so. Certainly the current plutocracy won't remain in power forever. It will just seem like it for the next few years. Cheers, Ben "good ideas and bad code build communities, the other three combinations do not" - [link\|http://archives.real-time.com/pipermail/cocoon-devel/2000-October/003023.html\|Stefano Mazzocchi]
Post #119,543 by deSitter 9/30/03 10:55:26 AM Reply	I have more faith in American resilience I don't see armed rebellion, but I do see gigantic economic collapse - I'm already making plans to move back to the parents, who want me there in any case. They'll need me. There is still time to change things - immediately extricate ourselves from the Mideast, cut off support for Israel and tell them to sink or swim, let Mideast states know that getting out of line will be dramatically punished from above, tell Saudi Arabia to fuck off, start making things here again and get a handle on corporate stupidity and venality and make some legislative changes designed exclusively for the middle class, as in job protection, tariffs if needed, a general retreat from globalization, kick out all illegals and in general behave in a xenocritical way. -drl
Post #119,559 by mmoffitt 9/30/03 12:23:30 PM 9/30/03 12:24:12 PM Reply	I wouldn't rule out armed rebellion. Hell, you and I have argued enough over the years about Amendment 2 to know what it means that I went out and got a firearm permit. [Edit: typo] bcnu, Mikem The soul and substance of what customarily ranks as patriotism is moral cowardice and always has been...We have thrown away the most valuable asset we had-- the individual's right to oppose both flag and country when he (just he, by himself) believed them to be in the wrong. We have thrown it away; and with it all that was really respectable about that grotesque and laughable word, Patriotism. - Mark Twain, "Monarchical and Republican Patriotism" Edited by mmoffitt Sept. 30, 2003, 12:24:12 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #119,563 by ben_tilly 9/30/03 12:45:03 PM Reply	Oh, that comes first... Well not quite an economic collapse. There is a recovery on, don't you know? And of course there are plenty of alternatives available. Rebellion only comes after all hope of resolving the issues through more accepted channels is exhausted. As you note, it is clear that hope is far from gone at this point. But a lot can change over a dozen years. For an outline of the general themes that lead that way, see [link\|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=107614\|http://z.iwethey.org...?contentid=107614]. Cheers, Ben "good ideas and bad code build communities, the other three combinations do not" - [link\|http://archives.real-time.com/pipermail/cocoon-devel/2000-October/003023.html\|Stefano Mazzocchi]
Post #119,692 by bluke 10/1/03 9:49:12 AM Reply	Do you really think any of that is going to happen? I don't. I don't believe that things will change until it is too late. Why would Congress make legislative changes to beneift the middle class when the elites are the ones who finance their campaigns. In fact, given redistricting and the advantages of incumbency, there are very few competitive races in the House. The Congressmen get nice salaries, great benefits, and all kinds of perks. They aren't feeling the pain and therefore they aren't going to change the status quo that keeps them in power. As for reversing globalization I don't see how that can happen. The whole corporate structure has come to depend on cheap foreign workers producing goods at low prices.

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