so, here's my big problem and I want it to be yours too: the US government continues to face the threat of "most non-security federal operations" coming to a halt after Friday, April 10th. This is not a late April fool's day joke, this is the straight verdad. Now, maybe if you're not a big fan of the US government, this doesn't sound so bad. Maybe if you believe that our budget problems have to do with programs for the elderly and unlucky, it sounds even better. Maybe, if you believe that these gd politicians and lazy a-holes are trying their damnedest to shuck the budget up with loopholes, amendments, unnecessary inclusions, and other pork, you might also be thrilled. Maybe that's how you feel, and maybe you're not all wrong, but I cannot abide it. Here's my problem with the budget "debate," stop reading now if you don't want to know, I am petrified of two things in the United States: a security state and unregulated corporate interests. And I'm particularly scared of them, together.
The economic collapse was rooted in the unregulated, shadowy world of derivatives and the collapse of the housing bubble - and were largely beneficial for the richest people in the country (the same people all those bloated budgets are trying to appease on both sides of the aisle). It's not common knowledge but it is a documented fact that citibank release a memo addressing "American Plutocracy," aka, rule of the super rich and how to continue this trend.
A government shutdown doesn't change this, in fact, unless economic regulation is included in the national security apparatus that stays active during the shutdown, what limited regulation has been placed on the super-rich since the economic downturn is basically being turned-off. This "freedom" to be greedy, coupled with the rising security measures taken to protect our "freedom" (PATRIOT Act, Bush's NSA wire-taps, etc.) seems absolutely terrible for the average American and is going unspoken of, buried beneath the partisan strife of our largely divided country. Since the PATRIOT act, we've moved closer and closer, above and below the board, towards being an American security state, and that seems less like freedom than a little danger.
What's the fear of the shutdown, that we'll be invaded or attacked? No, of course not, that's why the security apparatus must remain engaged. Homeland security costs 50 billion dollars, we spent 43.5 billion dollars on "intelligence" in 2007 and it's estimated at 80 billion for 2010 (the actual spending remains classified at this time). Those are big numbers, China spends 70 billion on their entire military. Yet, in the midst of this "security" our soldiers would cease receiving their paychecks? Our military bases are one of our many means of national security and global hegemony, so much so that we refuse to close them even in this age of globalization and free, open markets. And while I am ecstatic about the hits that defense contractors are going to take in the event of a shutdown, I'd be even happier if we simply cut them out of the budget and out of the picture completely - but then they'd just sell to somebody else right? But the question is, is anyone else willing to pay them like we do? Because nobody does and besides, plenty of arms and ammunition get sold anyway.
So what's my problem with the gov't shutdown? That it is not about the people, about the lay constituent. It's about BS. It's about big money controlling our government and getting their way with or without the government there to watch. It's about our bloated idea of what it means to be secure and "free" at the same time. But it could be about self-collapsing the empire, withdrawing our troops, closing our foreign bases and worrying more about improving life at home, and it could start with redesigning the tax codes to reflect the difference in equity and lifestyle between a guy who makes $373,651 and a guy who's getting a million dollar salary and a four million dollar bonus; let alone the corporate tax rate, which, while it might be one of the highest in the world, topping out at 35% for the highest earners, apparently has plenty of loopholes so some of the highest earners don't have to pay any taxes at all! (I'm looking at you GE.) While medicare, medicaid and social security eat up much of the national budget, military spending (past and present) eats up most of the rest, what if that didn't have to be the case? What if instead of handing the reins to the security apparatus and giving the carte blanche back to the richest criminals in the world we could see a bigger picture?
If government is so expensive, why not try something else instead, like crowdsourcing? But that might be too transparent, too wikileaks. And why isn't this model more indicative of the direction our government is heading? 'cause it could be.
"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Ben Franklin
and, I don't mean to bring up old news (if there is such a thing) but this fits again:
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs." - Thomas Jefferson
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