What is Neoliberalism? Readings.

 

Neoliberalism – the ideology at the root of all our problems

 

What exactly is neoliberalism?

 

 

The Consequences of Neoliberalism in the Current Pandemic

 

 

The neoliberal era is ending. What comes next?

 

A Brief History of Neoliberalism
A book.

 

 

 

 

The Eve of Doomsday?

 

2020 is just the gift that keeps on giving. What do we have so far? A global pandemic filtered through political tribalism (mostly here in the U.S.). Cops murdering brown and black people setting off protests, riots and looting the likes of which we have not seen since 1968. Once again politics moves in and we miss the forest through trees. Instead of addressing concerns, we yammer on about lawless thugs, looters and the new bogeyman on the block, Antifa! Yes! that's right in today's America it is criminal to be Antifascist. I don't know about you cats but my Granddad, and two great uncles fought fascists and imperialists in World War II. Here in the Trump-side-down world of the Trump years people are actually learning to be afraid of Anti-Nazis, young people taking to the streets for justice and even the Democratic Party. You've seen the ad's. Will the police come when you call in Biden's America? "They" burnt down my business and the cops could not help me! Fear, Fear and yes more Fear...

I only dislike one thing more than Democrats and that's Republicans. How do they want to govern? They don't. They only want to abolish taxes for the richest among us, defend their own very narrow view of freedom (It is against my religion to insure your sexual health) and sew fear and hatred of anyone non-white and or anyone who makes under 30K a year (basically poor people of any color). The Republican Party has been the party of FEAR and NO for my entire adult life. They have given us staggering levels of income inequality, wars of choice and kick and scream "socialism" whenever it is suggested government do something to actually help people. Where is the Republican replacement for the Affordable Care Act? NO, that might help somebody! How do they respond to protests? Oh yeah, ridicule and water cannon. Never a single word about why they are protesting is spoken. Stagnant wages for the last fifty years / crushing personal debit? More tax breaks and cuts for the richest corporations and people will fix it! Republicans have phantom problems to solve like voter fraud. I'm sure this is more dark work of Antifa. Where is our opposition party, 

The Democrats? They, for the most part, go along with much of the above offering a little hand-wringing here and there and low-grade   grade school level political theater. See, they too are paid for by the same people to keep the existing power structure in place no matter the cost to the world for as long as possible. In any sane country (country with a healthy democracy and a critical thinking populace) the Trump Crime Family would have never got into power in the first place. Our brave Democrats have done little more than jump up and down and turn red faced. They have been totally ineffective. I'm sorry if this is news to you but here we are looking at a possible four more years (or more?) of Trump family rule. If this is good news to you, careful what you ask for. What are the alternatives? 

Vote for the Green Party? Stay home and do nothing? Vote for Trump and a quicker and painful death? Vote for Joe Biden to buy a little more time before complete collapse? Most likely, I'll vote for Joe. I like the Greens because I'm voting FOR something. But Trump has to go. One party rule is not for me. The Democrats are the only viable alternative. I have no illusions they can be reformed. I do think they will provide more stability and thus give us time to figure out better ways forward. I'm hopeful young Americans, given the chance, will completely reject the party of "NO," tax cuts for the rich and _____phobia. Stay home and do nothing is lame. How will you explain that to your grand kids? "Yeah, I figured the problems would just solve themselves." Do something! Even if it wrong! Just try! 

And Remember-----                   

The sun will rise on November 4th no matter the outcome. The wheels of life will keep on turning. I don't like the "fight" analogy so many are fond of. Keep fighting, fight harder and so on are worn out. We need a new approach and time to figure it out. Hate can and often does win in this world. I, for one, think we can and must do better.    

Quiet Trepidation

I feel the covid / 2020 blues almost as soon as I wake up. I can go places at my own risk. I worry for my brother, a paramedic, running Civid patients everyday. I think about my old work family going in every day to help the unemployed. I often wonder is it only a matter of time before I get covid. Will it the mild asymptomatic version or the express lane to the cemetery version? What about you? I know you are fighting your own battles and have your own worries. It only human. We like things to run smoothly. We like regularity. We may not admit it but we like certainty. 2020 is doing it's best to turn everything upside down. I can feel it in traffic via less courteousness and over aggression. I can see it in the eyes of fellow shoppers both masked and unmasked. Don't want to wear a mask? Fine but let your kid go without one? That is some kind of crazy ass narrative flowing through that cat's skull. "Look at all of these sheeple-(a term I detest) all masked up and afraid. Not me, not my kid." Yeah fine go ahead and risk your own life but your kid's? That kid is gonna be sure pissed off if he reaches adulthood and reads a history book about 2020! Corona cannot wait until fall!

Our national government is doing nothing about the pandemic or all the dire economic fallout. They decided to leave town and maybe deal with it or not when they return to Washington D.C. Meanwhile, cops keep being cops continuing to gun down black and brown people with impunity. When those people protest and loot to express their outrage, they are met with militarized police and white national types itching for a new "civil war" utterly clueless what such a calamity would really be like. (As someone with a Master's Degree in Conflict Resolution, I think this is highly unlikely. Our economics and demographics does not point toward civil war... yet.) Should the protesters stop until after the election? NO! Then Emperor Donald will lie about how he alone put down civic unrest for another bump in the polls. I'd like to see even more protests and better yet a national strike of some kind. Just keep in mind violence only benefits the state as they wipe the streets with your remains to the cheers of the crowd as fascism puts down deeper and deeper roots. If you are a protest organizer and some jackass starts talking guns and shooting cops, that individual is a cop in all likelihood. Send them packing! Want the elites to really squeeze their ass cheeks together, I recommend very large PEACEFUL protests and work stoppages. Shut Shit Down! This is a long process and about far more than this year's election. Now there are even questions about the peaceful transfer of power.

The peaceful transfer of power is one of our keys to stability. That seems under threat. The closer the election the more dicey it may be. The economy depends on a stable government and the rule of law. If we allow the crime family another four years, kiss any positive goals for our country good-bye. We can only expect more tax cuts, more deregulation and even more outlandish behavior. That's if we are lucky! The path to complete destruction is full of pain, violence and mass murder. Not a place we want to go. And can somebody / anybody wake up Joe Biden and the sleeping Democratic Party?

"I'm not Trump," is not a slogan for victors. I thought we learned that last time! Low on enthusiasm? That's fixable. Lead from the front, Joe- give us something to get excited about. Time's wasting but it is not too late. Have a dialogue with protesters. Pick an issue and run with it; taking climate change seriously, not just police reform- justice reform, a real national plan to deal with covid and his friends waiting their turn (the next covid / pandemic) or economic inequality. There are tons more! But you gotta lead from the front. Why the Democrats always let the Republicans frame the issues and dominate the news cycle is beyond me...

One last thing... If Trump does win (unlikely but damn sure possible), the world will not end. Sure it will be a major setback, but not the end of history or time. We will do what humans always have done when faced with adversity; adapt, adjust, improvise, rethink, organize and overcome.                      

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!!!!!!

People with Disabilities and Employment Post Covid

I'm a person with a physical disability. I owe any success I've had to my parents, those who helped win disability rights and a good education. I had the good fortune to be born after the time most anyone with a disability would have been institutionalized and soon forgotten (were we Great then?) No, this is not a political blog post. But just ask yourself the question Great for whom. At a very young age, I was taken out of my "special school" and tossed head first into public schools. Mind you, this was all the way back in the 70's. Over all, it worked out well for me. I went on to earn a bachelor degree, a requirement for two jobs I got still later that kept me independent for my adult life. I'd be dishonest if I did not thank North Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation as well. They paid for much of my education. That's just to give you an idea of my experience with employment as a person with a disability.        

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is far higher than the national average. It runs about double the rate for non-disabled people. It has always been far behind. I think we can change this for the better. With technology and investment things can and will change for the better post covid-19.

With new technology, the employment rate for people with disabilities should improve greatly. One thing we have learned from Covid, it is possible to do many jobs from home. The days of stuffing envelopes and piecemeal production as the only work for the home bound are thankfully over. Here is one site offering plenty of opportunities to work from home, ratracerebellion.com.  The keys are education and training. These are far better investments than small, monthly disability payments and subsidized housing possibly leading to a lifetime of poverty and unhappiness. Even paying for a bachelor degree is a small investment to get someone beyond the month to month struggle on disability payments for life. Not every worthwhile skill requires a four year degree. There are numerous certifications in the computer world that take less time yet are still well paying. This can give people with disabilities much more control or agency over their own lives. There is one more thing I think could be very helpful.

I think entrepreneurship among the disabled should be encouraged more. We can learn the high demand skills that interest and excite us. With the right skill sets it is possible to be in control of our days and destinies. Not everyone can work an 8am to 5pm fixed schedule job across town. Being self employed, we can set our own schedule as well as where we choose to work. Here is a good example, toddcecil.com (used with permission). Todd has worked solo almost his entire adult life, owns his own car, house and does tons of traveling. He truly leads by example.

I'm in no way saying all people with disabilities can work. There still needs to be disability payments for those who need it and it should pay enough to keep people out of poverty. I'm hopeful as technology improves, less people will feel disability is the only way forward.

Personally, I found this video very helpful, Locus of Control. It is how we view the world and our place in it.        

What a Time to be Alive

Friends, what a time to be alive! We are living through massive changes here at home and around the world. It seems every generation can say the same. My granddad lived an exemplary life as one of the greatest generation surviving the Great Depression, World War II in the Pacific, seeing people on the moon and the start of the internet age. Everyone says there will never be another generation like that. I disagree.

We always rise to face challenges. Our challenges are different. I'm impressed by the fact nuclear weapons have not been used since 1945. That's 75 years as of this writing. There have been some close calls, some more well known than others. But here we are. The over all number of nuclear weapons is lower but the danger is still clear and present. No, we cannot put the genie back in the bottle but we can and must keep working to avoid catastrophe. I hope we will.

I think it is also important to remember the world is a much more peaceful place. Yes, there are still wars raging but nothing like the scale of the two world wars. When was the last time all of Europe was at peace for 75 years (except the Balkans War)? Were the Romans in charge? It has been awhile. With the right documents, you can travel, tour and do business pretty safely in much of the world. Just do your homework! Despite all the scaremongering, crime is dawn. These times are overall safer.

Yes, covid-19 is still raging but it will not go on forever. Sooner or later, it too will be defeated. Most people are listening to medical professionals and taking precautions to protect themselves and the community. Try not to worry about those who are not, just take care of you- wear the uncomfortable mask, don't go out more than you have to and give others a lot of space when you do. Changes are going to come about as a result of covid. Let's do our part to make those changes for the better.         

Democrats 0-2? It May Happen

So Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris for Vice-President. That's a safe pick that will keep the donors happy. On the down side, there is no place for those of us wanting things like medicare for all, a Green New Deal jobs program or affordable education. You know, all the things that make us Radical Leftists. I mentioned in an earlier post today's Democrats are basically 80's Republicans. So if you are looking for large systemic changes (if Biden can even win) don't hold your breath. The never ending Neoliberal project looks secure for a few more election cycles. Trump may bring it down but with a staggering amount of destruction in the process.

Trump seems like a guy who wants to lose. The ONLY issue right now is Covid-19 and he seems to basically be uninterested. Nothing can go forward until the virus is under control. Ignoring it and crashing our healthcare system is no way to move forward but it looks like that's what our so called leaders want to do. Attacking Biden as some kind of Bernie controlled leftist is laughable. There are plenty of legitimate problems with Biden's long record to attack. Biden is also the ultimate Washington insider with 50 or so years in national politics. He will increase our taxes the Trump ads tell me. Guess what? No one gives a shit about taxes in the middle of a global pandemic and economic meltdown! Speaking of meltdowns, have you sat through any Trump interviews lately? He cannot give any reason he should get another four years or runs away if asked a question he does not like. What a truly great and inspiring leader! And the Democrats? They are doing their damnedest to go 0-2 to this clown!

Few are actually excited to vote for Biden. That's a big RED flag. Low turn out equals four more years of Emperor Donald. This election is about The Donald. A lot of people hate him but I'm not sure that alone will be enough. Say whatever you want about his core supporters but one thing is for sure, they will get off their asses and vote. Meanwhile, Biden thinks he can afford to ignore a huge chunk of the Democratic Party. Those of us who want things like single payer healthcare, a Green New Deal and affordable education are taken for granted because Trump. The left (the base?) has little enthusiasm for centrist half measures. Add to that we feel we were screwed in 2016. Some are going to say fuck the Democrats, let Trump have it. I'm not one of those. I'll show and tell you why.

             
To defend or somehow justify the above image takes an EVIL soul. Trump has proven over and over he is unfit for office. Putin has something on him. Trump takes Putin's side just a little too often for my taste. But if you think deregulation, tax cuts and right wing judges are worth the price, help him get four more years. I say no thanks. As bad as I think Biden is, I'll still vote for him. He's sane and offers a chance to return to a fact based world. Instead of watching and cringing at Biden gaffes, here's a pretty good interview.       

If the Democrats lose again (there is a good chance they will), they can blame their bankrupt ideology (neoliberalism) and inability to self-reflect. It will NOT be the fault of the Bernie brows, Greens or even Republican cheating.  

Beyond Covid- GWOT, Greta and Russia Phobes

So Covid-19 is still all the rage. One cannot check the news without a covid story or two. Poor ole Donald has to be so sad with it taking some of the media's attention off his tweets, outrageous statements and truly God Awful interviews. I think what is being ignored / unsaid / not discussed may say even more about the state of the world. We touched on this in a recent post and I think it is worth a deeper look.

We almost never hear about Iraq or Afghanistan any more. There is talk of a peace deal in Afghanistan but don't hold your breath. Forces far from the country are not really interested. The Donald would love a peace deal to revive his fading reelection chances. Oddly, this is one of the few of his positions I can agree with. He has no strategy on Iraq I'm aware of. That nightmare looks to be endless as of this writing. The people who live there deal everyday with the wrong end of American power. It is not an unpleasant news story for them, it's life. I'm not all that hopeful Ole Joe is going to make much improvement. He too, will likely carry on the GWOT and pass it on to his successor. He's got to win first. 

What about the Russians? Vladi has something on Donny. The only time they are in the news now is when 45 does them another favor. "Pulling 12,000 out of Germany!" Thanks! "Thinking of leaving NATO?" We love the idea! "Could you kindly leave Syria? Thanks again!" I'm not a Russia phobe but damn!

Meanwhile (The not your friends) Democrats want to start another cold war. They have returned to the 1980's. That's understandable when you stop and think 80's Republicans are basically what they have become. Yes, Putin is not a nice guy. But he is their guy for the foreseeable future. Deal with it. We are a rival power so don't act all shocked when he wants to interfere / influence our elections and politics. Ever hear of a place called Israel or China? They love our political system! And then there is US, the USA. We routinely overthrow governments we don't like. It is all a part of the fun and hardly worth restarting the cold war over. Take the necessary precautions and keep it moving. Russian vilification only helps defense contractors. Here's an idea Democrats; redo some of the treaties 45 has let lapse or dropped out of. Let's work on getting rid of some more  ICBM's. Being 80's Republicans is not helpful.         

Where is Greta? Did climate change turn over our extinction to Covid-19? No, Covid 19 is just the warm up band. The real show is soon to follow. I'm sure Earth liked the break in pollution as some of us took the pandemic seriously for a few months. There has been little real work on dealing with climate change. We are addicted too hard to our "suburban class lifestyle" with air conditioning, cars and an entire culture based on more, more, more!  There is no Magic Green Bullet that says this can continue to infinity. We are going to have to change our culture to save ourselves. If not, the Earth will change it for us- the hard way.      

How to change things? Change the conversation! Ask the hard questions! Most importantly, look in the mirror!