{"id":4372,"date":"2012-02-28T05:09:43","date_gmt":"2012-02-28T10:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=4372"},"modified":"2018-08-04T01:32:41","modified_gmt":"2018-08-04T05:32:41","slug":"sunday-february-28-2012-made-for-each-other-the-conservative-love-affair-with-communism-and-how-it-is-destroying-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=4372","title":{"rendered":"Sunday, February 28, 2012 \u2014 Made For Each Other: The Conservative Love Affair with Communism and How It Is Destroying Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a blog, not an aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic paper, and the con\u00adtent is dri\u00adven by per\u00adson\u00adal pas\u00adsion. I am very angry about what is hap\u00adpen\u00ading to my coun\u00adtry, and to North Amer\u00adi\u00adcan soci\u00adety as a whole, and this blog will not be tem\u00adper\u00adate in tone. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Con\u00adtem\u00adplate the fol\u00adlow\u00ading details very close\u00adly, because they are what is planned for you. <\/span><\/p>\n

You are an employ\u00adee in a fac\u00adto\u00adry. You have no union. Any\u00adone who attempts to form one, or even casu\u00adal\u00adly speaks of the pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty, will be arrest\u00aded and sent to a con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adtion camp. In fact, all sorts of polit\u00adi\u00adcal and reli\u00adgious dis\u00adsi\u00addents are sent to camps, where they are often dis\u00adas\u00adsem\u00adbled for med\u00adical parts [1<\/span><\/a><\/span>]. This sug\u00adgests cau\u00adtion is in order. Any\u00adway, the issue nev\u00ader comes up, for noth\u00ading along those lines has ever hap\u00adpened in your fac\u00adto\u00adry, and you have no notion of how work\u00aders could chal\u00adlenge or influ\u00adence any\u00adthing. Your employ\u00ader mon\u00adi\u00adtors and con\u00adtrols every aspect of your per\u00adson\u00adal life. You have no \u201cpri\u00advate\u201d life. You are unmar\u00adried, and will remain so. You live in sex\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly seg\u00adre\u00adgat\u00aded bar\u00adracks. There is lit\u00adtle free time to do any\u00adthing about it, any\u00adway, because your work shifts occu\u00adpy most of your time awake. If there is a sud\u00adden need for some change in pro\u00adduc\u00adtion, you are roused by supe\u00adri\u00adors at four in the morn\u00ading and sent to the assem\u00adbly line. If you are injured on the job, or expo\u00adsure to pol\u00adlu\u00adtants ren\u00adders you inca\u00adpable of work\u00ading, you are sim\u00adply thrown out with\u00adout com\u00adpen\u00adsa\u00adtion. You earn a pit\u00adtance. The shiny prod\u00aducts you pro\u00adduce are for export, and you could not afford to buy any of them. Not that you care. All you are con\u00adcerned with is keep\u00ading this \u201cgood\u201d job, which is actu\u00adal\u00adly one of the cov\u00adet\u00aded ones. All the oth\u00ader alter\u00adna\u00adtives are worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fac\u00adto\u00adry you work in is gleam\u00ading and new. All the best archi\u00adtects and engi\u00adneers have been employed in build\u00ading it, and it is a mar\u00advel of pro\u00adduc\u00adtive effi\u00adcien\u00adcy. The cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion incurred very low costs, and con\u00adstruct\u00aded it in record time. There were no envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal inquiries, no tedious legal bar\u00adri\u00aders, and no annoy\u00ading reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions to wor\u00adry about, once the Par\u00adty okayed the deal. Sev\u00ader\u00adal thou\u00adsand peo\u00adple lived on the select\u00aded site, but there is no \u201cpri\u00advate prop\u00ader\u00adty\u201d in this set up, at least when it comes to ordi\u00adnary peo\u00adple. The State owns all land. They were all cleared away at gun\u00adpoint, and their homes bull\u00addozed. They now live in a shan\u00adty\u00adtown slum. Few of them were for\u00adtu\u00adnate enough to get jobs in the new fac\u00adto\u00adry, like you were, so you give thanks for your good luck. What\u00adev\u00ader the Cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion needs to thrive is pro\u00advid\u00aded by an omnipo\u00adtent State, which owns and con\u00adtrols every\u00adthing in the final analy\u00adsis. It has at its dis\u00adpos\u00adal a huge army, a vig\u00ador\u00adous\u00adly active Secret Police, and a horde of local inform\u00aders who will rat on you if you step out of line. It con\u00adtrols all com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions, choos\u00ades who will be edu\u00adcat\u00aded and who will not, and makes sure that edu\u00adca\u00adtion includes a com\u00adplete\u00adly fic\u00adti\u00adtious \u201chis\u00adto\u00adry\u201d, with sub\u00adstan\u00adtial events sim\u00adply erased from the past. Life, even out\u00adside work, is sex\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly repres\u00adsive, rigid, and con\u00adformist. A small \u201cmid\u00addle class\u201d of tech\u00adni\u00adcal pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adals, man\u00adagers and Par\u00adty offi\u00adcials has access to a much more pleas\u00adant lifestyle, shops in shop\u00adping malls, goes to amuse\u00adment parks, looks up things on the (heav\u00adi\u00adly cen\u00adsored) Inter\u00adnet. Their life is a lot loos\u00ader, but they are adept at feel\u00ading out the lim\u00adits that they must stay with\u00adin, which con\u00adstant\u00adly shift with state pol\u00adi\u00adcy. Any\u00adway, things for this group are immea\u00adsur\u00adably bet\u00adter now than they were in the past, and they are not going to \u201crock the boat.\u201d How\u00adev\u00ader, as an ordi\u00adnary indus\u00adtri\u00adal work\u00ader, this does not con\u00adcern you. You have no access to any of these priv\u00adi\u00adleges and you don\u2019t expect to ever have, though you main\u00adtain a dim hope that your \u201cgood\u201d job will enable you to keep your fam\u00adi\u00adly from sink\u00ading back into the squalor of your native vil\u00adlage. Any\u00adway, you have lit\u00adtle to com\u00adpare with. The events of the pre\u00advi\u00adous gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion were so hor\u00adri\u00adble, that your par\u00adents won\u2019t even talk about them. As far as every\u00adone around you is con\u00adcerned, things just keep get\u00adting bet\u00adter and better.<\/span><\/p>\n

This, of course, is the Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive Utopia, the kind of soci\u00adety that every Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal yearns for, and con\u00adtem\u00adplates with sali\u00adva drip\u00adping from their lips. It\u2019s called \u201cCom\u00admu\u00adnism<\/em>.\u201d The work\u00ading con\u00addi\u00adtions described above are not from some dystopi\u00adan sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion nov\u00adel. They are the recent\u00adly doc\u00adu\u00adment\u00aded con\u00addi\u00adtions in some of the most pres\u00adti\u00adgious facil\u00adi\u00adties of glob\u00adal cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtur\u00ading in Chi\u00adna. Any\u00adone famil\u00adiar with Chi\u00adna knows that con\u00addi\u00adtions in many oth\u00ader Chi\u00adnese fac\u00adto\u00adries are much worse<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Com\u00admu\u00adnism is an ultra-con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive<\/em> ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy pro\u00admot\u00ading exploita\u00adtion, slav\u00adery, and geno\u00adcide. It has no con\u00adnec\u00adtion what\u00adso\u00adev\u00ader<\/em> with any\u00adthing pro\u00adgres\u00adsive, demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic, egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan, or \u201clib\u00ader\u00adal.\u201d It is, how\u00adev\u00ader, very close\u00adly con\u00adnect\u00aded<\/em> to the mod\u00adern Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive move\u00adment, which emerged in the Unit\u00aded States dur\u00ading the Rea\u00adgan admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion, sat\u00adu\u00adrat\u00aded Amer\u00adi\u00adcan life, and was sub\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly export\u00aded in var\u00adi\u00adous per\u00admu\u00adta\u00adtions to oth\u00ader coun\u00adtries (includ\u00ading my own, Cana\u00adda). It is this con\u00adnec\u00adtion that I intend to explore. It\u2019s a very inti\u00admate con\u00adnec\u00adtion, which has result\u00aded in the trans\u00adfer\u00adal of most of North America\u2019s wealth to the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty, a decades-long process that is now almost com\u00adplete. Con\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adal polit\u00adi\u00adcal thought con\u00adtin\u00adues to rep\u00adre\u00adsent Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives as ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal oppo\u00adnents of Com\u00admu\u00adnism. Noth\u00ading in the events of the last few decades sup\u00adports this mind\u00adless\u00adly repeat\u00aded notion.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you look at the many zeal\u00adous Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal mis\u00adsion\u00adar\u00adies, you are see\u00ading exact repli\u00adcas of the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty appa\u00adratchi\u00adki<\/em> that once preyed on East\u00adern Europe, like so many were\u00adwolves. Peo\u00adple such as Bill O\u2019Reilly or Ann Coul\u00adter are Com\u00admu\u00adnism incar\u00adnate, per\u00adfect exam\u00adples of ruth\u00adless, moral\u00adly cor\u00adrupt ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal fanat\u00adics claim\u00ading to voice the revealed \u201claws\u201d of his\u00adto\u00adry and eco\u00adnom\u00adics, obliv\u00adi\u00adous to any human suf\u00adfer\u00ading, con\u00adtemp\u00adtu\u00adous of the \u201cweak\u00adness\u201d of those they would destroy, and will\u00ading to tell any lie to advance their cause. Like most such loud pub\u00adlic bul\u00adlies, they are snivel\u00ading cow\u00adards in real life. Any per\u00adson who grew up in a Com\u00admu\u00adnist dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship would rec\u00adog\u00adnize them in an instant. The Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive move\u00adment that con\u00adsol\u00adi\u00addat\u00aded in the 1970s, in great part inspired by the philoso\u00adpher Leo Strauss, attract\u00aded exact\u00adly the same kind of per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adi\u00adties as the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty did in an ear\u00adli\u00ader gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion. Ruth\u00adless, vin\u00addic\u00adtive, back-stab\u00adbing zealots who crave the thrill of telling lies and manip\u00adu\u00adlat\u00ading peo\u00adple. (Strauss, in fact, open\u00adly taught the virtue<\/em> of telling lies, as Lenin did.) Many were old Marx\u00adists, anx\u00adious to jump from a sink\u00ading ship with\u00adout the incon\u00adve\u00adnience of actu\u00adal\u00adly chang\u00ading their ideas. These drew heav\u00adi\u00adly on that ear\u00adli\u00ader move\u00adment for both their tac\u00adti\u00adcal meth\u00adods and their ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal under\u00adpin\u00adnings. In short, Com\u00admu\u00adnism was rebrand\u00aded and remar\u00adket\u00aded with the label \u201cCon\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive.\u201d The most appro\u00adpri\u00adate term for this move\u00adment would be \u201cNeo-Com\u00admu\u00adnism.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But the main dan\u00adger to our free\u00addom is not from loud-mouthed colum\u00adnists and ide\u00ado\u00adlogues, or even Pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adtial can\u00addi\u00addates. They are mere\u00adly shlubbs who take orders from on high. What real\u00adly does dam\u00adage is the sol\u00adid core of wealthy and pow\u00ader\u00adful peo\u00adple who dri\u00adve the Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive agen\u00adda in our soci\u00adety. These are not \u201ctrue believ\u00aders,\u201d but cyn\u00adi\u00adcal, cold, cal\u00adcu\u00adlat\u00ading experts, who know where their inter\u00adests lie. They cre\u00adate an atmos\u00adphere of ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal fait accom\u00adpli<\/em> in the major insti\u00adtu\u00adtions of our soci\u00adety, whether busi\u00adness, indus\u00adtry, edu\u00adca\u00adtion, civ\u00adil ser\u00advice, or gov\u00adern\u00adment. They have built an enor\u00admous stock of glib asser\u00adtions and for\u00admu\u00adlae, with which they can move any insti\u00adtu\u00adtion in the direc\u00adtion they want. Few oppo\u00adnents get past this bluff\u00ading stuff, which is equiv\u00ada\u00adlent to the spu\u00adri\u00adous \u201csci\u00adence\u201d of Dialec\u00adtic Mate\u00adri\u00adal\u00adism, or the con\u00advo\u00adlut\u00aded the\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy of the Mid\u00addle Ages. <\/span><\/p>\n

Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives, like Com\u00admu\u00adnists, are always talk\u00ading in code. When they talk about the \u201cneed to be com\u00adpet\u00adi\u00adtive in a glob\u00adal econ\u00ado\u00admy,\u201d or the neces\u00adsi\u00adty of fac\u00ading \u201ceco\u00adnom\u00adic real\u00adi\u00adties,\u201d it is a disin\u00adgen\u00adu\u00adous code for \u201cwe will not be con\u00adtent until the aver\u00adage Amer\u00adi\u00adcan and Cana\u00addi\u00adan is reduced to the kind of exploita\u00adtion and degra\u00adda\u00adtion that the Chi\u00adnese work\u00ader suf\u00adfers, and we will not be stopped until we achieve this goal.<\/em>\u201d That degra\u00adda\u00adtion is, in fact, their ulti\u00admate aim and ide\u00adal. Com\u00admu\u00adnism, and the kind of oppres\u00adsion that Com\u00admu\u00adnism means for the aver\u00adage human being, is the final and com\u00adplete polit\u00adi\u00adcal expres\u00adsion of Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive values.<\/span><\/p>\n

Long ago, in this blog<\/span><\/a><\/span>, I heaped jus\u00adti\u00adfied scorn on those who claimed that the rul\u00ading Par\u00adty in Bei\u00adjing had \u201caban\u00addoned Com\u00admu\u00adnism,\u201d and that democ\u00adra\u00adcy in Chi\u00adna was just around the cor\u00adner, part of an inevitable process of reform that should not be tam\u00adpered with by ques\u00adtion\u00ading the Party\u2019s poli\u00adcies or motives. In 2007, I wrote :<\/span><\/p>\n

It is this hold on cen\u00adtral pow\u00ader that is the heart of the Com\u00admu\u00adnist ide\u00adol\u00adogy, not some par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar arrange\u00adment of man\u00adage\u00adment pol\u00adicy. If the regime choos\u00ades the loos\u00ader option, it is not any less Com\u00admu\u00adnist, and it is not in any sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant way chang\u00ading its ide\u00adol\u00adogy. Much non\u00adsense has been writ\u00adten about Chi\u00adna \u201caban\u00addon\u00ading Com\u00admu\u00adnism\u201d. This is not even remote\u00adly the case. Any\u00adone who is naive\u00adly wait\u00ading for \u201cdemo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adtic reforms\u201d to blos\u00adsom in the regime will wait for eter\u00adnity. As long as the cash flows in abun\u00addance, from glob\u00adal cor\u00adpo\u00adrate and state trans\u00adac\u00adtions, the Com\u00admu\u00adnist aris\u00adtoc\u00adracy will nev\u00ader vol\u00adun\u00adtar\u00adily relin\u00adquish their pow\u00ader. Why should they? What would make them? In fact, the Par\u00adty in Bei\u00adjing has made it per\u00adfectly plain that any move\u00adment toward democ\u00adracy among the peo\u00adple of Chi\u00adna will be swift\u00adly and bru\u00adtally crushed. This will not change. Ever.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I think my point can be tak\u00aden as proven. For a long time, much was made of the notion that the emer\u00adgence of a \u201cmid\u00addle class\u201d by itself auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly set in motion a process of dem\u00ado\u00adcriti\u00adza\u00adtion. There were few con\u00advinc\u00ading his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal exam\u00adples of this, but it was much repeat\u00aded. But after decades of wait\u00ading, this was more or less set aside. Claims that Chi\u00adna was democ\u00adra\u00adtiz\u00ading, how\u00adev\u00ader slow\u00adly, had already worn pret\u00adty thin when I wrote that piece. They were rit\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly trot\u00adted out by politi\u00adcians when they made anoth\u00ader trib\u00adu\u00adtary pil\u00adgrim\u00adage to Bei\u00adjing, in order to shrug off ques\u00adtions about human rights. Now, the bulk of com\u00admen\u00adtary assumes that, as long as Chi\u00adna devel\u00adopes a \u201cmar\u00adket econ\u00ado\u00admy,\u201d democ\u00adra\u00adcy and human rights are mere trim\u00adming, nice things that will prob\u00ada\u00adbly \u201cevolve\u201d in some remote future, but are not real\u00adly impor\u00adtant. Few imag\u00adine that Chi\u00adna will \u201cdemoc\u00adra\u00adtize\u201d or \u201clib\u00ader\u00adal\u00adize\u201d sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant\u00adly any time soon, and even few\u00ader care. Progress is to be mea\u00adsured by sky\u00adscrap\u00aders and indus\u00adtri\u00adal out\u00adput, not be human free\u00addom. This, of course, is the inevitable con\u00adse\u00adquence of assert\u00ading the pri\u00adma\u00adcy of eco\u00adnom\u00adic struc\u00adture over both moral\u00adi\u00adty and polit\u00adi\u00adcal forms. This asser\u00adtion under\u00adpins both Marx\u00adist and Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ideologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

What fas\u00adci\u00adnates and attracts Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives is not Chi\u00adna\u2019s poten\u00adtial for demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic progress, but some\u00adthing much more resem\u00adbling the stuff that devot\u00aded Com\u00admu\u00adnists used to preach: Chi\u00adna\u2019s rise as the next glob\u00adal eco\u00adnom\u00adic super\u00adpow\u00ader, tak\u00aden as self-evi\u00addent, and inevitable. His\u00adto\u00adry (rei\u00adfied and per\u00adson\u00adi\u00adfied, in the tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal Marx\u00adist fash\u00adion) is On The March<\/em>, and the drum\u00adbeat is to be set by the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Party.<\/span><\/p>\n

Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives are keen to pro\u00admote this notion, but it con\u00adflicts with the tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal mum\u00admery of \u201canti-com\u00admu\u00adnism\u201d ped\u00addled in the domes\u00adtic tent-show. The trick, then, is to avoid say\u00ading the words \u201cCom\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty.\u201d The bulk of dis\u00adcus\u00adsion in the media mere\u00adly refers to \u201cChi\u00adna\u201d. Few notice the dif\u00adfer\u00adence. In my writ\u00adings, I\u2019ve always been care\u00adful nev\u00ader to refer to any polit\u00adi\u00adcal or eco\u00adnom\u00adic activ\u00adi\u00adty by the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty of the Peo\u00adples Repub\u00adlic of Chi\u00adna as being done by \u201cChi\u00adna\u201d or \u201cthe Chi\u00adnese.\u201d I am on the side of the peo\u00adple<\/em> of Chi\u00adna, who are quite dis\u00adtinct from the crim\u00adi\u00adnal scum who rule over and exploit them. You will nev\u00ader hear me refer to these crim\u00adi\u00adnals as \u201cChi\u00adna\u201d. They are the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty, and should always be called by that name, and by no other.<\/span><\/p>\n

His\u00adtori\u00adcism \u2015 the doc\u00adtrine that some par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar polit\u00adi\u00adcal enti\u00adty is mys\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly fore-ordained and des\u00adtined to rule \u2015 is a clas\u00adsic com\u00adpo\u00adnent of Marx\u00adist and Nation\u00adal Social\u00adist think\u00ading, and has been applied to every empire-on-the-make. His\u00adtori\u00adcism has always appealed to the greedy and pow\u00ader-hun\u00adgry, who are eager to re-inforce the notion that they\u2019ve hopped on the right band\u00adwag\u00adon. In 2012, the right band\u00adwag\u00adon is the (dis\u00adcrete\u00adly unnamed) Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty. Every\u00adone eager to make a buck, or pro\u00adtect their bucks, is going to pro\u00adclaim that its suprema\u00adcy was pre-ordained, is unstop\u00adpable, inevitable, and right. See what hap\u00adpens if you sug\u00adgest, in any respectable pub\u00adlic forum, that a pub\u00adlic pol\u00adi\u00adcy be pur\u00adsued in the Unit\u00aded States or Cana\u00adda that in any way<\/em> con\u00adflicts with the pros\u00adper\u00adi\u00adty and future dom\u00adi\u00adnance of the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty. The cho\u00adrus of denun\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion will be defean\u00ading, and it will be tricked out in the \u201cmar\u00adket\u201d ver\u00adsion of pre\u00addes\u00adti\u00adna\u00adtion, lit\u00adtle dif\u00adfer\u00adent from the old Marx\u00adist his\u00adtori\u00adcism. If the prod\u00aducts export\u00aded from Chi\u00adna are cheap because the peo\u00adple of Chi\u00adna are crim\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly exploit\u00aded, experts in the media will insist, the solu\u00adtion can nev\u00ader be<\/em> to pre\u00advent or lim\u00adit the pur\u00adchase of goods pro\u00adduced by crime. Peo\u00adple who down\u00adload a copy of a tv show from the inter\u00adnet are dead\u00adly men\u00adaces whom the tax\u00adpay\u00ader must pay to hunt down and pros\u00ade\u00adcute, but some\u00adone who locks a hun\u00addred women in a fire\u00adtrap build\u00ading and chains them to their sewing machines, beat\u00ading them with a stick when they don\u2019t pro\u00adduce, and can deliv\u00ader a cot\u00adton gar\u00adment for fifty cents to be sold here for fifty dol\u00adlars, is not to be hin\u00addered in any way. The rea\u00adson giv\u00aden is always lit\u00adtle more than some indi\u00adrect way of stat\u00ading that the whole world must<\/em> con\u00adform to the stan\u00addards, poli\u00adcies and morals of the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty, because its supe\u00adri\u00ador\u00adi\u00adty and des\u00adtined suprema\u00adcy is inevitable and unstop\u00adpable. Again, it is polit\u00adi\u00adcal Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives<\/em> who most con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly put forth this argu\u00adment, echoed by cor\u00adpo\u00adrate pow\u00ader and the rich in general.<\/span><\/p>\n

For us to under\u00adstand how this ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal imper\u00ada\u00adtive has been fol\u00adlowed, I will have to make clear who most ben\u00ade\u00adfits from the cur\u00adrent sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion. It is not the peo\u00adple of the Unit\u00aded States and Cana\u00adda, nor is it the peo\u00adple of Chi\u00adna. It is a small group of indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals and fam\u00adi\u00adlies who con\u00adsti\u00adtute the glob\u00adal aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy. The present glob\u00adal aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy, who pos\u00adsess wealth unimag\u00adin\u00adable to any ordi\u00adnary per\u00adson, include a hand\u00adful of tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal inno\u00adva\u00adtors who built indus\u00adtries, but the over\u00adwhelm\u00ading major\u00adi\u00adty of them<\/em> are mem\u00adbers of ancient Euro\u00adpean aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic fam\u00adi\u00adlies, old Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty gang\u00adsters, scions of the third world mon\u00adarchs who were installed by the colo\u00adnial pow\u00aders (such as the Saud\u00adis), drug lords, arms deal\u00aders, stock mar\u00adket and real estate manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtors, or mil\u00adi\u00adtary thugs sit\u00adting on valu\u00adable chunks of nat\u00adur\u00adal resources. The cor\u00adner\u00adstone of the glob\u00adal econ\u00ado\u00admy, the oil indus\u00adtry, which direct\u00adly or indi\u00adrect\u00adly deter\u00admines the nature of every trans\u00adac\u00adtion on earth, is owned over\u00adwhelm\u00ading\u00adly by hered\u00adi\u00adtary nobil\u00adi\u00adty, mil\u00adi\u00adtary dic\u00adta\u00adtors, or ex-KGB goons.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is not, how\u00adev\u00ader, how the mem\u00adbers of this aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy view them\u00adselves, or like to talk about them\u00adselves. Every one of this mangy assort\u00adment sees them\u00adself as a sort of Ran\u00addi\u00adan super-hero \u2015 a per\u00adson who deserves every pen\u00adny of their wealth because of the inate supe\u00adri\u00ador\u00adi\u00adty they pos\u00adsess as a mem\u00adber of the \u201ccre\u00adative class.\u201d The more obvi\u00adous\u00adly these \u201ccre\u00adative\u201d super\u00admen acquired their wealth through inher\u00adi\u00adtance or crime, the more aggres\u00adsive\u00adly they will pro\u00admote them\u00adselves as a mer\u00adi\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy. This is echoed even more vocif\u00ader\u00adous\u00adly by the small fry, the par\u00advenus aching to join the upper echelons.<\/span><\/p>\n

This psy\u00adchol\u00ado\u00adgy can be shown with a very small exam\u00adple. Leo Den\u00adnis Kozlows\u00adki was the CEO<\/span> of Tyco Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal from 1976 to 2002, and was briefly among the wealth\u00adi\u00adest men in the Unit\u00aded States. Tyco Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal was a hold\u00ading com\u00adpa\u00adny that may, in its ear\u00adly days, have financed and nur\u00adtured some cre\u00adative endeav\u00adors, but by the time Kozlows\u00adki became CEO<\/span> it grew fat by buy\u00ading up com\u00adpa\u00adnies, strip\u00adping them of their assets, and destroy\u00ading them. Tyco absorbed over a thou\u00adsand com\u00adpa\u00adnies in this way, in fields as var\u00adied as fiber-optic cable and dis\u00adpos\u00adable dia\u00adpers. Those that were not shut down were agres\u00adsive\u00adly \u201cdown\u00adsized,\u201d their Amer\u00adi\u00adcan employ\u00adees elim\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded, the remain\u00ading jobs export\u00aded. Kozlows\u00adki, in this way, sub\u00adtract\u00aded a con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adable amount of pro\u00adduc\u00adtive indus\u00adtry from the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan econ\u00ado\u00admy. For this achieve\u00adment, he was the object of gush\u00ading admi\u00adra\u00adtion among Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives colum\u00adnists, and graced the cov\u00ader of Busi\u00adness Week. Few\u00ader jobs for uppi\u00adty, demand\u00ading Amer\u00adi\u00adcans, and more jobs for obe\u00addi\u00adent and con\u00adtrol\u00adlable Chi\u00adnese work\u00aders! More Amer\u00adi\u00adcan pro\u00adduc\u00adtion was being elim\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded. Kozlows\u00adki was anoth\u00ader hero push\u00ading the heavy wag\u00adon of his\u00adto\u00adry down the cor\u00adrect path of des\u00adtiny. But the only \u201ccre\u00adativ\u00adi\u00adty\u201d that Kozlows\u00adki brought to the enter\u00adprise was the inspi\u00adra\u00adtion of team\u00ading up with CFO<\/span> Mark Schwartz, who helped him cook the com\u00adpa\u00adny books and steal a hun\u00addred and fifty mil\u00adlion dol\u00adlars from share\u00adhold\u00aders. Even with\u00adin the lim\u00adits of what\u2019s legal, share\u00adhold\u00aders end\u00aded up pay\u00ading for the $6,000 show\u00ader cur\u00adtains in our hero\u2019s $30,000,000 apart\u00adment, a $15,000 umbrel\u00adla stand, and a mil\u00adlion dol\u00adlar birth\u00adday par\u00adty graced with a life-sized ice sculp\u00adture of Michelangelo\u2019s David<\/em> uri\u00adnat\u00ading Stolich\u00adnaya vod\u00adka. Nev\u00ader\u00adthe\u00adless, when Kozlows\u00adki sur\u00adpris\u00ading\u00adly faced prison for his crim\u00adi\u00adnal activ\u00adi\u00adties, he was wide\u00adly regard\u00aded as a mar\u00adtyr in the busi\u00adness press. He cer\u00adtain\u00adly regard\u00aded him\u00adself as such. From his pub\u00adlic pro\u00adnounce\u00adments, it is appar\u00adent that he con\u00adsid\u00adered him\u00adself the supreme exam\u00adple of the innate\u00adly supe\u00adri\u00ador per\u00adson, the quin\u00adtes\u00adsence of the \u201ccre\u00adative class,\u201d a noble exam\u00adple of the aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy of mer\u00adit brought down by the jeal\u00adousy and resent\u00adment of the rab\u00adble. Didn\u2019t they know that he deserved<\/em> a $15,000 umbrel\u00adla stand, and that mere laws and reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions should nev\u00ader have stood between him and and its acqui\u00adsi\u00adtion? Mul\u00adti\u00adply Kozlows\u00adki a thou\u00adsand times, and you get the clam\u00ador\u00ading horde of self-styled \u201centre\u00adpre\u00adneurs\u201d who have strip-mined the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan and Cana\u00addi\u00adan economies, and you get an idea of the tone on the pre\u00adcar\u00adi\u00adous fringes of the glob\u00adal aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy. Greg Palast, a jour\u00adnal\u00adist who uncov\u00aders busi\u00adness and stock mar\u00adket fraud, once asked a par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly loath\u00adsome bil\u00adlion\u00adaire why he both\u00adered going to con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adable trou\u00adble, mere\u00adly to devise a com\u00adpli\u00adcat\u00aded fraud that robbed a few hun\u00addred dol\u00adlars worth of fuel from every\u00adone who lived on an impov\u00ader\u00adished Indi\u00adan reser\u00adva\u00adtion. His answer: \u201cBecause I want every pen\u00adny that\u2019s com\u00ading to me.\u201d There are hun\u00addreds of this type, small fry with a few hun\u00addred mil\u00adlions, but they remain inse\u00adcure. The real\u00adly<\/em> wealthy and the real\u00adly<\/em> pow\u00ader\u00adful have less neu\u00adro\u00adsis and more con\u00adfi\u00addence in the per\u00adma\u00adnence and inher\u00adi\u00adtabil\u00adi\u00adty of their pow\u00ader. They gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly do not pub\u00adlicly boast about how cre\u00adative they are. But they hold, in the long run, the same sense of entitlement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nor do these upper ech\u00ade\u00adlons both\u00ader to talk among them\u00adselves about the \u201cfree mar\u00adket\u201d, which is always good for impress\u00ading the yokels, but is not tak\u00aden seri\u00adous\u00adly. Any\u00adone who imag\u00adines that the rich believe in the mer\u00adits of com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion or free mar\u00adkets is, to put it blunt\u00adly, a fool. Com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion and free mar\u00adkets can poten\u00adtial\u00adly take away wealth from the already wealthy. Nobody who has real wealth or exer\u00adcis\u00ades real pow\u00ader wants any kind of free mar\u00adket to exist. \u201cFree mar\u00adket\u201d rhetoric among the rich is mere\u00adly the equiv\u00ada\u00adlent of \u201csocial jus\u00adtice\u201d blath\u00ader from Marx\u00adists. Nei\u00adther group ever has, or ever will, have the slight\u00adest inter\u00adest in these con\u00adcepts, except as pro\u00adpa\u00adgan\u00adda tools. When pro\u00adtest\u00aders take aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic claims at face val\u00adue<\/em>, and imag\u00adine that they are fight\u00ading against \u201cfree mar\u00adket cap\u00adi\u00adtal\u00adism,\u201d or some such non\u00adsense, instead of against ordi\u00adnary, his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly tried-and-true aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy, they pro\u00adfound\u00adly mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand the nature of pow\u00ader. They then have lit\u00adtle hope of suc\u00adcess\u00adful\u00adly fight\u00ading it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgists are, in fact, no more sup\u00adport\u00adive of a free mar\u00adket than was Lenin or Mao. They aggres\u00adsive\u00adly oppose the three most fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal prin\u00adci\u00adples of a free market. <\/span><\/p>\n

The first prin\u00adci\u00adple of gen\u00aduine free mar\u00adket the\u00ado\u00adry is that a free mar\u00adket can only exist among a free peo\u00adple. Polit\u00adi\u00adcal free\u00addom and democ\u00adra\u00adcy are the fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal pre\u00adreq\u00adui\u00adsites of any free mar\u00adket. The Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive doc\u00adtrine is quite the oppo\u00adsite, that polit\u00adi\u00adcal democ\u00adra\u00adcy is irrel\u00ade\u00advant to the mar\u00adket, and that \u201ceco\u00adnom\u00adic free\u00addom\u201d (mean\u00ading the unhin\u00addered activ\u00adi\u00adty of cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions and aris\u00adto\u00adcrats) can exist inde\u00adpen\u00addent\u00adly of polit\u00adi\u00adcal free\u00addom. Thus, the econ\u00ado\u00admy of Augus\u00adto Pinochet\u2019s dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship in Chile, in which slices of the pie were divid\u00aded among Pinochet\u2019s rel\u00ada\u00adtives, in exact\u00adly<\/em> the same way that the slices of the pie in Cuba are divid\u00aded among Fidel Cas\u00adtro\u2019s rel\u00ada\u00adtives, was nev\u00ader\u00adthe\u00adless uni\u00adver\u00adsal\u00adly described as a \u201cfree mar\u00adket\u201d economy! <\/span><\/p>\n

The sec\u00adond prin\u00adci\u00adple is what is called the \u201clev\u00adel play\u00ading field\u201d, by which is meant that trade in a free mar\u00adket requires all par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpants to be sub\u00adject to the same rules. Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive doc\u00adtrine insists that there should be no \u201clev\u00adel play\u00ading field,\u201d that Amer\u00adi\u00adcan and Cana\u00addi\u00adan work\u00aders in a democ\u00adra\u00adcy should \u201ccom\u00adpete\u201d with slaves in slave labour camps, or peas\u00adants bru\u00adtal\u00adized by tor\u00adture and ter\u00adror, and that these dif\u00adfer\u00adences mere\u00adly amount to juris\u00addic\u00adtion\u00adal vagaries with\u00adin \u201cthe market\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

The third prin\u00adci\u00adple is that the par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpants in a free mar\u00adket must be indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals, each account\u00adable for their actions, each respon\u00adsi\u00adble for their out\u00adcomes. The very con\u00adcept of a mod\u00adern cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion, of course, vio\u00adlates this prin\u00adci\u00adple, as it attrib\u00adut\u00ades \u201cper\u00adson\u00adhood\u201d to an abstract col\u00adlec\u00adtive enti\u00adty, one that can\u00adnot be held account\u00adable in any real sense, or face real pun\u00adish\u00adment for wrong-doing. Any of the injus\u00adtices and inef\u00adfi\u00adcien\u00adcies that Friedrich von Hayek iden\u00adti\u00adfied in the \u201ccom\u00admand economies\u201d of the total\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan State log\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly apply to the equal\u00adly cen\u00adtral\u00adized \u201ccom\u00admand economies\u201d of cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions. (Hayek\u2019s argu\u00adments were based on the nature of infor\u00adma\u00adtion flow in any col\u00adlec\u00adtive orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion. If inef\u00adfi\u00adcien\u00adcy and injus\u00adtice are innate to a \u201cstate\u201d with a bud\u00adget of a bil\u00adlion dol\u00adlars, then the same inher\u00adent prob\u00adlems apply to a cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion with a bud\u00adget of a bil\u00adlion dol\u00adlars.) Mod\u00adern Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives not only espouse this kind of bla\u00adtant col\u00adlec\u00adtivism, they extend it to its log\u00adi\u00adcal end: the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty is seen as just anoth\u00ader cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion, a con\u00adstituent part of the Mar\u00adket. You or I might be tarred with the sin of \u201csocial\u00adism\u201d if we joined in a union, or even opened a con\u00adsumer co-op. But the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty itself, guilty of mass-mur\u00adder and crim\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adi\u00adty on a vast scale, cen\u00adtral\u00adly planned and claim\u00ading the absolute own\u00ader\u00adship of a bil\u00adlion human beings, is a mem\u00adber in good stand\u00ading of the \u201cfree mar\u00adket.\u201d All you have to do is add \u201cInc.\u201d to the end of \u201cCom\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty\u201d and the log\u00adic works out thus: the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty is a legit\u00adi\u00admate cor\u00adpo\u00adrate part of the free mar\u00adket; mar\u00adket forces reward con\u00adsol\u00adi\u00adda\u00adtion and cen\u00adtral\u00adiza\u00adtion; if mar\u00adket forces made the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty the sole eco\u00adnom\u00adic enti\u00adty, then that would be quite with\u00adin the rules; ergo, the ulti\u00admate expres\u00adsion of the Free Mar\u00adket can be total con\u00adtrol of the world by the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty. But the argu\u00adment is nev\u00ader car\u00adried that far, because it would expose its inbuilt absur\u00addi\u00adty. Besides, it is all just agit\u00adprop. The \u201cfree mar\u00adket\u201d is mere\u00adly a rhetor\u00adi\u00adcal tool for bam\u00adboo\u00adzling the suckers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cun-lev\u00adel play\u00ading field\u201d is more than just a con\u00adtra\u00addic\u00adtion in Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive rhetoric. It is the prin\u00adci\u00adple tool that Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives have used to destroy the pro\u00adduc\u00adtive economies of the Unit\u00aded States and Cana\u00adda, and to trans\u00adfer their wealth to the pre\u00adferred polit\u00adi\u00adcal enti\u00adty, the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty. The pro\u00adduc\u00adtive indus\u00adtry of the Unit\u00aded States and Cana\u00adda has been sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly dis\u00adman\u00adtled over the last gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion. The Unit\u00aded States is bank\u00adrupt (in truth, if not in name), with a sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant por\u00adtion of its astro\u00adnom\u00adi\u00adcal debt in the hands of the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty, and much of the rest scat\u00adtered among an assort\u00adment of dic\u00adta\u00adtors, kings, and gang\u00adsters. Cana\u00adda is in bet\u00adter fis\u00adcal shape, but it\u2019s pro\u00adduc\u00adtive indus\u00adtry is under the same kind of attack through its cur\u00adrent Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive Par\u00adty admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion. Prime Min\u00adis\u00adter Harp\u00ader (fresh\u00adly back from a grov\u00adel\u00ading trip to Bei\u00adjing) is eager to have it return to its colo\u00adnial sta\u00adtus as a back\u00adwoods exporter of nat\u00adur\u00adal resources. Plans are afoot to hand over con\u00adtrol of key Cana\u00addi\u00adan nat\u00adur\u00adal resources to a PRC<\/span> state enter\u00adprise. Mean\u00adwhile, every Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive par\u00adty pol\u00adi\u00adcy con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly side\u00adlines indus\u00adtry. Our once most cre\u00adative indus\u00adtri\u00adal cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion, Research In Motion (with its ground\u00adbreak\u00ading Black\u00adber\u00adry), is col\u00adlaps\u00ading in a sham\u00adbles of man\u00adage\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal chaos, which I sus\u00adpect will turn out to be root\u00aded in malfea\u00adsance or finan\u00adcial gut\u00adting. The great fac\u00adto\u00adries that once ringed Toron\u00adto and Mon\u00adtre\u00adal are now most\u00adly silent. Que\u00adbec and Ontario, the coun\u00adtry\u2019s indus\u00adtri\u00adal heart\u00adland, are not much bet\u00adter off than the Unit\u00aded States.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Unit\u00aded States does not have the same bankroll of nat\u00adur\u00adal resources, and has suf\u00adfered longer rule by more fanat\u00adi\u00adcal Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives. It\u2019s indus\u00adtri\u00adal base is pret\u00adty much gone. Recent\u00adly, when Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma invit\u00aded the new CEO<\/span> of Apple, Inc. to the White House, it is said that he asked him \u201cwhat would it take for Apple to man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adture the iPod in Amer\u00adi\u00adca?\u201d The answer he got sur\u00adprised him, but it would not have sur\u00adprised me. The mak\u00ading of an iPod by Amer\u00adi\u00adcan work\u00aders would only add a triv\u00adial amount to its man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtur\u00ading cost, eas\u00adi\u00adly absorbed by a com\u00adpa\u00adny with such spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar prof\u00adit mar\u00adgins \u2014 but it would nev\u00ader hap\u00adpen. Why? Because there is no longer a func\u00adtion\u00ading Amer\u00adi\u00adcan sup\u00adply chain. The intri\u00adcat\u00aded web of sup\u00adport\u00ading indus\u00adtries, sub-indus\u00adtries and ser\u00advices that once made the Unit\u00aded States the dom\u00adi\u00adnant indus\u00adtri\u00adal pow\u00ader of the world, a net\u00adwork built up by gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions of dynam\u00adic eco\u00adnom\u00adic cre\u00adativ\u00adi\u00adty, no longer exists. The last gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion has seen its com\u00adplete dis\u00adin\u00adte\u00adgra\u00adtion. The oblit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of both America\u2019s heavy indus\u00adtry, and the com\u00adplex sup\u00adply chain that sup\u00adport\u00aded it, is not the result of blind chance. It is the out\u00adcome of delib\u00ader\u00adate pol\u00adi\u00adcy. I would con\u00adtend that much of that pol\u00adi\u00adcy is made to please a glob\u00adal aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy that has no par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar inter\u00adest in the well-being or future of Amer\u00adi\u00adcans and Cana\u00addi\u00adans, but has con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adable access to elect\u00aded offi\u00adcials. As long as the bulk of vot\u00aders are pre\u00adoc\u00adcu\u00adpied with sil\u00adly \u201cper\u00adson\u00adal\u00adi\u00adty\u201d issues or reli\u00adgious obses\u00adsions, these eco\u00adnom\u00adic poli\u00adcies will be shaped with\u00adout their knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n

With their chil\u00addren attend\u00ading Swiss schools, their hous\u00ades in France or the Caribbean, and their emo\u00adtion\u00adal loy\u00adal\u00adties with an inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal sub\u00adcul\u00adture of wealth and pres\u00adtige, the (tech\u00adni\u00adcal\u00adly) Amer\u00adi\u00adcan and Cana\u00addi\u00adan rich don\u2019t much wor\u00adry about most domes\u00adtic issues. But they do care about tax\u00ada\u00adtion. No mat\u00adter how lit\u00adtle they pay after the appro\u00adpri\u00adate off-shoring, kick\u00adbacks, exemp\u00adtions and spe\u00adcial priv\u00adi\u00adleges, it is a point of Aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic Hon\u00adour to resist even the impli\u00adca\u00adtion<\/em> that they should pay. Out come the sound bites about the men\u00adace of \u201csocial\u00adism.\u201d It is cus\u00adtom\u00adary to inform us that \u201cthe fall of the Sovi\u00adet Union demon\u00adstrat\u00aded that redis\u00adtri\u00adb\u00adu\u00adtion of wealth leads to dis\u00adas\u00adter.\u201d This is typ\u00adi\u00adcal Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive sophistry, based on a mix\u00adture of mys\u00adti\u00adcal rev\u00ade\u00adla\u00adtion, fan\u00adta\u00adsy, and lies. No Com\u00admu\u00adnist regime ever \u201credis\u00adtrib\u00aduted\u201d any\u00adthing, except in the sense that the Com\u00admu\u00adnist aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy stole every\u00adthing from every\u00adone and gave it to them\u00adselves. The Sovi\u00adet Union did not fall because it was gen\u00ader\u00adous to its peo\u00adple, or because it taxed the rich. The Sovi\u00adet rich lived in fab\u00adu\u00adlous lux\u00adu\u00adry, the aver\u00adage Sovi\u00adet cit\u00adi\u00adzen lived in squalor. The few soci\u00adeties in the world that do<\/em> prac\u00adtice a sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant amount of \u201credis\u00adtrib\u00adu\u00adtive\u201d tax\u00ada\u00adtion, such as the Scan\u00addi\u00adna\u00advian coun\u00adtries, are democ\u00adra\u00adcies<\/em>, and are also pros\u00adper\u00adous soci\u00adeties, with a high\u00ader stan\u00addard of liv\u00ading than the U.S. or Cana\u00adda, and thriv\u00ading com\u00admerce and man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtur\u00ading. Curi\u00adous\u00adly, the evils of \u201csocial\u00adism,\u201d are nev\u00ader on the table when it comes to Chi\u00adna and its Com\u00admu\u00adnist Party.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sim\u00adi\u00adlar sophistries appear when it comes to the mas\u00adsive unem\u00adploy\u00adment and under-employ\u00adment that has appeared in the Unit\u00aded States, and the less dra\u00admat\u00adic, but still wor\u00adri\u00adsome under-employ\u00adment in Cana\u00adda. Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives insist that we must nev\u00ader tax the wealthy, because they are the \u201ccre\u00adative ele\u00adment\u201d of the soci\u00adety that \u201cmakes the jobs\u201d for us. When we ask in turn, \u201cso where are the jobs we used to have, in fac\u00adto\u00adries and lab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adto\u00adries, rather than in burg\u00ader restau\u00adrants?\u201d they quick\u00adly change their tone. In the man\u00adner of a par\u00adent dis\u00admiss\u00ading a whin\u00ading child, they scold: \u201cthose jobs are nev\u00ader com\u00ading back again.\u201d End of dis\u00adcus\u00adsion. Appar\u00adent\u00adly we must not tax them for fear that they will not \u201cgive\u201d us the jobs that they are not cre\u00adat\u00ading any\u00adway, and have no inten\u00adtion of cre\u00adat\u00ading. In real\u00adi\u00adty, as the Unit\u00aded States and Cana\u00adda have acquired greater and greater income dif\u00adfer\u00aden\u00adtials, with the wealth\u00adi\u00adest stra\u00adtum get\u00adting more and more absurd\u00adly well off, these same peo\u00adple have not only refused to make any<\/em> sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant invest\u00adment in pro\u00adduc\u00adtion in our coun\u00adtries, they have sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly destroyed what pro\u00adduc\u00adtion we had.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are sev\u00ader\u00adal ways to get wealthy. One is sim\u00adple enough: steal stuff. Much of his\u00adto\u00adry con\u00adsists of aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcies sim\u00adply plun\u00adder\u00ading what\u00adev\u00ader is avail\u00adable. The peas\u00adants grow the crops because they must, if they hope to sur\u00advive. Aris\u00adto\u00adcrats ride in with swords and armour, and take it. If they\u2019re espe\u00adcial\u00adly clever, they leave enough so that some peas\u00adants sur\u00advive and grow more crops; or they make a \u201cpro\u00adtec\u00adtion deal\u201d where they steal a lit\u00adtle bit less than the aris\u00adto\u00adcrat down the road, and promise to keep him from com\u00ading in. On such pro\u00adtec\u00adtion rack\u00adets, the basic Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive world\u00adview was found\u00aded. In return for not being killed, the bulk of human beings sub\u00admit to rule by a \u201cnat\u00adur\u00adal\u201d aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy, gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly hered\u00adi\u00adtary, always deferred to and priv\u00adi\u00adleged above the com\u00admon crowd. The his\u00adto\u00adry books write about them (and pret\u00adty much only them), and they get to be the \u201creal\u201d peo\u00adple, while the rest of us are dis\u00adpos\u00adable spear-carriers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anoth\u00ader way, much more dif\u00adfi\u00adcult, and char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtic of rel\u00ada\u00adtive\u00adly free peo\u00adple, is to cre\u00adate things of val\u00adue and trade them to oth\u00ader peo\u00adple, who also cre\u00adate things of val\u00adue. This is a lot of work, requires you to be rel\u00ada\u00adtive\u00adly smart, and can\u00adnot be achieved mere\u00adly by being born of the right fam\u00adi\u00adly. It also requires you to deal just\u00adly and fair\u00adly with oth\u00ader peo\u00adple. If you are inclined to Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy, this part is par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly oner\u00adous, because deal\u00ading fair\u00adly with peo\u00adple requires you to treat them as equals, and under\u00admines the fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive val\u00adues of rank and def\u00ader\u00adence. Hon\u00adest trade of this kind does not involve the thrill of dom\u00adi\u00adnance and bul\u00adly\u00ading, the delights of theft, and the orgas\u00admic rush of hav\u00ading peo\u00adple grov\u00adel before you. The wealth that you get this way is not much fun. It cer\u00adtain\u00adly doesn\u2019t appeal to some\u00adone who feels an urgent need for an ice-David<\/em> that piss\u00ades vodka.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are a true Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive, and a suc\u00adcess\u00adful aris\u00adto\u00adcrat, the ide\u00adal way of get\u00adting wealth, which does not involve the incon\u00adve\u00adnient risk of fight\u00ading for it, and the unsat\u00adis\u00adfy\u00ading bore\u00addom of work\u00ading for it, is to posi\u00adtion your\u00adself some\u00adwhere where the wealth flows through you<\/em>. Mon\u00adey must move, in large amounts, from one place to anoth\u00ader, pass\u00ading through you, cre\u00adat\u00ading the world of lux\u00adu\u00adry and pres\u00adtige that you crave. This requires there to be an \u201cupstream\u201d and a \u201cdown\u00adstream.\u201d When local economies are dynam\u00adic and cre\u00adative, in a demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic soci\u00adety, they are con\u00adstant\u00adly re-absorb\u00ading their own cap\u00adi\u00adtal. Wealth is being cre\u00adat\u00aded in great quan\u00adti\u00adty, but it is always being re-invest\u00aded. It is always being used, and it always group\u00ading and regroup\u00ading in unpre\u00addictable pat\u00adterns among a great num\u00adber of peo\u00adple. Peo\u00adple in gen\u00ader\u00adal are pros\u00adper\u00ading. In an eco\u00adnom\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly cre\u00adative soci\u00adety, it is actu\u00adal\u00adly quite dif\u00adfi\u00adcult for any\u00adone to accu\u00admu\u00adlate a huge per\u00adson\u00adal for\u00adtune. A pro\u00adduc\u00adtive econ\u00ado\u00admy, the kind that pro\u00adduces the com\u00adplex and adapt\u00adable sup\u00adply chain that the Unit\u00aded States and Cana\u00adda once had, has bet\u00adter uses for mon\u00adey than $16,000 umbrel\u00adla stands and vod\u00adka-piss\u00ading stat\u00adues. Such things are char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtic of back\u00adward, prim\u00adi\u00adtive soci\u00adeties, ruled by sleazy mon\u00adarchs and inbred nobil\u00adi\u00adty, not advanced economies. A thriv\u00ading, dynam\u00adic, free econ\u00ado\u00admy can\u00adnot be eas\u00adi\u00adly \u201cmilked\u201d by a small coterie of wealthy aristocrats.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the free econ\u00ado\u00admy has to go \u2015 the real one, that is, not the erzatz one ped\u00addled by Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives. The Unit\u00aded States, Cana\u00adda, and a hand\u00adful of oth\u00ader coun\u00adtries have accu\u00admu\u00adlat\u00aded a tremen\u00addous amount of cap\u00adi\u00adtal over many gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions. This cap\u00adi\u00adtal has been gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded by demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic and egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan val\u00adues, and the bulk of it is in a mul\u00adti\u00adplic\u00adi\u00adty of small enter\u00adpris\u00ades, and the homes and sav\u00adings of mil\u00adlions of ordi\u00adnary peo\u00adple. Much was invest\u00aded in infra\u00adstruc\u00adture, all direct\u00aded at the use of the bulk of the pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion. These coun\u00adtries were con\u00adstruct\u00aded, polit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, for<\/em> their ordi\u00adnary peo\u00adple, and their economies were designed to serve<\/em> ordi\u00adnary peo\u00adple. To unlock the mon\u00adey, and get it to flow rapid\u00adly into the hands of a few, these extreme\u00adly diverse and pro\u00adduc\u00adtive economies have to cease being pro\u00adduc\u00adtive, and become pas\u00adsive con\u00adsumer soci\u00adeties<\/em>. It is spend\u00ading<\/em>, espe\u00adcial\u00adly spend\u00ading on imports, that gets cap\u00adi\u00adtal to move through a small num\u00adber of hands in amaz\u00ading quan\u00adti\u00adties. Easy con\u00adsumer cred\u00adit, cou\u00adpled with cur\u00adtailed invest\u00adment in infra\u00adstruc\u00adture, and large-scale mil\u00adi\u00adtary spend\u00ading get the ball rolling. But to main\u00adtain a fast pace of divest\u00adment, every fac\u00adto\u00adry must be shut down, every cre\u00adative avenue sti\u00adfled, every new man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtur\u00ading enter\u00adprise nipped in the bud. If this can be done, then mil\u00adlions of pro\u00adduc\u00adtive peo\u00adple can be stripped of their sav\u00adings, their hard-won social ser\u00advices and risk-reduc\u00adtion sys\u00adtems, their homes, their mod\u00adest plea\u00adsures, and their self respect. All this vast cap\u00adi\u00adtal will pass through a small num\u00adber of hands. The \u201cun-lev\u00adel play\u00ading field\u201d takes care of this. Pro\u00adduc\u00adtion ceas\u00ades to ben\u00ade\u00adfit mil\u00adlions in democ\u00adra\u00adcies, and is refit\u00adted to ben\u00ade\u00adfit the few in Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive, anti-demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic societies.<\/span><\/p>\n

I came to under\u00adstand the true nature of Con\u00adser\u00advatism when I stud\u00adied vil\u00adlage life in India. Not only under its medieval rulers, and under the thumb of the British Empire, but well into the post-inde\u00adpen\u00addence era, the rur\u00adal Indi\u00adan vil\u00adlage remained a caste-rid\u00adden soci\u00adety, dom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded by true Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive val\u00adues. In such vil\u00adlages, a small class of Brah\u00admins, aris\u00adto\u00adcrats by birth, lived quite well. Their dom\u00adi\u00adnance was firm\u00adly sup\u00adport\u00aded by reli\u00adgious ortho\u00addoxy and tra\u00addi\u00adtion. They were the \u201creal\u201d peo\u00adple, who also saw them\u00adselves as inher\u00adent\u00adly \u201ccre\u00adative.\u201d A small lay\u00ader of skilled arti\u00adsans sup\u00adplied them with the req\u00adui\u00adsite amuse\u00adments and lux\u00adu\u00adries, in exchange for a slight improve\u00adment in pres\u00adtige. The Brah\u00admins\u2019 duties were entire\u00adly spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal, unsul\u00adlied by the unclean\u00adli\u00adness of craft or com\u00admerce. But there was one finan\u00adcial task that they were always eager to per\u00adform: lend\u00ading mon\u00adey. In fact, is was vir\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly impos\u00adsi\u00adble for any of the great mass of peas\u00adants to sur\u00advive for long with\u00adout get\u00adting in debt to a Brah\u00admin. A bad har\u00advest, a sick child, or a cow that stopped giv\u00ading milk would be enough to push a fam\u00adi\u00adly over the edge. Almost all peas\u00adants of the low\u00ader castes were per\u00adma\u00adnent\u00adly in debt. As debtors, they could be called upon to do almost any unpaid ser\u00advice, and hav\u00ading a hun\u00addred peas\u00adants in debt to you was equiv\u00ada\u00adlent to hav\u00ading a palace with a hun\u00addred, cring\u00ading ser\u00advants at your beck and call. At the bot\u00adtom of this sys\u00adtem were the dalit<\/em>, the \u201cuntouch\u00adables,\u201d whose very essence was rit\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly impure, and could bare\u00adly by con\u00adsid\u00adered human. Once in awhile, on a very rare occa\u00adsion, a dalit, or a very low caste peas\u00adant would have a stroke of good for\u00adtune. Per\u00adhaps a rel\u00ada\u00adtive would get a job on the rail\u00adroad, or a son would escape to the city, dis\u00adguise his caste, and get a pay\u00ading job. When this hap\u00adpened, the for\u00adtu\u00adnate fam\u00adi\u00adly would be very fool\u00adish indeed to pay back its debt to the Brah\u00admins. The val\u00adue of a debt was in its being a debt<\/em>, not in the prospect of its being repaid. If a low caste or dalit was not in debt, he might not show the right respect. He might walk around with his head unbowed, and think he was as good as his bet\u00adters. Any debtor pay\u00ading off a debt was a bad exam\u00adple, a bad exam\u00adple indeed. Such rad\u00adi\u00adcal inso\u00adlence would have to be nipped in the bud. The idle sons of the high castes, raised from birth to abuse and bul\u00adly their under\u00adlings, were always avail\u00adable and eager to burn down the hov\u00adel of any peas\u00adant with the temer\u00adi\u00adty to repay a debt. If it was a dalit fam\u00adi\u00adly, it was con\u00adsid\u00adered more appro\u00adpri\u00adate to burn them alive, along with the hut. It made the point clear\u00adly. As the the Brah\u00admins learned, debt can be a very good thing for some<\/em> peo\u00adple, espe\u00adcial\u00adly if only a few peo\u00adple are count\u00aded as \u201cpeo\u00adple.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This, in a nut\u00adshell, is the fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal basis of Con\u00adser\u00advatism, as it is of Com\u00admu\u00adnism. Soci\u00adety is envi\u00adsioned as divid\u00aded into class\u00ades or castes of peo\u00adple, with dif\u00adfer\u00adent func\u00adtions, and ranked accord\u00aded to a inate sys\u00adtem of worth. In the estab\u00adlish\u00adment<\/em> of a rul\u00ading class, all sorts of claims of spe\u00adcial worth and cre\u00adativ\u00adi\u00adty are made, usu\u00adal\u00adly exag\u00adger\u00adat\u00aded fan\u00adtasies of a self-described \u201cmer\u00adi\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy\u201d. This is always pre\u00adsent\u00aded as some\u00adthing new, an entire\u00adly new stage in his\u00adto\u00adry, or the arrival of a divine\u00adly ordained group of \u201cthe elect\u201d, or \u201centre\u00adpre\u00adneur\u00adial genius\u00ades\u201d, or \u201cgenet\u00adic super\u00admen\u201d, or \u201cnew men\u201d, whose tri\u00adumph is pre\u00adde\u00adter\u00admined by the laws of his\u00adto\u00adry. If nec\u00ades\u00adsary, a lot of pseu\u00addo-egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan clap\u00adtrap will be spread about \u2015 every\u00adone will call each oth\u00ader \u201ccom\u00adrade\u201d, or \u201ccit\u00adi\u00adzen\u201d, or the new rulers will strut about in \u201cpro\u00adle\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan\u201d cloth\u00ading or play at being ultra-pious, or a great pre\u00adtense will be made that any\u00adone might \u201cmake it\u201d in the sys\u00adtem of rank and suc\u00adcess. It\u2019s a lie. It\u2019s always<\/em> a lie. Every aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic dynasty in his\u00adto\u00adry has claimed to be some kind of new thing, com\u00ading into pow\u00ader through mer\u00adit, rather than inher\u00adi\u00adtance. Com\u00admu\u00adnists came into pow\u00ader with that lie, shrieked it from every loud\u00adspeak\u00ader as they herd\u00aded their \u201ccom\u00adrades\u201d into exe\u00adcu\u00adtion pits, or set them to dig\u00adging coal with their bare hands, or trudged them off to the cane fields at gun\u00adpoint. But Com\u00admu\u00adnist pow\u00ader is every\u00adwhere exer\u00adcised, now, by a hered\u00adi\u00adtary aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy. The indus\u00adtri\u00adal\u00adists of the ear\u00adly Indus\u00adtri\u00adal rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion claimed to be new, as well, ris\u00ading through work and intel\u00adli\u00adgence to chal\u00adlenge the old land\u00aded gen\u00adtry. But the first thing they did when they got rich was to mar\u00adry into that land\u00aded gen\u00adtry, and their chil\u00addren inher\u00adit\u00aded palaces and cham\u00adpagne frol\u00adics, not non-con\u00adformist piety. The same is true of the cur\u00adrent glob\u00adal aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy, which can point to a hand\u00adful of gen\u00aduine indus\u00adtri\u00adal or busi\u00adness cre\u00adators among their num\u00adber, but large\u00adly con\u00adsists of mere thugs, finan\u00adcial swindlers, and titled par\u00ada\u00adsites. The few who did some\u00adthing cre\u00adative are not to be count\u00aded on any high\u00ader moral plane, for they are not inclined to buck the sys\u00adtem, and read\u00adi\u00adly absorb the atti\u00adtudes and swag\u00adger of the others.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, back to the un-lev\u00adel play\u00ading field, for it is the key to our com\u00ading destruc\u00adtion. Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy insists, with more hys\u00adter\u00adi\u00adcal cer\u00adtain\u00adty than any of its oth\u00ader ortho\u00addox\u00adies, that we must<\/em> not make things for our\u00adselves, and must<\/em> buy things from Com\u00admu\u00adnist dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships. Every oth\u00ader doc\u00adtrine has some wig\u00adgle-room, can be empha\u00adsized or de-empha\u00adsized, or can be skipped over with a wink. But this one must nev\u00ader<\/em> be chal\u00adlenged, nev\u00ader<\/em> be doubt\u00aded, nev\u00ader even for a sec\u00adond<\/em>. Nev\u00ader mind that these are stolen goods, sold by habit\u00adu\u00adal crim\u00adi\u00adnals engaged in vio\u00adlent crime and fraud. We must<\/em> buy them. Nev\u00ader mind that the \u201ccom\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion\u201d of stolen goods dri\u00adves the hon\u00adest mak\u00aders and sell\u00aders of goods into bank\u00adrupt\u00adcy. Nev\u00ader mind that the end\u00adless flow of cash into the cof\u00adfers of the slave trade dri\u00adves every hon\u00adest employ\u00ader out of busi\u00adness, and throws us<\/em> out of work. We must still buy the prod\u00aducts of the Com\u00admu\u00adnist sys\u00adtem of exploita\u00adtion \u2014- we must, we MUST<\/span>, WE<\/span> MUST<\/span><\/em>!!!!!!<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet there is no escap\u00ading real\u00adi\u00adty: every time an Amer\u00adi\u00adcan or a Cana\u00addi\u00adan has walked into a store and bought an arti\u00adcle pro\u00adduced in China\u2019s exploita\u00adtive Com\u00admu\u00adnist fac\u00adto\u00adries, they have helped seal their own doom. Fake \u201cfree mar\u00adket\u201d trans\u00adac\u00adtions that are car\u00adried out on a play\u00ading field as dra\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly un-lev\u00adel as that between a democ\u00adra\u00adcy and a dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship are unmit\u00adi\u00adgat\u00aded dis\u00adas\u00adter for the cit\u00adi\u00adzens of the democ\u00adra\u00adcy. They set up a uni-direc\u00adtion\u00adal flow of cap\u00adi\u00adtal. Accu\u00admu\u00adlat\u00aded trans\u00adac\u00adtions of this sort trig\u00adger the dis\u00adman\u00adtling of pro\u00adduc\u00adtive domes\u00adtic indus\u00adtries. A pro\u00adduc\u00ading econ\u00ado\u00admy trans\u00adforms into a \u201cser\u00advice\u201d econ\u00ado\u00admy, in which the only jobs are the jobs involved in dis\u00adtrib\u00adut\u00ading con\u00adsumer goods, the pur\u00adchase of which in turn strip the econ\u00ado\u00admy of more pro\u00adduc\u00adtion, and so on. Debts accu\u00admu\u00adlate. The coun\u00adtry feeds off itself, slow\u00adly pro\u00adcess\u00ading the rem\u00adnants of past cre\u00adativ\u00adi\u00adty and enter\u00adprise, like a fat man on a desert island liv\u00ading off the meals he con\u00adsumed before he was ship\u00adwrecked. The finan\u00adcial sec\u00adtor booms and thrives, replac\u00ading indus\u00adtry as the prin\u00adci\u00adple activ\u00adi\u00adty in the econ\u00ado\u00admy. This is much like how your wal\u00adlet would fill up with cash if you stopped pay\u00ading bills, took your chil\u00addren out of school, and sold your car, fur\u00adni\u00adture and appli\u00adances for cash. Your wal\u00adlet would be a \u201chealthy finan\u00adcial sec\u00adtor.\u201d But you would be unhealthy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cana\u00addi\u00adans seem to have the bet\u00adter prospect, tem\u00adporar\u00adi\u00adly. Our indus\u00adtry is trashed, but there are lots of nat\u00adur\u00adal resources to sell. While Chi\u00adna is still man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtur\u00ading and sell\u00ading stuff, we can make a liv\u00ading sell\u00ading them oil, trees and rocks, much a we did for the British Empire when we were a bunch of back\u00adward rur\u00adal hicks. I\u2019m try\u00ading on my porkpie hat, and learn\u00ading to chew toba\u00adkee, so I\u2019ll be ready. But of course, as the Amer\u00adi\u00adcans run out of cred\u00adit, the num\u00adber of sol\u00advent cus\u00adtomers for China\u2019s indus\u00adtri\u00adal pro\u00adduc\u00adtion will quick\u00adly dry up. So will its demand for our resources. We will rapid\u00adly move from a sell\u00aders\u2019 mar\u00adket, do a lot of \u201cbelt tight\u00aden\u00ading\u201d, then join our Amer\u00adi\u00adcan friends in oblivion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only sus\u00adtained inter\u00adnal growth in Chi\u00adna would pre\u00advent this, but increas\u00ading domes\u00adtic con\u00adsump\u00adtion in Chi\u00adna would mean sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant\u00adly spread\u00ading the wealth, which would sub\u00adstan\u00adtial\u00adly weak\u00aden the stran\u00adgle\u00adhold of the Par\u00adty. It con\u00adsid\u00aders itself lucky to have sur\u00advived spread\u00ading the wealth to the extent it already has. The coun\u00adtry is bristling with angry peas\u00adants and micro-revolts. The boom\u00ading cities will go sour as more and more peo\u00adple learn that they aren\u2019t going to be let into the priv\u00adi\u00adleged \u201cmid\u00addle class\u201d and that try\u00ading to sneak a wank from a porn mag\u00ada\u00adzine when you get off your shift is as good as its going to get. Ten to one the Par\u00adty will take the course that all oth\u00ader dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships have tak\u00aden in sim\u00adi\u00adlar cir\u00adcum\u00adstances: war abroad and ter\u00adror at home. That is the solu\u00adtion that Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive soci\u00adeties have usu\u00adal\u00adly cho\u00adsen, and the People\u2019s Repub\u00adlic is the quin\u00adtes\u00adsen\u00adtial Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive soci\u00adety. In the long run, the unlev\u00adel play\u00ading field is no bet\u00adter for the peo\u00adple of Chi\u00adna than it is for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Much atten\u00adtion is now focused on Amer\u00adi\u00adca\u2019s debts. This con\u00adtrasts sharply with the atmos\u00adphere at the height of the Bush, Jr. admin\u00adista\u00adtion. When I was post\u00ading about its dis\u00adas\u00adtrous import in 2006, I was in a decid\u00aded minor\u00adi\u00adty, as Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives sang the tune \u201cdeficits don\u2019t mat\u00adter.\u201d Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives pro\u00admot\u00aded gov\u00adern\u00adment spend\u00ading on a scale dwarf\u00ading any\u00adthing ever seen before in the coun\u00adtry\u2019s his\u00adto\u00adry \u2014 most\u00adly mil\u00adi\u00adtary spend\u00ading, almost noth\u00ading on pro\u00adduc\u00adtive invest\u00adment. Spend\u00ading, not sav\u00ading or build\u00ading, was the Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive notion of fis\u00adcal wis\u00addom. When the coun\u00adtry was attacked by a group of well-orga\u00adnized reli\u00adgious fanat\u00adics (who were bankrolled by the the Conservatives\u2019s best bud\u00addies), Amer\u00adi\u00adcans were told to go to the malls and shop. Few Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives wor\u00adried about the mount\u00ading debts, because their ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy was promis\u00ading unend\u00ading pros\u00adper\u00adi\u00adty in a utopi\u00adan future, which would arrive the minute the last rich man ceased to pay even a dime of tax\u00ades, and the last bur\u00adden of \u201creg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion\u201d was lift\u00aded from the \u201ccre\u00adative class.\u201d But when Democ\u00adrats \u2015 slight\u00adly less Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive than Repub\u00adli\u00adcans (sort of Men\u00adshe\u00advi\u00adki<\/em> to the Bol\u00adshe\u00advi\u00adki<\/em>) \u2015 came into office, Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive tub-thumpers sud\u00adden\u00adly dis\u00adcov\u00adered the debt, which is now mys\u00adte\u00adri\u00adous\u00adly and mag\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly blamed on \u201clib\u00ader\u00adal\u00adism,\u201d a bit of con\u00adcep\u00adtu\u00adal mag\u00adic that reminds me of Stal\u00adin blam\u00ading crop fail\u00adures on a plot of Jew\u00adish Doc\u00adtors. But the prob\u00adlem is now beyond any con\u00adceiv\u00adable polit\u00adi\u00adcal solu\u00adtion, who\u00adev\u00ader holds office. There is lit\u00adtle prospect of the Unit\u00aded States ever repay\u00ading these debts. Canada\u2019s debts are not as dis\u00adas\u00adtrous. The pre\u00advi\u00adous, Lib\u00ader\u00adal admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion had bal\u00adanced bud\u00adgets for a decade, and built up sur\u00adplus\u00ades. Their Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive suc\u00adces\u00adsors went on a spend\u00ading spree, and pissed away the sur\u00adplus, then were caught up short by the finan\u00adcial cri\u00adsis. The cur\u00adrent sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion is bad, but a return to fis\u00adcal respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty might put us back in the black, if the cur\u00adrent Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive anti-indus\u00adtri\u00adal, pro-export-resources pol\u00adi\u00adcy is reversed. But if the cur\u00adrent poli\u00adcies are pur\u00adsued, we too will even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly go bankrupt.<\/span><\/p>\n

But bank\u00adrupt\u00adcy for our two nations and our new sta\u00adtus as peas\u00adants is no rea\u00adson for gloom. It\u2019s the play\u00ading out of the mar\u00advelous Laws of His\u00adto\u00adry. Every real Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive is delight\u00aded at the prospect. Our friends in the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty have point\u00aded the way, and Utopia is just around the cor\u00adner. The \u201ccre\u00adative class\u201d will be com\u00adfort\u00adably in the sad\u00addle, and free of ungentle\u00adman\u00adly reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions. As for the rest of us, the \u201cnon-cre\u00adative\u201d class, we are to be plen\u00adty reg\u00adu\u00adlat\u00aded. In fact, every aspect of our per\u00adson\u00adal and pri\u00advate lives will come under the thumb of the State, which will, by and by, acquire the pow\u00ader to spy on us at will, con\u00adtrol our sex lives, tell us who we can mar\u00adry, and make us pee in cups on demand. Tor\u00adture will again be a Good Thing. That pesky Bill of Rights (U.S.) and equal\u00adly pesky Char\u00adter of Rights (Cana\u00adda) will be flushed down the toi\u00adlet. Mil\u00adlions of us will be shoved into pris\u00adons, which will use up a sub\u00adstan\u00adtial part of our Gross Nation\u00adal Prod\u00aducts, and pro\u00advide a lucra\u00adtive busi\u00adness for friends of the elite. There may even be some excit\u00ading devel\u00adop\u00adments in the field of body part mer\u00adchan\u00addiz\u00ading. All these won\u00adder\u00adful Utopi\u00adan ideals are already on view in the People\u2019s Repub\u00adlic of Chi\u00adna, which is where most Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives learned about them, and learned to love them.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll learn to love them, too. Who would\u00adn\u2019t love a real Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive world, full of tra\u00addi\u00adtion and good old fam\u00adi\u00adly val\u00adues? None of that trou\u00adbling, con\u00adfus\u00ading indi\u00advid\u00adual free\u00addom. As hap\u00adpy peas\u00adants, we\u2019ll learn a dis\u00adtinc\u00adtive shuf\u00adfling gait (don\u2019t let those feet get too far off the ground!), and call our cre\u00adative supe\u00adri\u00adors \u201cMas\u00adsa.\u201d At night, after an inspir\u00ading lec\u00adture, we will con\u00adtem\u00adplate the delights of a soci\u00adety that respects tra\u00addi\u00adtion, where some are born to the manse, and the rest of us sing spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adals as we trudge to the fields and work sta\u00adtions. The schools will be gone for most of us, of course, at least the sort where nasty lib\u00ader\u00adal ideas are dis\u00adcussed. No sense in \u201credis\u00adtrib\u00adut\u00ading\u201d knowl\u00adedge. Noth\u00ading but uppiti\u00adness can come of it. Instead, plen\u00adty of healthy cal\u00adis\u00adthen\u00adics, pledges of alle\u00adgiance, and cool stuff, like Cre\u00adation\u00adism, or Dialec\u00adti\u00adcal Mate\u00adri\u00adal\u00adism, or what\u00adev\u00ader ding\u00adbat hokus pokus our mas\u00adters think we should think. Come to think of it, most of the things that we once con\u00adsid\u00adered nor\u00admal attrib\u00adut\u00ades of civ\u00adi\u00adlized soci\u00adety will, one after anoth\u00ader, go to the chop\u00adping block. Each will require \u201cfac\u00ading up to the real\u00adi\u00adties of the glob\u00adal econ\u00ado\u00admy.\u201d The \u201creal\u00adi\u00adties\u201d will be our cred\u00adi\u00adtors, the ones we\u2019ve been clos\u00ading down our<\/em> fac\u00adto\u00adries so we could pay to build their<\/em> factories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Any\u00adway, not to wor\u00adry, our prin\u00adci\u00adpal cred\u00adi\u00adtors are nice, respectable peo\u00adple, much admired by Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives: the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty of the Peo\u00adples Repub\u00adlic of Chi\u00adna, who mur\u00addered, in their younger, impul\u00adsive days, rough\u00adly sev\u00aden\u00adty mil\u00adlion people.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a blog, not an aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic paper, and the con\u00adtent is dri\u00adven by per\u00adson\u00adal pas\u00adsion. I am very angry about what is hap\u00adpen\u00ading to my coun\u00adtry, and to North Amer\u00adi\u00adcan soci\u00adety as a whole, and this blog will not be \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,932],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-ao-blog-2012"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4372"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4376,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4372\/revisions\/4376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}