Understanding the "Predator State"clipped by: masbury 
13
8
Economist Jamie K Galbraith's recent book
[1] describes modern (Bush-Cheney) Republicanism
as creating a "predator state". Its predatory
aspects are starkly visible in the gangs of
corporate lobbyists who roam Washington DC, the
Halliburton Iraq war procurement scandal and the
corruption and incompetence that surrounded the
Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
the
predatory nature of contemporary US governance is
quintessentially linked to corporations, and it is
also a uniquely American phenomenon
That complex has captured
politics and corrupted the business of government
social origins
trace back to the military-industrial complex that
president Dwight Eisenhower warned about
on January
17, 1961
American worship of business
privileges business over thought
"if you're so smart, how come you're not
rich?"
tendency to conflate profit with free markets.
That means the distinction between fair
competition (which is good) and fat profits (which
are bad) is lost, thereby providing cover for
predators
Tags: corruption, corporatocracy
clipper's remarks: Full of thought-provoking analysis of how corporate America gained control of government. Lots to think about here. Looks like a must-blog piece. The clip is only intro to the good stuff.
13 Comments - Showing Latest 10
by 
LoPhatt on 8-21-2008 10:51 PM
Check out the three featured videos at the bottom of this page, the only thing left is the memory.
http://www.velvetrevolution.us/prosecute_rove/
by 
jamesgrimes on 8-22-2008 1:38 PM
"...The corruption and incompetence that surrounded the Hurricane Katrina relief effort." Really? I believe it was business that led that effort. Didn't Wal-Mart not lead that effort sending trucks and trucks of ice and supplies, and converted some of there stores into home improvement stores so as to get in more rebuilding supplies to the people?
Wal-Mart's Disaster Relief Effort Portal Site: http://walmartstores.com/FactsNews/FeaturedTopics/?id=17
Hurricane Katrina Fact Sheets: http://walmartstores.com/download/2231.pdf
Some of that included:
$18M in cash to relief efforts
$14.5M to 20,000 impacted associates through Associate Disaster Relief Fund
$8.5M made by the public and associates at the companies 3,800 locations
$20,000 cash to animal shelters to assist abandoned animals in need
This doesn't mention also the hours donated by the company's truck drivers at the distribution centers that took over the duties of the distribution centers destroyed by the hurricane.
Corporate America did a lot for Katrina relief--more than the governor of Louisiana--that is until she learned she has to ask for federal aid and give permission for the President to order army/national guard members into her state.
by 
ratilfar on 8-22-2008 1:51 PM
Good PR, is a valuable and therefore marketable thing. Problem is that was not Wal-Mart's job, it was the government's which failed at all levels.
by 
masbury on 8-22-2008 5:33 PM
Read this one: The Wrecking Crew: Why bad government is no accident.
Government failed at every level because conservatives have systematically dismantled government's ability to function. The infamous "Brownie" is a perfect example of a completely incompetent conservative political appointee with no related experience who couldn't handle the job while people's lives were at stake. Business WANTS a castrated, ineffective government.
Hence the mortgage crisis, resulting from the castration of government regulatory power.
by masbury on 8-22-2008 5:50 PM
Your WalMart example is a good one. WalMart responded admirably, you are correct.
But WalMart by no means led the effort. Add up the numbers you list, and you get, maybe $42M. Certainly commendable.
BUT:
The need is about BILLIONS. $42 million is wonderful, but it's a drop in the bucket. $42 million times 100 might come close - IF there were 99 more businesses that wanted to help, had the money, and were in the particular business that were needed, and had the ability to get there, etc., etc.
It will take tax dollars to respond to natural disaster. WalMart's not going in to buy out homes or build schools or levees or find places for people to live.
No corporate entity is able to replace the critical coordinating and funding responsibilities of government disaster relief.
Bad government wastes billions. Good government saves billions.
by jamesgrimes on 8-23-2008 2:08 AM
But see, where government failed is at the people. The people allowed the status quo continue; as long as they were happy, they would elect the same people. Those same people, screwed up roally when Katrina hit New Orleans. Mayor "School Bus" Nagen for not using city and school system busses; Nagen again for not using the trains provided by Amtrack; and lastly the governor of Louisiana for not knowing he/she has to request aid from the federal government before getting it; and give special permission for US Army/Nat. Guard units into the state.
It's a local issue.
by masbury on 8-23-2008 2:58 AM
Some of it is. But all the issues you mention - including the WalMart benevolences - are short-term disaster-week issues. And the biggest part of disaster management happens in the months and years after the storm. I see it just hitting high gear here in Iowa, and there is a long wait ahead until most people know what will become of their homes.
Now local folks were not responsible for moving in thousands of trailer-homes full of formaldehyde. And local government will not have the money to enable neighborhoods to be rebuilt. And local government has never been in charge of the levees and waterways.
There was dereliction of duty from Mayor Nagin to President Bush, and people are still suffering from it today.
by masbury on 8-23-2008 2:59 AM
When government becomes the servant of industry, it has lost its focus on serving the people who put it in power.
by LoPhatt on 8-26-2008 8:55 AM
War, Prison, and Privatization
Waste in the American system: waste of human lives, waste of billions of dollars. Most people do not want to talk about waste. Politicians, the media, and the system itself, equally complicit in perpetuating the problem, look the other way when the issue of waste surfaces. People employed in the system, who might be unemployed were it not for rampant waste that gave them jobs in the first place, get all edgy and insecure when the topic of waste comes up. The general public knows far too little about waste, especially in the U. S. system, to have an educated opinion. But everyone who pays taxes in America should be outraged. Billions of dollars are wasted each year in every area of government. Perhaps an outright revolt would result if taxpayers knew the facts about waste in all areas of government. Despite billions of dollars that support it annually, our system is dying a slow and painful death. We face a national dilemma, focusing primarily on the waste within the system that snatches the taxpayers’ money and diverts it from education and redeeming social programs.
One specific example of the gross waste of taxpayer funds — Observe the problems of privatization that spawn greed and deception; examine racial disparities and the lopsided approach to social programs that aid the poor and the people of color. To better understand how we got into this mess, look at the lack of campaign finance controls that removed discretion from politicians and allowed them to follow special interests disregarding their constituency. Look at the pros and cons of redemption and recidivism, concluding with a suggestion for a model government, offered by a man who spent a lifetime subjected to these conditions, and discussion points for continuing the dialogue that leads to a call to action. The bottom line is waste: waste of taxpayer dollars—waste of human lives caught in the mire of an inefficient system—waste of money that is better spent on educat
by LoPhatt on 8-26-2008 8:59 AM
—waste of money that is better spent on education and social programs in the community.
One final note: For the reader, interested in plumbing the depths of corruption in the U.S. Political System, New leadership is needed to bring about a paradigm shift.
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