Corporatism - Part II & Part III by Geezer

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Corporatism - Part II & Part III

POSTED BY: GEEZER
UPDATED: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 04:17
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Friday, April 24, 2009 2:19 AM

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Obama attacks credit card 'abuse'

President Barack Obama has told the US credit card industry to scrap unfair interest rate hikes and to be more transparent and accountable.

He told bosses of 13 card issuers he wanted to keep the credit card market but to "eliminate some of the abuses".

Politicians have expressed anger that many of the banks issuing credit cards with high fees are the same banks that have received government bailout money.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8015549.stm

So, after forcing a government-industry "partnership" on the automakers, Pres. Obama is set to do the same thing to banks and credit card companies. And he's using the same club - bailout money. The bailout money he forced on several large banks. Now we've got two major parts of the U.S. economy no longer in business to make a profit, but to support the President's policies. Benito would be proud.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

Edited to add, on 04/27/09:
Heard on the radio (NPR) a hour or so ago that GM has crafted a deal, with Treasury 'advice', that would turn over 85% of the company to the UAW and the Federal Government. Bond holders would get the other 15% and stockholders would get zip.

Looks like GM will now be a nice Union-Government center of power for the coming Corporatist state.

BTW, GM's plan includes killing off the Pontiac line.

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Monday, April 27, 2009 9:15 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Edited title to add, on 04/27/09:
Heard on the radio (NPR) a hour or so ago that GM has crafted a deal, with Treasury 'advice', that would turn over 85% of the company to the UAW and the Federal Government. Bond holders would get the other 15% and stockholders would get zip.

Looks like GM will now be a nice Union-Government center of power for the coming Corporatist state.

BTW, GM's plan includes killing off the Pontiac line.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Monday, April 27, 2009 11:02 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
Edited title to add, on 04/27/09:
Heard on the radio (NPR) a hour or so ago that GM has crafted a deal, with Treasury 'advice', that would turn over 85% of the company to the UAW and the Federal Government. Bond holders would get the other 15% and stockholders would get zip.

Looks like GM will now be a nice Union-Government center of power for the coming Corporatist state.

BTW, GM's plan includes killing off the Pontiac line.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

AWESOME! In other words, since the government is giving OUR money to GM, WE get some ownership in it?

Sweet. A great day for socialist-marxists everywhere.

[/snark]

Mike

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day...
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

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Monday, April 27, 2009 11:03 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:

BTW, GM's plan includes killing off the Pontiac line.

"Pontiac" sounds like the noise a car makes when it blows a piston.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Monday, April 27, 2009 4:06 PM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
AWESOME! In other words, since the government is giving OUR money to GM, WE get some ownership in it?

Sweet. A great day for socialist-marxists everywhere.

So, you got no problem that free enterprise is now government controlled enterprise?

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Monday, April 27, 2009 4:53 PM

KIRKULES

There's no way the bond holders will go for this deal unless the Obama administration uses illegal tactics like the did with BOA. GM owes the bond holders 28 billion and they get 10% while GM owes the Feds 15 billion and they get 89%. Of course by the time they divvy up the loot between the Trial Lawyers and pay off their union buddies the taxpayers won't get diddly.

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Monday, April 27, 2009 8:17 PM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Hello,

I have had the suspicion for a while now that the government is intentionally seizing control of banks and industries. As much as I hate to justify Piratenews' Gangsta Government allegories, there seems to be a lot of 'offers you can't refuse' going on lately.

--Anthony

"Liberty must not be purchased at the cost of Humanity." --Captain Robert Henner

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Monday, April 27, 2009 9:40 PM

SERGEANTX

It really doesn't matter whether we believe it's an orchestrated conspiracy or not, the fact is that we're currently in the midst of a massive shift in the balance of power, and a fundamental restructuring of our society. It's been coming for a long while and is supported by subtle changes in attitudes throughout society.

I was listening to an interview yesterday with the governor of Maryland. Pretty much all he talked bout were the things his administration was doing to promote economic development in the state. He talked quite proudly about crafting special "package deals" of tax-breaks, deferments and other subsidies designed to lure specific "investors" to the state. Out of the other side of his mouth he talked about the struggle to keep state finances in the black - i.e. how to suck more tax dollars out of the citizens to promote even more "economic activity". Absent was any discussion of his job in terms of legitimate principles of government. He's not a governor, he's the CEO of his state.

Now, it's worth pointing out (because of the confusion the name can cause) that corporatism is not, strictly speaking, about "corporations" in the sense of businesses. It's about a shift in emphasis away from the interests of our nation as a whole (or as a collection of equally represented individuals), and toward a view that sees large, organized "interests" as the principle unit of power.

Arguably, there's always been an element of this and it's difficult to avoid in a "mature" democracy. But the shift I see is in our complacent acceptance of the concept. While such groups may have always acted principally in their own self interest, in the past they seemed obliged to at least pretend to have the interest of the nation as a whole at heart. States, for example, may have always competed to attract business investment, but they at least felt obliged to do it through laws that were applied equally to everyone. Now they quite openly write legislation that amounts to targeted bribes of specific business interests - and they do it with only the thinnest pretense of egalitarianism. And no one seems to even care. As long as it brings home the bacon for their "corporation".

The GM plan may seem like a good thing to fans of the labor movement or socialism (and Geezer, Mike was being sarcastic in case it wasn't obvious), but they should really stop and think about it. This isn't about a workers' revolution or the proletariat seizing control of the means of production. It's about creating yet another huge power block with a vested interest in manipulating public policy for it's own benefit.

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009 1:17 AM

KWICKO

Quote:
It's been coming for a long while and is supported by subtle changes in attitudes throughout society.

You mean subtle changes like the "I'm a patriot because I support torture!" attitude demonstrated by some on this board?

Quote:

The GM plan may seem like a good thing to fans of the labor movement or socialism (and Geezer, Mike was being sarcastic in case it wasn't obvious)...

Hey, no fair - you noticed the "[/snark]" tag when Geezer didn't! Thanks for the vote of confidence anyway, though. :)

Quote:
He's not a governor, he's the CEO of his state.

And that, my friends, is the end result of Reagan's dream of running the government like we run a business. Mission accomplished - our government now IS a business, and is OWNED by business. It's nothing short of fascism - except that in this version, not even the trains run on time. But that's okay, because no one has a job to go to anymore anyway...

Mike

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day...
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009 2:52 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by SergeantX:
(and Geezer, Mike was being sarcastic in case it wasn't obvious)

Sometimes his sarcasm gets so multi-layered it's hard to see the actual point for the 'humor'.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009 4:17 AM

KWICKO

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
Quote:
Originally posted by SergeantX:
(and Geezer, Mike was being sarcastic in case it wasn't obvious)

Sometimes his sarcasm gets so multi-layered it's hard to see the actual point for the 'humor'.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

What can I say? I'm a veritable onion of sarcasm. You'll laugh, you'll cry...

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