Sunday, April 26, 2009

Meltdown notes: Beware Obama -- and the guy AFTER Obama



Scattered observations on the meltdown...

The zombie banks:
Lambert has the best line of the day...
No matter how much blood you pump into a zombie, it's still a zombie.
Suicide: Depression creates depression. The lay-offs have hit males worse than females; thus, there has been a sharp uptick in male suicides. Here's one bit that annoys me:
For some men, however, talking to a therapist is yet another sign of weakness, which means that many victims of the recession -- and the economic troubles that underlie it -- have been loath to seek help.
Therapy is expensive -- a luxury that no-one in parlous economic circumstances should allow (even if offered a "sliding scale"). Moreover, it is usually ineffective. A guy who feels like a failure because he has lost his job doesn't want to field questions about his dreams or his relationship with his parents. Most counselors are smart people who mean well, but they remind me of a guy trying to use a soldering iron to plant trees. You can't do the job with the wrong tools.

Let's play the blame game: Financial Armegeddon draws our attention to a lengthy report by the Consumer Education Foundation, called "Sold Out: How Wall Street and Washington Betrayed America." From the summary:
This report has one overriding message: financial deregulation led directly to the financial meltdown.
At every step, critics warned of the dangers of further deregulation. Their evidence-based claims could not offset the political and economic muscle of Wall Street. The financial sector showered campaign contributions on politicians from both parties, invested heavily in a legion of lobbyists, paid academics and think tanks to justify their preferred policy positions, and cultivated a pliant media—especially a cheerleading business media complex.
When the states sought to fill the vacuum created by federal nonenforcement of consumer protection laws against predatory lenders, the feds jumped to stop them.
Obviously, the Bush administration wanted the housing bubble, even though pretty much everyone with any sense knew that all bubbles burst. The economy had nothing else going for it. We don't make anything anymore; free market fundamentalism transferred the manufacturing jobs to third world countries.

Cut to Chase: Chase Bank has abruptly changed the terms of their credit card loan agreements, making customers pay 150 percent more:
Then after paying half of it off, um, in December (of 2008) we got a notice that there was a change in terms, and instead of paying 2% per month which was around 400 dollars in December.

Our January payment was a 1,025 dollars, because they were requiring 5% payment. And I called to opt out because every change in terms I'd ever seen on any credit card allows the customer to opt out, only to find out that Chase Bank is not allowing an opt out on this.
Your future in Dubai: If you want to know what will soon hit America, look at Dubai.

As you know, Dubai's wealthy have built all sortsa huge shit, including the world's tallest skyscraper. You know how they did it? In essence, slavery. Peonage, or transparently disguised slavery, is rampant in that country.

Imported laborers routinely have their passports taken from them upon arrival. These workers are then given the most grueling and dangerous tasks imaginable. The workers sleep in camps surrounded by razor wire. They are fed enough to keep them alive. When the job is done, the company they worked for goes out of business, the men are not paid, and the electricity in the camp goes off.

And it's not just construction:
It is an open secret that once you hire a maid, you have absolute power over her. You take her passport -- everyone does; you decide when to pay her, and when -- if ever -- she can take a break; and you decide who she talks to. She speaks no Arabic. She cannot escape.

In a Burger King, a Filipino girl tells me it is "terrifying" for her to wander the malls in Dubai because Filipino maids or nannies always sneak away from the family they are with and beg her for help. "They say -- 'Please, I am being held prisoner, they don't let me call home, they make me work every waking hour seven days a week.'
As our friend Red Dragon puts it:
Are the rich so disconnected from the rest of the world that they see nothing wrong with the slavery going on all around them and they enjoy it? They prosper from it and they thrive on it.

Is this what happens when one becomes wealthy? You become such a rotten piece of shit that you do not care who or what wipes your ass?
Dubai is also destroying its environment:
"What I learnt about Dubai is that the authorities don't give a toss about the environment," she says, standing in the stench. "They're pumping toxins into the sea, their main tourist attraction, for God's sake. If there are environmental problems in the future, I can tell you now how they will deal with them -- deny it's happening, cover it up, and carry on until it's a total disaster."
To sum up:
Dubai is Market Fundamentalist Globalisation in One City.
The moral of the story: Dubai is our future. Dubai teaches us just how callous rich people truly are. Unchained capitalism inevitably forges the chains of slavery.

If and when Obama fails, a well-organized propaganda campaign will tell us that socialism has failed, even though socialism was never tried. We will be told -- repeatedly -- that the only solution is libertarianism, a.k.a. Milton Friedmanism. Propagandists always portray free market fundamentalism as the great untried panacea. In fact, it has been tried again and again -- and it has failed again and again.

Free market fundamentalism is not the answer -- unless the question is : What got us into this mess?

I fear Obama. But I fear the guy coming after Obama far more. I don't know his name, but I can give you his job description. He'll be a salesman. He'll be a charmer, as the best salesmen always are. I can already see his reassuring smile, I can already hear his patter, and I can already sense the scheme that lies behind the spiel.

And I know his task: Turn America into Dubai.

11 comments:

katiebird said...

First of all, how the hell did I miss the fact that Red Dragon has a blog? And such an interesting one? I'm horrified.

Secondly, the slavery issue is a real concern. Even here in the United States. There have been 2 instances in the last 15 years (that I know of) where people have been arrested for slavery within just a few blocks of my house. The most recent arrest was 2 years ago.

I figure if it's that common in my neighborhood (which is nothing special) it must be pretty common (I know that's a logical fallacy but, it is what I believe)

Finally, on the Therapy for the unemployed issue? The cost is a real barrier - but, if you can find a good therapist a person can get a lot of help in REAL tricks for controlling anger or repetitive negative thinking. The sort of behavioral modification that can actually improve your life even when it sucks.

Modern therapy is designed to have an effect within 4 visits (for certain sorts of problems anyway). Many businesses offer the opportunity for employees to have that sort of counseling for a few visits every year.

I think that anyone in danger of layoff should take advantage of that benefit for tips on how to deal with the stress.

RedDragon said...

I found the attitude of the "Rich", towards those that have been reduced to slaves, disgusting and horrifying!
They don't care what goes on around them so long as they have their "Champaign Cocktails" and Booger Sugar!

Thank you again Joe.

Alessandro Machi said...

Thanks for the red dragon link, I too have missed this blog.

I am struggling with my math. If Chase bank raises the monthly minimum payment requirement from 2% to 5%, why is that only called a 150% increase?

2 x 2.5 = 5, isn't it actually a 250% increase in the payment? If the payment goes up by 2.5 times what it was, that is a 250% incease, no?

Daily-Protest.com

Anonymous said...

So many rich people live under the delusion they did it all by themselves, that they are "self-made men", when it was really a combination of their own effort, luck, timing, the hard work of others, and the circumstances (including the society and economic class into which they were born). From there, they rationalize themselves into believing that anyone can do it all by themselves, and that if you are poor, it's your own fault, and you deserve what you get. What nonsense.


Sergei Rostov

p.s. And you're right, Joe, we've already seen what free market fundamentalism does: the US had it for over a hundred years. The result? The 100-hour work week, workplaces so unsafe you were likely as not to get maimed or killed, a 92% poverty rate. child labor, the murder of employee "agitators"... it made the unreformed Scrooge look like Santa Claus.

Sergei Rostov

b said...

There are some damned curious things about Dubai, including:

1) such huge investment in fixed assets, concentrated in a very small place in the Gulf? You know what happened to Beirut, former tourist capital of the region? You know whose airforce dominates the Middle East? My suspicion is they've got a guarantee, and the guarantee ain't worth sh*t.

2) the British link. Practically everyone in Britain who's on jumbo-size corporate freebies, practically every medic and dentist etc., has been on several holidays to Dubai, all expenses paid. Lording it over the proletariat in Britain ain't good enough for them; they enjoy experiencing bigger wealth differentials, yachts and necklaces and stuff, no bureaucratic bullsh*t to take the edge off their pleasure.

But that's not all. When the Brit 'royal' family go there, the press get called off for much of the time. Private visit, they say. Many links connect the 'Windsors' and the Makhtoums. Like in British horse-racing. Like in property such as Canary Wharf, the 'extension of the Square Mile' in London's docklands, with its own fascistic monumental architecture. Like in Dubai itself, or stuff routed through Dubai, involving e.g. Brit privatisations and businessman Sunny Varkey.

What with the 'royal' connection to Berezovsky, Berezovsky's investment in 'education', and the 'royal' connection to 'education' via Varkey and Dubai, one can wonder what's coming next. But I digress.

Who created Dubai? Answer: the same people who created Brunei. (Before I get reminded of the lucrative role of pearl diving in Dubai in the 1950s and 1960s, which incidentally was also based on slavery - enslaved divers were worked to early death - the Makhtoums have always been propped up; their military has always been under Brit control. But investment-wise it's in a way different league from say Hastings Banda's Malawi etc. etc.).

Dubai plays an important and unique role in the west, so I was pleased to read your article, Joe. But there's been investment there. Slavery maybe, but I don't see much physical investment round the corner in America.

Did you see this story about suspected Russian executions in Dubai? Is Dubai becoming like London in that regard?

PS Alessandro - an increase from 2 to 5 is called a 150% increase. Similarly an increase from 100 to 150 is called a 50% increase. Take the actual increase, divide by what the whole amount used to be, and multiply by 100 to get the %increase.

Just Me said...

Re the minimum credit card payment:

They play games on the opposite side of the minimum payment also, to try to suck you in.

IE: I am fortunate enough, so far, to never carry a balance on any of my cards.

As a result, regardless of the amt. due, all issuers offer me a minimum payment in the range of 1.5% to 1.7%. I can only assume such is designed as temptation.

I use different cards for different catagories, such as online purchases, travel, etc.

This month's charges on the card I use for "large ticket" items was $8066.37, I was offerred a minimum payment of $140, approximately 1.73%

They consider all angles, and such an offer would be hard to refuse were I unable to pay the full amt. due.

Then they would own me, to ask for any percentage in the future, and heaven forbid I should be late on one.

Yet, we are bailing the bastards out!

Joseph Cannon said...

You have credit?

I asked someone once about my credit rating. He checked, and then told me that there was a guy named Guido looking for me. That's when I changed towns and started calling myself Joseph.

Just Me said...

Damn glad your question was about credit, as opposed to credibility!

Still have credit, at least for now, however do not know how long that can last under current conditions.

Do not know about your true credit situation, but certainly know you are well in the black on credibility.

ginger (gp) said...

Not a Christian but I do recall that Jesus said that a rich person getting into the kingdom of heaven is as difficult as getting a camel through the eye of a needle. Now why did he say that? Obviously, this Dubai slavery thing is the perfect illustration. There is a total disconnect from being wealthy and being Christian and living the Christian lifestyle. Just can't do both. And part of the Christ teachings is to tender to the poor. That doesn't include enslaving, using, exploiting or ridiculing.

kenoshamarge said...

I too fear the person coming after Obama. Much as I hope he will not screw up so bad that no Democrat has a chance for a generation I fear that he will. And so rabid Conservatives, not unlike rabid liberals will insist that it was liberals and socialism and Democrats that failed. Certainly Democrats will have failed because they became the flip side of all that they claim to oppose. The Democrats who gamed the system, those that cheated, lied, smeared and made me ashamed that I ever called myself a Democrat have done their party a damage that it will take a very long time to repair. And only if they "see" what they have done and correct it.

I've never believed in the ends justifying the means nor that colateral damage is justified. So now as a newly hatched Independent I am wondering if their will ever come a time when I will go to the voting booth joyfully to vote for someone that I respect, admire and believe will do the things necessary.

I suspect I will go sadly, reluctantly and angrily to vote "against" some schmuck who is only a tad better than the schmuck I am voting "for".

And I will have to watch and listen as fellow citizens idolize some pinhead that isn't worth spit.

Damn, that was sure depressing. Sorry.

Anne said...

.....And I know his task: Turn America into Dubai.I sometimes think Somalia is the model they want.