America, by design, the new THIRD WORLD

[dotymed]

It will be no time before we are 99% serfs, and 1% elites.
Really, we are kind-of there. The difference is, for now at
least, some "serfs" are paid large salaries. This
encourages others to believe that there are a lot more well to
do people than there actually are...
In college, I had a Professor, who was a "trust fund
baby." He was a good guy and his father had been a giant
Robber Baron. I learned things(and met people) that blew my
mind. His family got their first microwave oven in 1957! They
grew up in the 40's and 50's with remote controlled
T.V.'s...they used solar powered systems in the 50's...all of
the things, that to our middle class (my Father was an Army
pilot)knowledge, was stuff of science fiction... Can you
imagine the life changing technology that the wealthy are
using today, that will "trickle down" to us peasants
in a few decades? Maybe, instant communication has changed
things, but I doubt it. Being wealthy in America is being
privy to incredible things. But, nations like Japan already
have mainstreamed much of the technology that in America is
only for the elite. For example, America lags far behind even
many "third world" countries in our communication
capabilities. While we have ben busy spending more than all of
the other countries combined, in weapons. They have been
investing in their infrastructure. This includes replacing (or
just installing) fiber optics or wireless technology, while
America still, mainly(not the wealthy of course), uses the
original networks designed decades ago. In most industrialized
(and some "third world" countries)their computer
systems are dozens of times faster and more efficient than
ours. The technology in America is way behind. 
Every since Reagan, and his tax cuts for the very wealthy (and
practically no taxes for corporations)American superiority has
been a myth (perpetuated by a media that was unfettered by the
removal of the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE). Pre-Reagan, we had a 70%
cap on taxes for the wealthy. Now it is about 23% (if that).
Americans only pay social security taxes on the first
$110,000.00 of their annual salary. We know that most people
make much less than this. If the better paid people had to pay
the (about 7%)on their entire income, like most of us do, then
social security would be "solvent" until about 2090.
Amazingly, since the Reagan era, America has been hemorrhaging
jobs. It seems like if you don't tax the wealthy, then you
incentivize them to keep their business's here. Not so. The
wealthy may still be here, but they sent their manufacturing
overseas and to Mexico. They can pay the labor force there
next to nothing. That is what these FREE TRADE deals have all
been about.Yep, the good ol' boys got together under Reagan,
and decided that profits were more important than people. It
is still the rallying cry today (behind closed corporate doors
of course). Every since Reagan, our salaries have been
decreasing while prices have been increasing. More profits of
course. This eventually (and it had to) led to the
international depression (call it what it is) that we now find
ourselves in. Of course the answer is for the workers to make
greater sacrifices and lose more jobs. All of this while CEO
salaries and bonuses soar. FDR started the WPA and this put
millions of Americans back to work. It brought unemployment
numbers to new lows. IF president Obama spent our
"stimulus" money as wisely (instead of giving it to
the institutions that created or sped up the crisis) America
could modernize it's infrastructure (much needed) including
its energy and communication grids. We could begin the
transition to a "green economy." Van Jones knew
this... FDR tried to balance the budget too soon after his
work programs started showing real progress, it almost started
a new depression, until WWII came along. We have learned from
this. We can reverse the republican plan to turn us into a
country of haves and have nots. It will take a plan and a
leader. IMO, President Obama has to shorten his acclimation
period and start a program aimed at reversing the last 3 1/2
decades of American decline. That includes a work program
aimed at making America's infrastructure the envy of the
world, and green. If he does this, he will, no doubt, earn his
peace prize and save America. This agenda would be fought
against hard, TPB would feel very threatened. People before
profits, every time. He needs to stop the hate that FOX is
aiming at him, by reinstating the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE.

[baldguy]

1. K&R

The restoration of the Fairness Doctrine is only a piece of the solution. Restoring media ownership limitations is another. Having a faceless corporation own the majority of media outlets in a particular market, or own hundreds across the country, poisons the atmosphere of discussion and actually LIMITS the access to information citizens need to participate in their government.

Of course, that's the objective of the corporations who own the media.

[madrchsod]

2. argentina just passed new regulations on media ownership

to bad it will never happen here...