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August 20,1999
America: Rich in Power, Poor in Values
Frank Scott
"The United States today predominates on the economic, monetary,
military and technological levels, and in the cultural area . In terms
of power and influence, it is not comparable to anything known in modern
history."
Should Americans feel proud at this warning by French Foreign Minister
Vedrine?
Our near total domination of the globe is as much a sign of moral
weakness as economic strength. It depends on unequal distribution of
power, wealth and justice, and environmental destruction , at home
and abroad.
Triumphal voices have been raised since the demise of the Soviet Union,
which brought an unchallenged role for US military and economic power.
But when even our allies begin to question that role, it is time for
Americans to pay much closer attention .
Our booming stock market has made new millionaires and introduced the
upper class to an illusion of endless prosperity. It has trickled down
to benefit janitors, lawyers and other service workers, but it has not
reached 14 million citizens who still live in poverty. Nor has it done
anything but increase the massive debt load borne by most Americans.
Consumers carry a total of five trillion dollars in personal debt, and
even with budget book jugglers “finding” billions of surplus dollars,
we still carry a national debt of the same size. That costs taxpayers
hundreds of billions in interest payments every year , most of it going
to a minority investor class which owns all the debt.
More Americans than ever are employed, but we work longer hours, incur
more bills, and can’t seem to find peace of mind. We spend more than
$6 billion a year on legal anti-depressants. And billions more on
illegal drugs and booze. Is this a sign of our leadership?
Worldwide, 1.5 billion people live in poverty as a direct result of
something called globalization. What is this “new” system that promises
happiness if we embrace the internet, drive SUVs, spend money we don't
have on products we don’t need, and disregard any moral values we’ve
been taught ?
The system of noxious economic and political gas which is dangerously
over-heating the planet is an old process given a trendy new name. But
It is still just capitalism, nothing more or less.
The mechanical imperialism of the 19th century has become the
electronic imperialism of the 21st. Abused industrial workers and
colonial subjects of the past have become abused service workers and
debt subjects of the present.
Most people are simply pawns in an anti-democratic game in which global
chess players in banking and finance make market moves in one nation,
and create profit or chaos in another. This is exactly the process of
the 19th century, only now it works faster.
Currency is traded internationally, profits are made, high-paying
industrial jobs are lost, lower-paying service jobs are created ,
poverty spreads and the environment is destroyed. This is global
gambling done at blinding electronic speeds, and over which the people
who are affected have no control.
Triumph? For whom?
The system America dominates supposedly depends on solid information,
but it profits from shaky speculation. When old debt is paid by
creating new debt and people spend more than they earn; when financial
wealth controls politics and hardship and poverty are common, these are
not signs of triumph, but of failure.
It is time for Americans to hear global critics and stop accepting what
we are told by our corporate mind managers . We need to question what
American dominance is really doing to our people and our planet .
A truly new form of political economics might turn us into world
leaders who are admired rather than resented . Such a system would
have nothing to do with domination or inequality. It’s an old theory
called Democracy.
Isn’t it about time we put it into practice?
Copyright (c) 1999 by Frank Scott. All rights reserved.
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Archiving, redistribution, or republication of this text on
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frank scott
http://www.marin.cc.ca.us/~frank/columns
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225 laurel place, san rafael ca. 94901
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