Everything Must Go!
The United States was sold on November 5th of 2024 to Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and the Crypto Bros. It was cheap. If taken all together, the money spent by these three main actors and the other minor players (like Koch and the Wall Street crew), probably doesn’t add up to more that 2 billion dollars. OK, maybe 3 billion. Still, that’s a bargain for a country that had a third-quarter GNP in 2024 of well over 29 trillion dollars.
So what did these sleaze-bags get for their money?
[Let’s call them the NP — New Predators. I was going to add “on the Block” but that is too kitschy. And NP has that kind of subtle ambiguity that could hint at Nazi Party if you have a mind geared toward conspiracy theories.]
Well, of course they got the Congress and the Senate. They already owned the Supreme Court. If you are under some kind of an illusion that the Orange Menace cannot be bought, then Wake Up (or should I be saying Get Woke?). If there is anyone who would do anything for money, then it’s the guy who is the brand image of MAGA.
Of course, he’d do lots for a nice piece of tail as well, as is clear from his comments about A.O.C.:
In August, when Trump was asked about Ocasio-Cortez, he called her “fake” before offering a compliment. “She’s got a thing going,” he said. “It’s a good thing. A good thing for her. But there’s a certain something she’s got. She’s got a spark that’s pretty amazing actually. She’s got a good spark.” — Huffington Post
Now let’s not forget that for a long long time the Democrats have been owned by big capital and (once upon a time) by the unions. Will they now quietly go into the portfolio of the NP? Knowing the mentality of the fortunate 100 who end up with 6-year terms in the Senate, comfortable and getting richer each year, I’d say Yes, they will spew words of moral wisdom at election rallies, and rail against the NP and the lackeys of the Orange Menace, but will quietly not resist when the new laws come rolling past their desks in an endless stream of deregulation, privatization and entitlements for the 0.1%.
After all, as George Carlin once pointed out: “It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it! You and I aren’t in it!” Senators are. Congresspeople want to be. Some Governors probably already are in it because of the families they come from. Think of all the mayors and sheriffs and judges who live from the steady drip, drip, drip of government money. They certainly don’t want to kick up a fuss.
The war machine companies also had a big stake in the Democratic Party. But big corporations are like the best ballet dancers, they can turn on a dime. And they will. It really doesn’t matter who is in the highchair at the Department of Defense, all that person will ever do is sign off on the laundry list submitted by the Pentagon and the war machine producers.
Money talks.
Money has spoken loud and clear. The United States must be privatized down to street level. How is it possible that Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard and 5th Avenue and Broadway have not yet been sold to the highest bidders? Isn’t that what Monopoly is all about?
Aside: “There are few cases of creative and intellectual theft more egregious than the origins of the billion-dollar grossing Monopoly. The short version: a brilliant woman economist invented an anti-capitalist board game that was stolen by a lying, opportunistic man and repackaged as capitalist family fun.” — The Public Domain Review
Maybe not all, but I would say most American kids played Monopoly growing up. I hated it. It took too long to play and some other kid (never me) ended up with all the expensive streets and all the money. Glee in Greed* was what Monopoly taught kids. I never found Greed all that interesting. Was it my Catholic school education that turned me away from it? I don’t think so. There are plenty of greedy Catholics around. In the end, for me, it was boring. A waste of time. (I think chess is boring too. I don’t mind checkers. It’s clear and fast. You can play best 3 out of 5 in half an hour.)
*Britannica: Greed is defined as the immoderate love or desire for riches and earthly possessions. A person can also be greedy for fame, attention, power, or anything else that feeds one’s selfishness. As a deadly sin, greed is believed to spur other sins and further immoral behavior.
So, what are the Bargains Galore that the NP are after?
According to 50 Ways Government Works for Us:
– Social Security payments help 51 million Americans. — Ah, some ripe fruit that has had Wall Street and the hedge fund hoods salivating for years. They’ll get it all now. Of course they’ll have to deal with the devil and his companion, but the profits are so enormous that any deal will be a good deal as far as they are all concerned.
– College loan programs help millions who might otherwise not be able to afford higher education. — Not even Old Joe and his band of brothers could get debt relief for ex-students through. Usury will become commonplace and only the very rich will send their children to university. The others who really want to get that BA or MA will have to live the rest of their lives like indentured servants to whatever corporate entity they owe.
– Medicare provides government health care for seniors. — If Medicare isn’t given over to private entities to administer, then it will be gutted. Why keep all those old people alive for longer than necessary? The healthcare industry (an oxymoron if there ever was one) doesn’t give a shit, why should the NP boys who own the government? Medicaid is in the same boat.
– The federal minimum wage law makes sure every covered worker gets paid a basic wage. — Yes, of course. Minimum wage will never go up again and might go down so that companies and farmers can replace the undocumented who have all been deported.
– The Department of the Interior protects our national parks for the enjoyment of all
Americans. — National parks will only survive if they don’t contain precious minerals that can be exploited by the NP and their buddies. Who cares about Joshua trees if there are REEs under them. “Rare-earth elements (REE) are necessary components of more than 200 products across a wide range of applications, especially high-tech consumer products, such as cellular telephones, computer hard drives, electric and hybrid vehicles, and flat-screen monitors and televisions.”
It’s hard not to hear the NP laughing out loud at these government protections:
– Truth in Lending laws discourage rip-offs by credit card companies.
– School lunch regulations mandate nutritious meals.
– Enforcement of the federal Clean Air Act guarantees commitment toward providing safer air to breathe.
– Federal law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of age, race, gender, color, national origin, religion, childbirth or disability.
– The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees equal opportunity for people with
disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local
government services and telecommunications.
– Labor laws guarantee you cannot be prematurely replaced if you strike over unfair labor practices.
They’ll all be gone before you even notice.
The real Project 2025 is what the NP will do in order to get as much money and power in as short a time as possible. And don’t think that bureaucratic hurdles will stop them. The Gordian Knot is easily cut with the blade of a sharp sword. These unscrupulous individuals will use whatever blades are available to cut to shreds anything that hinders their progress toward total dominance. After all, it’s the American Way.
Of course it will be a disaster.
The entitled believe they can survive any disaster because their wealth will keep them safe above the flood, sheltered from the hurricane, protected by impenetrable armor from the bullets and bombs, immune from any diseases that may sweep through the masses that—in their eyes—need to be thinned out anyway, because there are far too many useless bodies roaming the earth. Especially with the AI revolution on the verge of making all those people even less useful.
This sounds apocalyptic and depressing, but really it shouldn’t. You should see these developments for what they really are, the dawn of a new era for mankind.
It will be difficult for the people in the United States. It will be difficult for us here in Europe. Everywhere else (except maybe in Shanghai) it’s already difficult. But when we come out on the other side the NP will have devoured each other (no honor among thieves), will have nowhere to hide, and will pay the price for their hubris.
Maybe I read too much mythology.
Anyway, it’s something to be hopeful about, isn’t it?
