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About the Author: This item was submitted by Catherine Lowther, Professor of Psychology, Goddard College. Dr. Lowther is also a member of the “Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice Association.” ]]> http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/01/25/climate-fellowship-offers-students-real-world-opportunities/feed/ 0 http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/09/24/mr-mrs-middle-class-youve-been-punked/ http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/09/24/mr-mrs-middle-class-youve-been-punked/#comments Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:00:41 +0000 Tom Paine http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/?p=9656 You are being told that we must pony up for Wall Street’s mistakes over the past 20 years. You are being told that if you do not it will only cost you more in the long run. You are being told that if you do not do so, the world as we know it will cease to exist. That part, at least, is correct.

For the past twenty years, beginning with the Reagan administration, economic war has been waged on you, the middle class. The champions of the “free market” demanded that all fetters, all regulations, be removed from the market. It was claimed that regulations were bad, that they prevented the market from operating “efficiently”, that the “freer” the market, the more we would all benefit.

Along with deregulation, those pushing the “free market” concept also demonized “taxation”, claiming that the less you are taxed, the better — that you should be allowed to “keep your money”. Several things were seldom discussed in relation to “tax reduction”. First, the majority of the “tax relief” went to the wealthiest in our society. They saved hundreds of thousands compared hundreds of dollars for those in the middle class. Secondly, the spending did not decrease. Rather than “tax and spend” as they accused the Democrats of doing, the Republicans (champions of the “free market”) simply borrowed and spent. But the spending was not for things of benefit to the middle class. Instead of health care and education, we were given endless war, from which the corporations who had bought the government profited immensely. While our sons and daughters fought and died, Halliburton made billions.

But woe to any who pointed this out. They were accused of waging “class war”. While the moneyed interests waged vicious and constant “class war” against the middle class, they feigned outrage that any would question their intentions. Meanwhile, the middle class saw its wages and standard of living erode. The banks and lending institutions tightened the noose around the necks of the middle class, making it harder for the “little guy” to claim bankruptcy, jacking up credit card interest to usurious levels, killing any legislation that might possibly benefit anyone other than a multi-millionaire. Middle class Americans fell deeper into debt, relying increasingly on credit cards to bridge income shortfalls, the dream of a better future for their children evaporating before their eyes.

During all the time of increased immiseration of the middle class, the wealthy and the multinational corporations were raking in the profits. The income gap between the rich and the poor widened as the “uberwealthy” sucked up more and more of the social wealth. But all good things must come to an end. The “creative” financial instruments designed by Wall Street to suck any remaining wealth from the middle class finally collapsed like the house of cards they were. Wall Street, in a panic, turned to the government it had spent good money for, and demanded a bail out.

So this is where we now stand. Those of you who question the preceding analysis, consider the fact that it is demanded that the taxpayers foot the 600 billion bill for the bailout with no oversight at all. The message delivered by that demand is this, “Mr. and Mrs. Middle Class, you have been punked”.

For one night only, both Opry Mills and Nashville’s Green Hills cinemas screened what can only be described as a new kind of horror film, I.O.U.S.A., a Sundance award-winning documentary on the state of the nation’s finances. The picture isn’t pretty.

The film itself is a medley of old political footage, newly taped events, lots of graphics and a occasionally irritating hand held cam in need of a steadier ride. Its opening is an eclectic selection of former Presidents, and current President George W. Bush, making statements about how we must get the economy (read: out of control spending) under control. From Presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, the first G. Bush, Clinton and the current White occupant, we hear the same noise.

Robert Bixby on the economy

Led by a giant copper penny, we ride a roller coaster of sound bites and budget charts, learning that health care (Medicare and Medicaid) are more of a threat that the surge of baby boomers heading to maturity and social security. We are told that 3% of our gross national product devoted to military spending is not our biggest threat. We are told that the fact that foreign entities hold a huge portion of our indebtedness is really not the crisis we think it is (that didn’t convince me).

What is a threat to our fiscal security as individuals and as a nation? Let’s start with spending. All the panelists agreed that we as individuals and as a nation have to stop spending more than we can afford.  Taken from a skit on Saturday Night Live, Steve Martin makes two quick appearances as a family man grappling with the concept of not buying on credit. That idea combined with the need for a new emphasis on saving were keys to change. The closest America has come to balancing the budget was in 1998 in the Clinton administration, a period when the famous “debt clock” could be shut down. In just eight years under Bush Jr. we are trillions and trillions of dollars in debt.

The film is structured around a road trip, a tour of America called the “Fiscal wake Up Tour.” Robert Bixby, director of the Concord Coalition, and David Walker, the U.S. comptroller general now resigned from that post, travel America with the often dry story of what is wrong with America’s fiscal policies and behavior, and attempting to answer the question “how do we fix it?”

In just eight years, the Bush/Cheney administration turned Clinton's balanced budget into a $9 trillion deficit

It was noted in the film that over two plus centuries of American history we have incurred serious debt, we have always managed to spend it down. What is different this time is the public mindset, which is not in tune with or even knowledgeable about the fact that America is broke. Not just broke, but trillions of dollars in debt. Trillions. Nine trillion dollars. That’s nine with lots of zeros and four commas.

The trade deficit is a second area of concern; we import more than we export, and that sending of American dollars to overseas vendors erodes our financial stability.

In another brief segment, we are told that when it comes to education, our students are at the bottom of an international heap, and without more access to training and motivation to reach higher standards, the chances of rebuilding and sustaining a solid footing in the world is not likely.

The punchline is the indebtedness factor. Children not even born yet will be shouldering tens of thousands of dollars of debt when they are still in diapers, and when or if they graduate from college. Yes, it’s that bad.

Click here to view the embedded video.

After the film screened, Becky Quick of MSNBC posed questions from the audience and from emails sent from across the country. America’s most notable financial leaders and policy experts, including Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway; William Niskanen, chairman of the Cato Institute; Bill Novelli, CEO of AARP; Pete Peterson, senior chairman of The Blackstone Group and chairman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation; and Dave Walker, president & CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former U.S. Comptroller General, offered insight and possible solutions to the nations fiscal woes.

Finally, all five panelists agreed that one of the largest, perhaps the largest, issue was the death of leadership. Electing strong leaders, electing leaders who can set aside partisan politics and work together using basic common sense and sound business principles, can put America on the right track again.

Seeing I.O.U.S.A. in tandem with the panel discussion was the best way to see this provocation and scary film. Though on the dry side, I.O.U.S.A. is the kind of film more people need to see, listen to, and think about, particularly with the 2008 Presidential election on the horizon.

In promoting the film, producers write:

I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States and its citizens. As the Baby Boomer generation prepares to retire, will there even be any Social Security benefits left to collect? Burdened with an ever-expanding government and military, increased international competition, overextended entitlement programs, and debts to foreign countries that are becoming impossible to honor, America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions.

Throughout history, the American government has found it nearly impossible to spend only what has been raised through taxes. Wielding candid interviews with both average American taxpayers and government officials, Sundance veteran Patrick Creadon (Wordplay) helps demystify the nation’s financial practices and policies. The film follows U.S. Comptroller General David Walker as he crisscrosses the country explaining America’s unsustainable fiscal policies to its citizens.

Uncounted: The Movie took a fairly dry subject of black box voting and turned it into a dynamic and passionate film done well enough to inspire political change. I.O.U.S.A. tries to follow that path to success but falls a bit short, a bit flat in the dryness of its subject matter. Granted, they have a more-than-valid concern to play out to the American public, but in the assemblage of suits, ties, talking heads and financial charts they both make a point and occasionally lose viewer interest. Nonetheless, it is a film worth seeing and remembering as we make decisions about who will lead our country out of its financial morass.

This critically-acclaimed documentary film was conceived of, co-written and executive produced by Agora Financial’s Addison Wiggin. In July 2008, the film was acquired by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

In 2007, 115 US plants produced 7 billion gallons of Corn Ethanol – the energy equivalent of 132 million barrels of oil using about 15% of corn production. While this sounds large, it is tiny in the context of the US economy. This is equal to only 1.6% of the energy from from oil in 2007 used in the US. But the situation is worse than this because it takes 1 unit of fossil fuel to produce 1.3 units of corn ethanol. The net energy produced was only 0.5% of the energy from from oil – while consuming 15% of the US corn crop!

Vast sums of taxpayer and consumer dollars are funding an ineffective solution to the real problems of global warming and energy independence. While the country does not sufficiently fund what can be real solutions.

The Federal corn ethanol policy is extremely costly to working people in the US and the world’s poor (through higher food prices). The ethanol equivalent of a gallon of gasoline costs far more than a gallon of gasoline. Fueling your car with corn ethanol makes the world grain shortage worse and increases food prices to the world’s poor. 15 gallons of ethanol in your gas tank uses enough corn to feed one person for a year. Higher grain prices, from corn ethanol subsidies, have a big impact on grain feed beef, chicken, milk, and egg prices for hard working Americans.

US politicians love heavily subsidizing corn ethanol because it makes great politics because of the many subsidized winners from this policy – farmers, farm states, companies and workers that make fertilizer, seed, agriculture equipment; banks and venture capital; towns wanting new factories and jobs, construction workers and mis-informed green voters. By supporting Corn Ethanol, politicians can present themselves as Green and pro-energy independence.

There is a major economic boom in US grain farming from the massive government subsidies to corn ethanol from direct payments, credits and mandates for ethanol use – while the rest of the economy is likely in a recession. Oil companies benefit from Corn Ethanol, as it does little to reduce demand for oil and therefore keeps prices up. Big agriculture is more powerful than big oil, as big agriculture is powerful in most states while big oil is concentrated in a few states and many more people work in agriculture and supporting industries than the oil industry.

Another big interest group in the way are politicians who advocated corn ethanol, who now may be better informed that this was a bad policy – but are afraid to change for fear of “flip flopping” charges. Maybe as part the new politics, Democrats can have the courage to say as John Maynard Keynes said, “When the facts change, I change my mind ? what do you do, sir?” Then again there will be others who will do the same as Hillary Clinton did to preserve her reputation by – holding fast to the Iraq war – when it was recognized as bad policy.

It will take political courage to oppose Corn Ethanol’s powerful interests – while the rest of the public are not interested in “policy details.”

About the author

Nextstep, the author is a diarist with the Daily Kos web site.

• African American men are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as white males (9.5% compared to 4% for whites).
• Among young men (20 to 24-years-old) 76.5 of whites were employed, compared to 68.8% of blacks.
• For blacks over 25-years-old with less than a high school education 60% are unemployed, as compared to 53% of whites.
• African American men earn only 75% as much as their white counterparts.
• For African Americans under 18-years-old, 33.5% live in poverty, compared to 10% of white youths.
• Among black Americans, 47.9% own their homes, whereas 75.8% of whites own homes. In addition, blacks are three times more likely to obtain high-priced mortgages than whites.
• Black men are more than 7 times more likely to be incarcerated than white men.
• Average jail sentences for African American males are 10 months longer than for white men.
• Young black men between 15 and 34-years-old are nine times more likely to die of homicide than white men the same age and they are almost seven times as likely to contract HIV/AIDS.
• Black children do well in early childhood–over two-thirds are enrolled in early childhood education programs, such as Head Start, compared to 64% of white children. However, black children, especially males, begin to drop out in middle school and high school at alarming rates.
• Twenty-one percent of teachers in majority black schools had less than three years experience, compared to 10 percent in majority white schools.
• Dollars spent per black student were 82% of those spent per white student.

For Excutive Summary: click here

For Report Abstracts: click here

To Obtain Complete 2007 Report: click here