Americans: Serfs Ruled by Oligarchs by Paul Craig Roberts • August 19, 2009 - Needs to be read by

What more is there to say as Dr. Roberts says it best. Yes a long quote but if I could write well this is exactly what I would say. The source is listed and needs to be read because I believe this is where we are at and how we got there: www.chroniclesmagazine.org...#

Americans: Serfs Ruled by Oligarchs
by Paul Craig Roberts • August 19, 2009 • Printer-friendly

"In a little time [there will be] no middling sort. We shall have a few, and but a very few Lords, and all the rest beggars."—R.L. Bushman

"Rapidly you are dividing into two classes—extreme rich and extreme poor."—"Brutus"

Americans think that they have "freedom and democracy" and that politicians are held accountable by elections. The fact of the matter is that the United States is ruled by powerful interest groups who control politicians with campaign contributions. Our real rulers are an oligarchy of financial and military/security interests and AIPAC, which influences U.S. foreign policy for the benefit of Israel.

Have a look at economic policy. It is being run for the benefit of large financial concerns, such as Goldman Sachs.

It was the banks, not the millions of Americans, who have lost homes, jobs, health insurance and pensions, that received $700 billion in TARP funds. The banks used this gift of capital to make more profits. In the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Goldman Sachs announced record second-quarter profits and large six-figure bonuses for every employee.

The Federal Reserve's low interest rate policy is another gift to the banks. It lowers their cost of funds and increases their profits. With the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999, banks became high-risk investment houses that trade financial instruments, such as interest-rate derivatives and mortgage-backed securities. With abundant funds supplied virtually free by the Federal Reserve, banks are paying depositors virtually nothing on their savings.

Despite the Federal Reserve's low interest rate policy, beginning Oct. 1, banks are raising the annual percentage rate (APR) on credit card purchases, cash advances and on balances that have a penalty rate because of late payment. Banks are also raising the late fee. In the midst of the worst economy since the 1930s, heavily indebted Americans, who are losing their jobs and their homes, are to be bled into bankruptcy by the very banks that are being subsidized with TARP funds and low interest rates.

Moreover, it is the American public that is on the hook for the TARP money and the low interest rates. As the U.S. government's budget is 50 percent or more in the red, the TARP money has to be borrowed from abroad or monetized by the Fed. This means more pressure on the U.S. dollar's exchange value as well as a rise in import prices and domestic inflation.

Thus, Americans will pay the TARP and low interest rate subsidies to their financial rulers with erosion in the purchasing power of the dollar. What we are experiencing is a massive redistribution of income from the American public to the financial sector.

And this is occurring during a Democratic administration headed by America's first black president, with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate.

Is there a government anywhere that less represents its citizens than the U.S. government?

Consider America's wars. As of the moment of writing, the out-of-pocket cost of America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is $900 billion. When you add in the already incurred future costs of veterans' benefits, interest on the debt, the forgone use of the resources for productive purposes and such other costs—as computed by Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard University budget expert Linda Bilmes—"our" government has wasted $3,000 billion on two wars, which have no benefit whatsoever for any American whose income does not derive from the military/security complex, about which five-star general President Eisenhower warned us.

It is now a proven fact that the United States invasion of Iraq was based on lies and deception of the American public. The only beneficiaries were the armaments industries, Blackwater, Halliburton, military officers who enjoy higher rates of promotion during war, and Muslim extremists whose case the U.S. government proved by its unprovoked aggression against Muslims. No one else benefited. Iraq was a threat to no one, and finding Saddam Hussein and executing him after a kangaroo trial had no effect on ending the war or preventing the start of others.

The cost of America's wars is a huge burden on a bankrupt country, but the cost incurred by veterans might be even higher. Homelessness is a prevalent condition of veterans, as is post-traumatic stress. American soldiers, who naively fought for the munitions industry's wars—for high compensation for the munitions CEOs and for dividends and capital gains for the munitions shareholders—paid not only with lives and lost limbs, but also with broken marriages, ruined careers, psychiatric disorders and prison sentences for failing to make child-support payments.

What did Americans gain from an unaffordable war in Iraq that lasted far longer than World War II and put into power Shiites allied with Iran?

The answer is obvious: nothing whatsoever.

What did the armaments industry gain? Billions of dollars in profits.

What about President Obama? "A corporate marketing creation," sums up the distinguished British journalist John Pilger.

Obama is the presidential candidate who promised to end the war in Iraq. He hasn't. But he has escalated the war in Afghanistan, started a new war in Pakistan, intends to repeat the Yugoslav scenario in the Caucasus and appears determined to start a war in South America. In response to the acceptance by U.S. puppet president of Columbia, Alvaro Uribe, of seven U.S. military bases in Columbia, Venezuela warned South American countries that the "winds of war are beginning to blow."

Here we have the U.S. government, totally dependent on the generosity of foreigners to finance its red ink, which extends in large quantities as far as the eye can see, completely under the thumb of the military/security complex, which will destroy us all in order to meet Wall Street share price expectations.

Why does any American care who rules Afghanistan? The country has nothing to do with us.

Did the armed services committees of the House and Senate calculate the risk of destabilizing nuclear-armed Pakistan when they acquiesced to Obama's new war there, a war that has already displaced 2 million Pakistanis?

No, of course not. The whores took their orders from the same military/security oligarchy that instructed Obama.

The great American superpower and its 300 million people are being driven straight into the ground by the narrow interest of the big banks and the munitions industry. People, and not only Americans, are losing their sons, husbands, brothers and fathers for no other reason than the profits of U.S. armaments corporations. And the gullible American people seem proud of it. Those ribbon decals on their cars, SUVs and monster trucks proclaim their naive loyalty to the armaments industries and to the whores in Washington who promote wars.

Will Americans, smashed and destroyed by "their" government's policy, which always puts Americans last, ever learn more about their real enemies?

Will Americans realize that they are not ruled by elected representatives, but by an oligarchy that owns the Washington whorehouse?

Will Americans ever understand that they are impotent serfs?

COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM

Its the optimum operating condition for Capitalism i am afraid to say. The elimination of the middle class is the result of demands on the improvement for efficiency. I know its more complicated then I making it seem, but at the end of the day its about the bottom line.

Cator to the rich, screw the poor.

Nice find, the quote seems to support what a lot of people alreayd know.

S+F

Yes it's a long article but I could not, in my own words explain the mess we are in any better than this.

This really needs to be read by everyone.

Forget the friggin stars and flags.............I do not care about stars and flags - (money I wouldn't turn down).

But come November I am not voting.

It's one big sham to a two party system that basically both work for the same small group of people.

Y'all are prisoners and slaves but don't know it.

Unless you are one of the elite and that is usually by blood line.

If people don't start growing some courage and rebel openly (not violent - just not complying) then we are ALL GOING DOWN THE TUBE TOGETHER.

United we stand, divided we fall.

And all these shootings, including cops shooting people - there is a reason for that and it's not "lone nuts".....those that rule are psychopathic narcissists and will get our guns from us one way or the other.

Our police are being integrated into military - and TPTB are trying to corral the power of authority into a centralized governmental authority by driving (literally) our local authority (police) crazy mad loony and then play the discredit game and make the people want to hand over all their guns so only the military has weapons.

Welcome to 1984 folks................y'all through your apathy and allowing yourselves to be distracted allowed this S to HTF.

And it's going to get worse before it gets better because the top commander in chief, the real ruler, not the PR guy is lucifer or better known as satan.

reply to post by ofhumandescent


I agree with you here.

I also agree that if your not a part of the so called "TPTB" even if your taking home x millions of dollars eventually you will be downsized as to our current economic model it promotes that the most amount of people will make relatively nothing while very few make a lot.

In translation, the amounts of millionaires and billionaires will shrink, resulting in the Super Super rich, the peak of this process would be 1 persion (or group) owns everything, while everyone else is a slave to the machine. Again this is an imrpovement in efficiency.

reply to post by MDDoxs


Wow that was fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope more people wake up and stop complying.

I have not and refuse to fly or go through a scanner or let a stranger touch me.

We have all in our own small way STOP COMPLYING.

If everyone refused to pay their taxes they couldn't jail all of us.

If everyone wore a hooded cover your head ski mask (cameras all over) they couldn't jail all 300 million americans.

Just set aside one week of total non compliance - no work, masks for everyone, no flying, no scanning, groping, no compliance - make the elite do their own friggin work as it is the common man/woman that slops up after them.

BUT

It would have to be a large enough number that do not comply, not a thousand, a hundred thousand, or even a million - try at least tens of million of us ALL REFUSING NON VIOLENTLY TO COMPLY FOR 1 WEEK, 2 WEEKS............................United we stand, divided we fall.

And we are falling with no parachute.

reply to post by MDDoxs


Excellent cartoon - and yes it's so true it hurts.

Things will only get worse, even for those that think they are safe and beyond being affected - the small controlling oligarchs will get to you too because bullies never stop bullying and those that crave power never have enough.

What a good cartoon..............one picture worth a thousand words.

Paul Craig Rogberts is pretty awesome to be the co-author of Raegenomics. Maybe he realized that it was a garbage idea, it clearly didn't work at-least.

Neo-feudalism is very real and on its way to the USA, The 1% vs the 99% is real!

We have this really dangerous right wing movement in this country, who are pro-privatization of everything! This will destroy modern society. Imagine a world with no libraries or public parks or schools!!

reply to post by ofhumandescent


sorry, but i do not believe in evil mythical beings...i believe in bad people doing bad things, to good people for money and power. is that simplistic?...yes...people are responsible for their own actions, and the sooner good people put these bad people in prison, the better for all of us.
there are plenty of good organizations out there that are trying to do this on a very limited budget, with little or no public support. organize around them, not websites or blogs.

Originally posted by ofhumandescent
reply to post by MDDoxs

 

Excellent cartoon - and yes it's so true it hurts.

Things will only get worse, even for those that think they are safe and beyond being affected - the small controlling oligarchs will get to you too because bullies never stop bullying and those that crave power never have enough.

What a good cartoon..............one picture worth a thousand words.

Haha i thought it worked nicely. As a child i recall always wanting to be the banker while playing monopoly, perhaps the closest experience i will have to applying control over some kind of global economy (game board)

reply to post by RealSpoke


Starred.........gotta do lawn.

Have downloaded your video for later.

Thanks for your insight and yes it is Reagonics but most people don't see it.

The trickle down theory DOES NOT WORK - THE RICH ARE GREEDY.

A crust of bread from the king's table and the dogs are grateful.

Woof

Got to help with lawn......lawn day.

I am thankful to God I have a husband with a good job and a lawn to mow.

Later ATSers.

reply to post by RealSpoke


That was my first thought, seeing the name Paul Craig Roberts, he is one of the founders of "trickle-down" Reaganomics.

For him to come out with a letter like this, assailing the oligarchy - that's when you know things have gone too far to the extreme right. I agree 100% with everything Roberts said in his letter, it's just too bad he didn't think about that back in the 1980's when he helped usher in the era of these "too big to fail" oligarchs. They basically own the government now.

The only proof one needs of this is to look at the current state of public education.

You can't have your serfs critically thinking.

Why do you think in every budget short fall education is the one that get the axe?

Yet the military budget has never been higher.

They need serfs for cannon fodder, they need cogs in the machine not free thinking people.

Serfdom...


Not serfdom...

Originally posted by Atzil321
Serfdom...


Not serfdom...

Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted in some countries until the mid-19th century. Serfs who occupied a plot of land were required to work for the Lord of the Manor who owned that land, and in return were entitled to protection, justice and the right to exploit certain fields within the manor to maintain their own subsistence. Serfs were often required not only to work on the lord's fields, but also his mines, forests and roads. The manor formed the basic unit of feudal society and the Lord of the Manor and his serfs were bound legally, economically, and socially. Serfs formed the lowest social class of feudal society.

You can argue that we are not, but the above sure sounds like wage slavery and income inequality.

Serfs where well fed if they had farms, they just had to make sure the king got his before they got theirs...

Even well fed cattle is still cattle.

reply to post by jimmyx


Read "The Black Awakening" by Russ Dizdar.

Check back here in a few years.

The Columbine shooting, the Aurora shooting, wars, endless wars, it's only just beginning.

Wait, just a few years and rethink your reply.

You very well could be right.

A closed mind and proud heart gathers no knowledge or wisdom..............OHD

I respect your reply because again, maybe you are right. I personally think there's more to it than that.

reply to post by MDDoxs


I always won at Monopoly and Risk (and Scrabble).

But those are simply board games and not reality.

In reality I have two homes, a happy 38 year marriage to a really nice, honorable, good man and a better than average life.

But, I am involved in various charities for children, animals and the homeless. Just telling you this so you know I am thankful for what I have (We have worked very hard, without screwing over people) to have what we have and are nearing the end of our journey here on Earth (age).

My agenda for this thread is to simply wake more people up to the game the elite are playing for real.

I have always fought against bullies and tyranny. Not a hero, but a messenger and helper of sorts, nothing more.

Too many people are being distracted, dumbed down and divided.............that is exactly how the few control the many.

Safe journey.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


People change, grow and see the errors of their ways.

He also may be aware and afraid that the many of the sleeping public are waking up.

I thought it was a good article from a insider.

Solutions?

Don't know, maybe it's gone too far to turn it all around.

Ervin Lazlo has a couple good books "Chaos I and II" and gives some viable solutions.

Possibly people may want to check his books out.

But non-compliance (in a peaceful manner) might be a start.

yessirr....just like Eisenhowers speech aout the existing mil-indy complex.......He said that way back in the 1900"s hehe

reply to post by benrl


I wish I could give you 500 stars for your reply.

The only proof one needs of this is to look at the current state of public education. You can't have your serfs critically thinking. - benrl

I don’t want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers - John D. Rockefeller

I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts. - John D. Rockefeller

“Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.” ― Henry Kissinger