New Report, Same Story

Reports like this seem to be expected. We have a broken economic system because our political system is ass backwards. The American collective has viewed themselves as consumers first and citizens second-that's why the elections were and are going to be about the recovery that is supposed to happen and supposed to have happened. Our participation in democracy is largely influenced by our power to be consumers and to interact with capital; why else would we debate/talk about jobs, health care costs, housing market issues, taxes, and the like.

The report shows a bulge corporate profits, generated mainly through cheaper production costs and the lack of demand. These conditions point to a egregious phenomenon- those folks not at the top have lost consumer power. This loss does not result from loss of ambition or the will to self-improve. Consumers want something better but just can't afford it, whatever it is. Is this because consumers are working less? Absolutely not. Americans are working more hours, and their wages have been stagnant for years. These facts are not new. Consumers can't consume because they have no money and their assets are dwindling. Consumers who are not in the upper-class are just losing the game that has been rigged by businesses that are too big to fail and by our politicians who allow the game to be rigged for the benefit of a few.

Consumers are not fault for their ruin; the financial meltdown caused this mess. For those who caused the meltdown, they've already moved on because they can. Consumers are time and time again left to foot the bill. The article cites that current corporate profits do not show signs of a strong economy- increased consumer demand and consumer spending power. Would I still complain if profits were this high and the numbers reflected a strong economy? Probably, because we can do better than this.

The Right to... Be Educated?

The recent reports cutting funds for higher education sustains the never ending double standard for our nation: one can be successful in our country if one can afford it. These budget cuts are ultimately passed onto the lower and middle classes who want to pursue higher education, and it basically eschews those marginalized even further from considering if higher education is an option. If a country cannot provide access to self-improvement, then the gap between the haves and have-nots widens immensely and the gap shelters those at the top. It just fixes the social-Darwinism game that has no place in a democracy.

The timing of the education cuts could not come at a more ironic time. The recent attacks on “entitlement programs” are not only absurd but completely myopic. If someone can’t afford health care, does that mean that person is not deserving of it? Does education now fall under an entitlement program? If someone cannot afford an education, does that mean that person is not deserving of it? It all ties into the double standard. Let’s see how long it will take until Harrisburg becomes a gated community…