Caricatures 1

Milton Friedman, Free Trade and US national debt

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/faq.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503983_162-4864398-503983.html

If you watch at first link ("debt clock"), you will notice that debt exploded in 1983 - just in time when Milton Friedman and his "free trade" and "deregulation" policies took over.

Friedman was proponent of deregulated capitalism (including deregulation of prices), free trade, full-blown privatization, and so called "shock doctrine" - using shocking events to get throught "reforms" that would never pass if people were clear-minded.

For example, Margared Tatcher used Falkland War to introduce wild privatization to United Kingdom. International Monetary Fond is main Friedmanistics' tool to force independent states to sell everything they have in exchange for "help", and Friedman's shock therapy.

But now, back to US. In 1971., US economy was on its knees - high unemployment rate, extreme inflation. So, Nixon decided to regulate prices of main products (like oil) and rents; while Friedman was terrified, it worked. Inflation was falling daily, economy recovered. Next year, Nixon gains 60% of votes, and continues to wade on other Friedman's orthodoxies, like introducing series of laws that put industry under even harder environmental and safety regulations. Soon after, Nixon said that "they are all keynesians now".

However, in 1980s, many states - including US - embraced Friedman's policies. In short order, internal structure on which state is based, fell apart. United States Government and Central Bank became deposits from which private corporations could take money in times of need; military itself became increasingly reliant on private firms for many key elements of its operations; US Government and FEMA proved totally incapable of acting in times of need (Katrina Hurricane) - FEMA was unable to find stadium in New Orleans where 23 thousand people were stationd for days without food or water - despite the fact that all world media were there for days. Private firms that were to privide help only took money from government and left without finishing - or even starting - jobs they were supposed to do. To cover for tens of billions of dollars given away to private companies, Republician Congress reduced budget by 40 billion dollars.

In short, IN ORDER TO SURVIVE AS A STATE CAPABLE OF FUNCTIONING AND DEFENDING ITSELF, UNITED STATES MUST SAY DECISIVE "NO" TO FRIEDMAN'S DEREGULATED CAPITALISM, FREE MARKET AND UNREGULATED PRIVATIZATION.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17424874/ns/business-answer_desk/t/just-who-owns-us-national-debt/


Links to Wikipedia articles about Friedman and Keynes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Friedman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes

European Union, US and Free Trade

European union... our politicians constantly tell us that European Union is Heaven on Earth. But is that true?

Let's see a bit of history.

European Union forced us to privatise firms, banks and so on - all of them being sold for bagatel price to foreigners. Land is being sold too.

Right now, not single one of 10 leading banks in Croatia is in Croatian hands - hands of Croatian state - all of them belong to foreign banks. "So good, what this has to do with us?", you might say. Well, it has a lot - first of all, foreign banks are exactly that - foreign. They don't care about people here. As soon as things home get nasty, they'll withdraw money from Croatia - and any other countries they have their tentacles in - to help their own firms. Actually, it seems like European Union is trying to achieve what US did - fasistic, corporatistic state where state is literally owned by private corporations.

In such conditions, state does not exist. Except as private bank corporations can take money from. Also, anything that stands in way of unrestricted privatization and wild capitalism - like patriotism, nationalism, religion - is attacked. That is reason behind media campaign against Catholic Church, is apparent all over Western world, including Croatia - Catholic Church, with 1.2 billion members in hard pyramidal structure is strongest oposition wild capitalism can possibly face here in West. Of other churches, Protestant Church is not offering any noteworthy resistance, some of its ideas actually helping to create modern capitalism, and being divided into dozen sub-churches and movements, and Orthodox Church is divided into national churches, and so unable to offer strong resistance. While there are pedofils in all institutions, only those working in Church are heavyi"advertised" by media.

Let's take look at US, where that "transition" from functional state to corporatistic state run by ideals of free, unrestricted trade and corporatistic dictatorship is mostly finished. There, the Friedman's ideals are running rampant - literally. War against Terror itself is exampleof these ideals - under guise of "security", White House increased police surveillance, and control in general. After that, these duties, along with some others (defence, building) were given to private sector to make profit from it.

Althought "official" reason is War Against Terror, in truth, it was full-blown privatization, with national security, law, health institutions, building institutions, even intelligence departments being privatized - if Ferengi were real, US would be heaven on Earth for them.

Now, you might ask what all of this has to do with EU. But there is simple fact that EU is doing exactly same things, and is asking us to do them too. Also, many major European firms are owned by US ones. In that regard, EU is nothing more than US colony, and is full-heartedly supporting US "values".

Meanwhile, there are many attempts to equalize free trade with democracy. It cannot be further from truth. "Democracy" comes from combination of Greek words demos (people) and kratios (power). So, it is when people are in power. However, politicians are not chosen by people - they are put in power by powerful corporations, in order to further their own interests, and capitalists make no distinction if these politicians are "chosen" in "democratic" way or put in power by US-financed "revolution".

IMF and World Bank, both having headquarters in Washington, are primary institutions used to spread Free Trade ideals around world.
Their primary ideals are that "all state-owned companies should be privatised" and "all barriers preventing spread of foreign capital (primary US capital, althought UK, France, Russia and China are also looking for their piece of cake) should be removed". When crisis - struck states ask IMF for help, Fond replies with complete shoch therapy programs, which regularly means complete privatization ("You want to save the state? Then sell it away!").

There is also example of right-wing activists of Polish Solidarity which were succesfull in freeing state from Communist dictatorship, only for corporatist capitalism to take it over. Margaret Tatcher and Ronald Reagan were quick to see "crack" in Soviet "armor" created by Solidarity, crack they could use, despite the fact that Solidarity fought for establishment of rights these two politicans were trying to destroy in their own countries.

Walesa said: "On our own misfortune, we won!". And he was right - after Solidarity won, it was put in power of monetarily crippled, over-indebted state; a fact MMF was quick to capitalize on. Poland, interesting due to large numbers of state-controlled firms, was offered program of radical shock therapy, which, as always, was centered around privatization. MMF let Poland sink into debts and inflation, while US told Solidarity that it expects from them to return all debt of old regime, while offering only 119 million dolars of help.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Sachs, shock doctrine agent with connections in Washington, offered Poland 3 billion dollars of help. However, it had price - government had to accept offer, one which was later christened as "Sachs plan" or "shock therapy" by polish newspapers. Sachs advised selling of state mines, factories and shipyards to private sector - things which were in complete contrast to Solidarity's programs. Althought leaders of Solidarity were sceptical with program - Solidarity was formed during rebellion against drastic communist-induced rise of prices, and Sachs just told them to do the same, but in even bigger proportions - years of imprisonment and life in underground left consequences, and they accepted. Result? Even worse chaos of poverty and deindutrialization, and it lasts even today.

In the end, this is what it became: