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Neoliberal Economics/ Capitalism and Value-free Oligarchy are the Enemies of Humanity
In these days of populist, polarised, creeping right wing authoritarianism and corruption, and when the petulant oligarchs rule the world over, this is A Must-read Book on the inhumanity of America’s Oligarchs maximising pain and suffering, destroying everything on their path, whilst pocketing billions and billions in the process!
‘It's OK to be angry about capitalism. It's OK to want something better. Bernie Sanders takes on the 1% and speaks blunt truths about a system that is fuelled by uncontrolled greed, and rigged against ordinary people. Where a handful of oligarchs have never had it so good, with more money than they could spend in a thousand lifetimes, and the vast majority struggle to survive. Where a decent standard of living for all seems like an impossible dream.
‘How can we accept an economic order that allows three billionaires to control more wealth than the bottom half of our society? How can we accept a political system that allows the super-rich to buy elections and politicians? How can we accept an energy system that rewards the fossil fuel corporations causing the climate crisis? How can we let it happen any longer? We must demand fundamental economic and political change. This is where the path forward begins.
It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism presents a vision of what would be possible if the political revolution took place. If we would finally recognize that economic rights are human rights, and work to create a society that provides them. This isn't some utopian fantasy; this is democracy as we should know it. Is it really too much to ask?’
Buy this book HERE
‘The Vermont senator and former presidential candidate offers a clarion call against the American oligarchs’
‘The Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has a predictably unsparing view of the effects of “unfettered capitalism”: it “destroys anything that gets in its way in the pursuit of profits. It destroys the environment. It destroys our democracy. It discards human beings without a second thought. It will never provide workers with the fulfillment that Americans have a right to expect from their careers. [And it is] propelled by uncontrollable greed and contempt for human decency.
‘The two-time presidential candidate makes his case with the usual horrifying numbers about the acceleration of inequality in America: 90% of our wealth is owned by one-tenth of 1% of the population; the wealth of 725 US billionaires increased 70% during the pandemic to more than $5tn; BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street now control assets of $20tn and are major shareholders in 96% of S&P 500 companies…’- Continue to read
And now another and very related must-read book
‘The United States is the richest country on earth, yet has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. One in seven Americans live below the poverty line, a line which hasn't shifted over the last fifty years, despite the efforts of successive governments and extensive relief programs. Why is there so much scarcity in this land of dollars?
'In Poverty, by America, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond examines the nature of American poverty today and the stories we tell ourselves about it. Spanning racism, social isolation, mass incarceration, the housing crisis, domestic violence, crack and opioid epidemics, welfare cuts and more, Desmond argues that poverty does not result from a lack of resources or good policy ideas. We already know how to eliminate it. The hard part is getting more of us to care.
'To do so, we need a new story. As things stand, liberals explain poverty through insurmountable structural issues, whereas conservatives highlight personal failings and poor life choices. Both analyses abdicate responsibility, and ignore the reality that the advantages of the rich only come at the expense of the poor. It is time better-paid citizens put themselves back in the narrative, recognizing that the depth and expanse of poverty in any nation reflects our failure to look out for one another. Poverty must ultimately be met by community: all this suffering and want is our doing, and we can undo it.’
Buy this book HERE
See also:
How America Manufactures Poverty
Is this the way to make America great again?
Wars and Mayhem Abroad, Abject Poverty and Inequality at Home:
U.S. Wars Abroad Increase Poverty, Inequality and Injustice at Home: Who Foots the Bill for American Hegemony? The Poor for sure!
'The United States is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, and by certain fiscal parameters, the wealthiest. It’s richest citizens own roughly 40 percent of the world’s wealth. Yet, about 40 million Americans are living in poverty, and about 20 million are mired in extreme poverty, scraping by on less than $2 a day. At the same time that the top 1 percent are increasing their vast fortunes, the income inequality gap is ever-widening, and the middle class is dissolving. For tens of millions of Americans, the rose-colored portrait of a booming U.S. economy is pure fiction. Instead, they’re spending every waking moment simply trying to survive...'-Mission Accomplished? The Human and Economic Cost of US Wars Since 9/11
The pertinent question now must surely be: Can a better America, can a better and fairer world, where Goodness is Valued above Greatness, be possible?
To my mind, the answer to these questions is an emphatic YES, but, only, if once and for all, we ditch the ill-founded, individualistic, selfish American socioeconomic model and system and take action in the interest of the many and not the few: something that I somehow believe, sooner or later, we will all realise we must do. Carpe diem!
In the interest of time and precision, I suggest the following 10 steps to a better world and a more harmonious life and living:
Ten Steps to Nurture and Save the World: A Perspective from a Transformed Economist
For further reading I have selected a pick from our GCGI archive for your keen interest:
America was Great when America was Socialist
Is Neoliberal Economics and Economists 'The Biggest Fraud Ever Perpetrated on the World?'
Neoliberalism destroys human potential and devastates values-led education
The Theft of the Century by the Most 'Educated Thieves'- All with MBAs and PhDs!
Nothing short of a sea change in education and teaching values can save the world
The Boss of JP Morgan is Calling for Business and Government for the Common Good
What might an Economy for the Common Good look like?
Wouldn’t the world be a better place with a bit more kindness? Harnessing the Economics of Kindness
My Economics and Business Educators’ Oath: My Promise to My Students
Britain Has Become a Sinking Ship of Systemic Corruption, Cronyism and Chumocracy
Can President Biden Heal and Build a Better America, where Goodness is Valued above Greatness?
And finally, we must all begin a new journey, navigating a new path and build a new life:
Journey to Healing: Let Me Know What is Essential
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Smoky Sunrise-Yellowstone River, a painting by Paul Krapf/Via fineartamerica