The next 4 years: a shift to "ownership society"

V

Vance

New Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
4,265
Reaction score
1
WASHINGTON — President Bush is poised to pursue an aggressive "ownership society" agenda of Social Security privatization, new tax breaks for savings and investment and additional incentives for homeownership as cornerstones of his second-term economic initiatives.

Bush hinted as much in his victory speech Wednesday, promising: "We will reform our outmoded tax code. We will strengthen Social Security for the next generation."

His conservative supporters, meanwhile, rhapsodized about prospects for new tax and budget legislation that they asserted could remake the nation and usher in a generation of GOP dominance.

"The aim of the ownership society is to create a country of stakeholders in the American economy," said Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, a conservative activist group. "We will all become capitalist investors."

Bush is expected to start rolling out his proposals early next year, with his State of the Union address and next budget proposal.

More ... http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002084436_bushbiz07.html


In other words, corporations OWN you in the future. You will not OWN yourself any longer. I mean, ownership society code for Corporations own everything to include your identity. You think I am kidding or exaggerating? Study the history & ownership. As some of us already know that capitalist soceity has never able to be stand on its own feet. So America will collapse on its own corruption... just like Rome. Humans has never learn.

Gentlemen & ladies, history just repeat itself.

The idea of living in near-perfect society such as Sweden is beginning to sound good. Since Democracy in America is dying so what's the point?
 
Last edited:
One member posted a excellent explaination:

It's dog eat dog.

Think about the medical delivery system. You get medical insurance, if you employed, if you're lucky. But then if you get seriously ill, you lose your job, and your health insurance. Laws like COBRA are ridiculous because they are so expensive you can't pay for them. If you own or work in a small business that is lucky enough to get coverage, it is withdrawn when the insurer finds out there is a liability in someone's family. So then you have to liquidate virtually every asset you own to survive and pay medical bills. The end result is that if you are lucky enough to overcome your medical challenge, you are homeless. I know formerly prosperous, hard working people who have experienced this.

Most of the people in this country are living in system equivalent to tenant farming in old south. They are merely working to pay their bills and debts they have already acquired. They envisage getting off the hamster wheel one day but as they get older they realize it's an illusion. This is why the media is full of entertainment and news coverage about wealthy celebrities and sports figures, to disguise the true nature of our society. If any mishap comes along, like illness, injury, unemployment, fire or natural disaster, the typical hard working American is destroyed financially and can't recover. The misguided attitude of republicans toward this, who are so blind they can't imagine anything like this happening to them, "so what! they must have made immoral or bad decisions or they wouldn't be so poor." Illness, injury, unemployment, recesssions, and war, don't happen to republicans. They happen to someone else. They even want to do away with bankruptcy.

If you have a legal problem and don't have money, forget it, you're screwed. The court system is also for the rich only. Republican so called tort reform is guaranteed to close off access to the courts completely, except for the wealthy and corporations. Of course, middle and lower class republicans can't ever envisage a situation when they might need the courts or a trial lawyer to redress an injury or defend themselves against an unjust charge. They think the insurance companies and giant corporations will take care of them. Guess again! When they do need the courts, there is no resolution for them because they are not wealthy. Then they blame the trial lawyers rather than themselves for the legislators and representatives they allowed to be elected, who only serve the interests of the giant corporations. For a brief moment after three hurricanes, I enjoyed watching a rare sight. A couple of aggressive journalists from the old school were skewering JebFRAUD Bush and one legislator for the huge deductibles for EACH hurricane the state provided for their insurance industry friends. Chimp had to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars in mostly illegal FEMA handouts to cover for their insurance industry favoritism. The people seriously damaged by this are still moved in with their relatives or living in flop houses on skid row while their homes get repossessed.


Magatsu's comment: If anyone reads the George Orwell's 1984, it describes perfectly match in Bush's plans in his second term. If you did read and didn't 'see'... reread and if you still didn't 'see', you have my pity. Yes I am very blunt on this issue but fact is fact. Sorry. As I said above, the idea of living in near-perfect society such as Sweden is beginning to sound good.
 
Last edited:
Another good information from another member:

Norquist is one of the scariest people EVER

Norquist calls it the "Leave-Us-Alone Coalition," a grouping of gun owners, the Christian right, homeschoolers, libertarians, and business leaders that he has almost single-handedly managed to unite. The common vision: an America in which the rich will be taxed at the same rates as the poor, where capital is freed from government constraints, where government services are turned over to the free market, where the minimum wage is repealed, unions are made irrelevant, and law-abiding citizens can pack handguns in every state and town. "My ideal citizen is the self-employed, homeschooling, IRA-owning guy with a concealed-carry permit," says Norquist. "Because that person doesn't need the goddamn government for anything."

Few in American politics are as blunt about their plans. "If the American people really want to know what George W. Bush is up to, the best place to look is the candor of Grover Norquist," says Ralph G. Neas, president of People for the American Way. Norquist is not above equating tax collection with a street mugging, or suggesting that arguments for higher taxes on rich people echo the ones Nazis used to justify their targeting of Jews. "Bipartisanship is another name for date rape," he told a reporter in May, borrowing a phrase from former House Majority Leader Dick Armey. He likes to say he wants to shrink the size of government in half over the next 25 years "to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."

More ... http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2004/01/12_402.html

where the minimum wage is repealed

I can see that people will earn 50 cents - 3 dollars in the future.
 
Magatsu said:
WASHINGTON — President Bush is poised to pursue an aggressive "ownership society" agenda of Social Security privatization, new tax breaks for savings and investment and additional incentives for homeownership as cornerstones of his second-term economic initiatives.
Click to expand...
Sounds good to me.

In other words, corporations OWN you in the future. You will not OWN yourself any longer.
Click to expand...
Not at all. It means the indivdual gets more control of his own money instead of the government controlling everything.

The idea of living in near-perfect society such as Sweden is beginning to sound good. Since Democracy in America is dying so what's the point?
Click to expand...
If you prefer Big Daddy Government taking care of poor helpless baby Taxpayer, then be my guest, move to a "near-perfect" society. I prefer a county of independent, self-supporting individuals.
 
Whenever you find out that you will earn only 50 cents - 3 dollars, don't whine & complain.

A country of self-supporting? haha ok. The reality will set in soon or later. Corporations historically does not give any damn about you individuals. They never did. Not once. Also Sweden already provide the program for self-supporting system, that's why their economy & life style is so fascinating.

Also how can you support yourself if America's economy kept plummeting down and down, massive job cuts, US dollars is lower against Euro, etc etc..
 
Get real. For all of Bush's talk of "smaller government," this one dwarfs all previous ones for sheer size.
 
Magatsu said:
Norquist calls it the "Leave-Us-Alone Coalition," a grouping of gun owners, the Christian right, homeschoolers, libertarians, and business leaders that he has almost single-handedly managed to unite. The common vision: an America in which the rich will be taxed at the same rates as the poor, where capital is freed from government constraints, where government services are turned over to the free market, where the minimum wage is repealed, unions are made irrelevant, and law-abiding citizens can pack handguns in every state and town. "My ideal citizen is the self-employed, homeschooling, IRA-owning guy with a concealed-carry permit," says Norquist. "Because that person doesn't need the goddamn government for anything."
Click to expand...
So what's the problem? Sounds good to me.
Let's see...I am a Christian, I home-schooled my daughter, my husband owns a small business, and I have a concealed-carry permit. Perfect!
 
Reba, also I guess you didn't learn anything from history? Captialist society has NEVER support on its own feet.

First, open your eyes then study the history & ownership and George Orwell's 1984 and learn it.
 
Reba said:
So what's the problem? Sounds good to me.
Let's see...I am a Christian, I home-schooled my daughter, my husband owns a small business, and I have a concealed-carry permit. Perfect!
Click to expand...
Wait until they cut or buy your husband's small business off. Remember to not cry about it if they do.

Ever since Bush took over White House, 48% of small businesses are bankrupted or bought off. Now under his second term, there will be more.
 
Magatsu said:
Reba, also I guess you didn't learn anything from history? Captialist society has NEVER support on its own feet.
Click to expand...
Which truly capitalist societies were those? Please give me the names.
 
Reba said:
Not at all. It means the indivdual gets more control of his own money instead of the government controlling everything.
Click to expand...
Um. Wow. it is clear enough that you didn't study the ownership. What if you invent your $$ in corporate which got bankrupted? What will happen to your lifesaving, retirement plans, etc etc? That's exactly what happen with Enron. Many of them lost their retirement plans, benefits plans, etc etc.

I will leave that on that and await for reality to set in. Smile. And good luck. I, for sure will enjoy the richness of life in Sweden whenever I move there.

I will repeat myself:

Read George Orwell's 1984
 
Last edited:
Magatsu said:
Wait until they cut or buy your husband's small business off. Remember to not cry about it if they do.
Click to expand...
His business is not for sale.
It is a very small business. He is the owner and operator and only employee. He is happy being his own boss. Most of his customers prefer him specifically because he is independent and not part of a large franchise chain.
If, for some reason, he had to quit that business, he would do something else. No crying.
If his business failed, it certainly wouldn't be Bush's fault.
 
Reba, a tip for you: Read and study laissez-faire.

It explains everything. Rich people will become richer. Poor people will become poorer. Once again, don't whine at us if big corporate or Bush's economy policy screw up your hubsand's small business like what 48% of small business does.

And I have to repeat myself: Read laissez-faire and George Orwell's 1984.
 
Magatsu said:
Um. Wow. it is clear enough that you didn't study the ownership. What if you invent your $$ in corporate which got bankrupted? What will happen to your lifesaving, retirement plans, etc etc? That's exactly what happen with Enron. Many of them lost their retirement plans, benefits plans, etc etc.

I, for sure will enjoy the richness of life in Sweden whenever I move there.
Click to expand...
That's why investors should diversify and not put all their investment/retirement into just one pot.

Are you sure that Sweden will let you in? What do you have to offer them?
 
No matter what. Many independence small businesses got bankrupted by corporations & Bush's economy policy.

Not Bush's fault? interesting, 48% increases while Bush's first term. The fact is right there. Under Bill Clinton, 120% of small businesses grew.
 
That's right.
Nothing will ever be Bush's fault.
It is all a figment in imaginations.
 
Magatsu said:
Reba, a tip for you: Read and study laissez-faire.

It explains everything. Rich people will become richer. Poor people will become poorer. Once again, don't whine at us if big corporate or Bush's economy policy screw up your hubsand's small business like what 48% of small business does.

And I have to repeat myself: Read laissez-faire and George Orwell's 1984.
Click to expand...
Sigh, yes, I have studied about laissez-faire. It does not mean rich people become richer and poor people become poorer.

I already told you that I don't whine about anything. Unlike you, I don't blame others for what happens in my life.

And yes, I have read "1984" so you can quit repeating yourself.
 
That's why investors should diversify and not put all their investment/retirement into just one pot.

Explain to me how can poor people do that? I dare you. In America, there are large percent of poor class compare to Sweden. At least Swedish can afford to get whatever they want unlike Americans.

And yes, I can live in Sweden. I am half swedish and two more years for me to graduate as osteopathic physican. I already visited their place this last summer and had some talks with certain department and they approved it. Even if I don't have the profession or degree, they still can get me in. They have excellent immigrant system for foreigners like Canada does.
 
Back
Top