A Manufactured Crisis

During the years of absolute, total Republican control of the White House, Congress, and Senate - during the years of the Bush Administration - Congress voted to raise the debt ceiling. Further, they voted to spend more money than they made - they empowered a president to embark upon wars of convenience, at the cost of 2 trillion dollars - and proceeded to expand the federal government more in their term, than any other administration in the history of the United States.

They also ceded unprecedent control of American institutions to corporations. During their reign, 82% of everything every American, read, saw or heard - was decided upon by a group of approximately seven media companies - and the Bush administration handed power over to lobbyists to write energy policies, environmental regulations - and their own "make them look heroic" memoranda for how it would be represented on a dedicated news media entertainment channel that still exists even today - despite its owner recently being brought to court, and lobbyists such as Abramov now being held in federal prison.

The legacy of the Republican reign was an unprecedented economic crash, sparked by America - that roiled the world in a fire wave of economic destruction. Literally half of the American investment banking infrastructure went under - with names like the Lehman Brothers, and Merril Lynch - taking hits so hard that some of them just disappeared. America's economy was devastated.

When Obama arrived in office, he cleaned up most or all of this in less than two years.

But a key supreme court ruling - "Citizen's United" - in late 2009, changed the way that elections were to be held - and changed the face of Congress. It did so by allowing the same corporations whose lobbyists had lost so much of American money - to spend even more money than they ever had before. It granted citizenship to corporations - allowing them to behave in covert ways to fund political campaigns and obscure issues. And so, in the midterm of 2010 - a largely recovering economy was painted as "being in crisis" .. and the lobbyists whose power channels were in danger of being turned off - paid 4.5 billion dollars , over 78% of it all to the republican party - the largest amount of money ever spent in the history of America - for a midterm election. These were the same people who had overspent during the years of the Bush administration, and they placed people in power who agreed not to listen to their constituencies, but rather, pledge their allegiance - to a lobbyist firm.

They were elected to return jobs to America. And then, they proceeded to follow their pledge of allegiance and ignore their constituency. Their first move was create legislation that was obviously bogus from the start - the "Job killing bla bla bla bla" bill. Taxpayer money funded the creation of this bill, and its sole purpose was political theater. It was dead on arrival in the senate.

Before these people took office, the economy embarked upon a curve of recovery - improving by degree. More people fell under the category of being able to cover their own healthcare expenses. Fewer insurance company ripoffs occurred. Financial markets stabilized, and the stock markets roared back to life.

And then, when they got into office. And their first, major legislative agenda failed... and I quote.."We will make healthcare Obama's Waterloo"... completely failing on all accounts to stop healthcare reform. What did they do next? Well, following in the footsteps of ... no one... they decided to try to vote against paying America's debts. The core group of people who were bought and paid for, and installed into congress as as "conservatives" ... decided that the best way to transmit their political philosophy and oh by the way - keep their pledge to the lobbyist - was to simply ignore the fact that the legacy of conservatism in their own party - was to pay the bills and then work fiscal magic on the economy. They decided that America would hide, like a scared person , from the debt collector. And they proceeded to create a "debt ceiling" crisis. The vote to administer the debt ceiling is a mechanical one: it has been passed, by republicans - nearly sixty times since world war two.

The crisis at hand, is now - whether or not America will pay its debts. It isn't about borrowing money, it's about a financial process by which America pays its debtors. Setting one's financial house in order - does not mean "simply addressing the problem that we just spend too much money". It means paying your debtors, and solving problems without fanfare and dog and pony shows. You roll up your sleeves, and fix the problem.

The same party that brought you a War, and a Tax Cut all at the same time - are now trying to bring you an entirely new form of America. And they're doing it through what they do best: A manufactured crisis.

Wars of Convenience, unpredecented expansion of federal government - benefitting lobbyists and military contractors, and news media entertainment. The Republican Party, disintegrating before your eyes. Even its own leaders can now, no longer rally the party to unity. Its greed has overtaken it. The corporate masters it serves can no longer hear even the cries of its own leadership, much less its constituency. A full 75% of all Americans want this congress to compromise, and get its work done. They rail against the self imposed crisis and the lack of effeciency.

But the Corporate Masters of the Republican party hold short interest in American stock. They are multi national , global companies - that can sell America short.

British Petroleum, one year after causing the second largest environmental disaster in the history of the United States of America - posted a 55 billion dollar profit. The profits of multinational companies rose significantly throughout the period of recovery from the great Bush Republican crash - and yet they chose not to hire Americans. They moved elsewhere. They're waiting to capitalize on the "free market". With stock holding short against America.

The republican party, with its pledge to lobbyism, is now going to ignore the cries of the American people. They've already damaged our country. In the next few days, perhaps we will see the end of their party. True, they will cause another economic crash - if they do. The president has seen fit to demand of congress that the fix we apply to this situation be one of a long term and apolitical nature. If anything, this secures our country against yet another dog and pony show.

The manufactured crisis of the next few days will determine many things in America. Loan values, dollar exchange rates, international standing. And it will afford the elite few - in the 250,000.00 and up bracket - the chance to short out our country and profit from its demise.

It may also crash the global economy. But not even they can know whether or not such destruction is possible. I'm sure that like the Christian Conservative who opened fire on Norway last week - their puppet masters will be happy with whatever crash occurs... they live on "principles" and not by representation. They are there not to help others or fix problems - but rather to look good on news media entertainment channels and to "save the world from the horrible influence of (fill in the name of the opposition here)".

And like the Christian Conservative in Norway, they are relying on the trust and good faith of all - to empower them to speak for them - even as they choose to follow the pledge of a lobbyist over the call to action of the American people.

The Ancient Greeks had a saying: Every virtue is a median between two extremes.

This would, of course, shut down news media entertainment - who makes its living by putting extreme people on television and radio to rant and rave about anything and everything.

And then, maybe. You can turn on the TV and leave it on all the time. What kind of an entertainment channel would try to make you its prisoner? Only the kind that promises it is fighting for your freedom. Even as it takes it away. Or maybe you can leave the radio on , all the time? What would it say - if it wanted you to be there, in rapt attention during the long drive to work ? It will say: I am fighting for your freedom and your principles. I am exposing evil. I am good.

Otto Von Bismarck had a better idea: he wrote.. "The art of the Statesman is to listen for the footsteps of God, and then swing himself up by the hem of his robe as he passes by".

Otto Von Bismarck. The consumnate conservative statesman. Who created the worlds first social security system. And saved his country from economic ruin - turning it , today, into an economic superpower.

When games are played, like the Manufactured Crisis we are now going through... Bismarck never blinked. I think it is safe to say that our leader, will not blink either.