A Warning to America, 1944

[dust1n]

"The really dangerous American fascist... is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power... They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. Their final objective, toward which all their deceit is directed, is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection."

• -- U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace, quoted in the New York Times, April 9, 1944

 

[zenzero]

Friend dust1n,

They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest.

Probably some may place Bill Gates in such a category what with his windows a near monopolizing the OS market??????

Love & rgds

 

[dust1n]

Friend dust1n,



Probably some may place Bill Gates in such a category what with his windows a near monopolizing the OS market??????

Love & rgds

UHHH. Yes. For you libertarians and republicans by the way; government always imposes antitrust laws, as well as others, to break monopolies and cartels, not free enterprise.

 

[Valjean]

Wallace was hardly the only American Cassandra.

 

[Troublemane]

If fascism is using fear and terror to make the populace compliant, and push laws through which wouldn't otherwise go through,....it certainly sounds like things like the Patriot Act and the Bank Bailouts are an example of fascism.

I mean, weren't we told when the bailout happened that congress needed to do something fast! There was no time for debate or discussion on it! They had to act now! All the politicians said so.

Now we see, like the fake WMD's, that we were suckered again. Thats governing by use of fear, which amounts to what the OP is saying, IMO.

 

[dust1n]

If fascism is using fear and terror to make the populace compliant, and push laws through which wouldn't otherwise go through,....it certainly sounds like things like the Patriot Act and the Bank Bailouts are an example of fascism.

I mean, weren't we told when the bailout happened that congress needed to do something fast! There was no time for debate or discussion on it! They had to act now! All the politicians said so.

Now we see, like the fake WMD's, that we were suckered again. Thats governing by use of fear, which amounts to what the OP is saying, IMO.

I agree. Policies were defined not by actual reality or reason, but by quick desires, instant gratification, etc.

 

[Nietzsche]

"The really dangerous American fascist... is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power... They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. Their final objective, toward which all their deceit is directed, is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection."

• -- U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace, quoted in the New York Times, April 9, 1944

I do detest the American government of that era. They punished the only portion of Germany that saw fit to say "No" to Hitler: Prussia. The 'Prussian Way' this moron speaks of is not what Hitler did. Hitler hated Prussia, and was not Prussian. He was Austrian, and spent most of his life in Bavaria. This is just uneducated garbage that lead to the destruction of the Prussian state and the punishment of the only portion of Germany that thought this new breed of Nationalist was a bad idea!

Gah. Damn you Wallace. Damn you Franklin. His(Franklin's) Step-Grandfather thought highly of Prussia and of Bismarck. Pensions, welfare, all other social programs that we take for granted today were implemented by Otto von Bismarck. The Iron Chancellor.

 

[Darkness]

I mean, weren't we told when the bailout happened that congress needed to do something fast! There was no time for debate or discussion on it! They had to act now! All the politicians said so.

As an economics junkie, it is my opinion that the bank bailout was a necessity to protect not only the American economy, but the safety of the entire world. Think about it this way, when Lehman Brothers collapsed, it led to the 10 percent unemployment that we have now (obviously, I am using an oversimplified comparison). If there had been no capital injection into failing "banks," we simply wouldn't have an economy when we woke up one morning. Just shooting from the hip, I'd expect 25-30 percent unemployment levels.

Does it suck that investment firms gambled on moral hazard and won? Yes, of course. I would have liked to see the major investment firms nationalized like Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, but the world is not perfect and Hank Paulson truly did save the world.

 

[ericoh2]

As an economics junkie, it is my opinion that the bank bailout was a necessity to protect not only the American economy, but the safety of the entire world. Think about it this way, when Lehman Brothers collapsed, it led to the 10 percent unemployment that we have now (obviously, I am using an oversimplified comparison). If there had been no capital injection into failing "banks," we simply wouldn't have an economy when we woke up one morning. Just shooting from the hip, I'd expect 25-30 percent unemployment levels.

Does it suck that investment firms gambled on moral hazard and won? Yes, of course. I would have liked to see the major investment firms nationalized like Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, but the world is not perfect and Hank Paulson truly did save the world.

What do you know/think about the Federal Reserve?

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

As an economics junkie,.

Who else would use an Avatar of Paul Krugman.

 

[Darkness]

What do you know/think about the Federal Reserve?

I have mixed feelings about the Federal Reserve. On the one hand, it is a quasi-private institution that is in command of our monetary supply. On the other, most of the important decision makers on the Board (seven out of twelve) are appointed by Washington. Henry Paulson was an ex-Goldman Sachs CEO, so it is not like business-minded people cannot penetrate the ranks of government. I am not thrilled with Chairman Ben Bernanke, but we could do much worse. At least he knows to keep the interest rates low, and will not listen to the supply-sider's cries for economic austerity.

Who else would use an Avatar of Paul Krugman.

Well, he is the handsomer, suaver George Clooney.

 

[dust1n]

The 'Prussian Way' this moron speaks of is not what Hitler did. Hitler hated Prussia, and was not Prussian.

Which is why he is stating that American elites want to do to this country what Hitler did... 'but in a Prussian way.' Which is separating Hitler and Prussia.

 

[no-body]

Nice. It reminds me of Goerings words at the Nuremberg trials

“Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”

Decorated war veteran U.S. marine general Smedley Butler:

"War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious... Only a small 'inside' group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes."

The signs have always been there, but we keep electing the same stale garbage.

 

[linwood]

, when Lehman Brothers collapsed, it led to the 10 percent unemployment that we have now (obviously, I am using an oversimplified comparison).

I don`t think oversimplified is a strong enough descriptive.
I`d say "over fantasized" fits better.

but the world is not perfect and Hank Paulson truly did save the world.

WHEW!!
I think I just wet myself.
Thanks for the laugh.

We should have let it fall.