I'm doing some serious research based on the work by Stefania Vitali and Stefano Battiston, "The Community Structure of the Global Corporate Network," published by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich .
I'm also looking at the work of David Rothkopf, author of "Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making."
INSIDE THE NETWORK OF BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, MILITARY, AND CULTURAL ELITES WHO ARE REDEFINING POWER IN THE GLOBAL ERA.
Each of them is one in a million. They number six thousand on a planet of six billion. They run our governments, our largest corporations, the powerhouses of international finance, the media, world religions, and, from the shadows, the world's most dangerous criminal and terrorist organizations. They are the global superclass, and they are shaping the history of our time.
By now is common knowledge that the fascist business group ALEC is behind the so-called "
Stand-Your-Ground-Laws," which is actually an euphemism for "Fascist-Business-Groups-Arming-Useful-Idiots-Laws," as they get ready for the next step in their careful planning.
I've come to these conclusions (below) long ago, but I'm going to take some time to present the evidence, very carefully, using empirical data and research, in future work to make sure we can get pass the usual "conspiracy theory" characterization by some, when one brings up these issues.
Here's what's happening (my conclusions): There is a discernible and not-too-hard to identify transnational ruling elite that are behind the global power structure. At their level, they see the world much more differently than the citizenry, and because of shared interests, common ethos, and interlocking networks they are increasingly able to set the agenda for entire governments.
In order to get a handle on this concept, think of it as being similar to what ALEC has been able to do in the United States, but at a global level. Behind the thin veneer of democracy, the real power structure in the U.S. is in the hands of powerful interlocking transnational business cartels, and ALEC is kind of the enforcer of that.
In very broad terms, when you have a society based on democracy, government functions and the public sphere depends on a robust and fair progressive tax system. The importance of having a robust, non-for-profit public sector, is based on the understanding that there are certain aspects of a healthy and prosperous, and just society that focuses on the common good of all the citizens, versus the narrow interests of an elite.
These things may include public education, policing, national security, health care for all, the airwaves (radio, TV), national parks, assistance for the poor and infirm, and laws and regulations that address issues related to crime, injustice and discrimination, the creation of business cartels and monopolies, civil rights, and workers' rights.
When a democratic government is working properfly, both, wealth and power, tend to be more fairly distributed, and this prevents the imposition of tyranny.
This is very logical. Regulations against the creation of business cartels and monopolies, prevent, well, monopoly power and all the downside that comes with it. Regulations dealing with the financial markets, Wall Street, etc., prevent fraud, etc. A progressive tax system prevents excessive accumulation of wealth and power, and helps fund the government so it can function properly, which means acting on behalf and under the control of the populace--a government by, of, and for the people.
This arrangement does not work well for the transnational global elite, and therefore they act in concert (following their world-view ethos and common interests) to undermine democratic-based governments.
I argue that it is within this context that the issue of "austerity" in much of Europe and the U.S. needs to be understood.
In essence, the actual agenda behind "austerity" includes, first and foremost, finding ways for the rich and powerful to hide their wealth and shield it from taxes. In recent years there have been many scandals about super-wealthy elites in the U.S. and Europe illegally hiding huge amounts of money in tax-heaven jurisdictions.
One recent case involves Greek journalist Kostas Vaxevanis:
A Greek journalist who published the names of more than 2,000 wealthy Greeks with Swiss bank accounts faces a retrial, barely two weeks after he was acquitted of breaking data privacy laws.
Kostas Vaxevanis was arrested, tried and found not guilty within days of the list's publication. But court officials said on Friday the verdict "lacked credibility". Vaxevanis told the Guardian he was "dumbfounded" at the news, and attributed the move to concerted efforts on the part of the judiciary to silence the press.
- The Guardian: Greek editor Kostas Vaxevanis faces retrial over 'Lagarde list' revelation
Regarding the Lagarde List, here's what Vaxevanis had to say about it:
In 2010, the so-called “Lagarde List”, which names more 2,000 Greek tax evaders, was handed over to the Greek government. But nothing was done. Kostas Vaxevanis, editor in chief of Hot Doc, was recently arrested for publishing it. For him, it’s a symptom of Greece's corruption.
Anyways, not to get too esoteric on this stuff, let me get back to my main points... Basically all these rich tyrannical fucks in continental Europe and the U.S. are following the same script.
The calls for "Austerity" has absolutely nothing to do with a desire to address government debt (which by itself, is another scam), or grow the economies, or care about future generations. It's all about de-funding the democracy itself.
The idea is to starve democratic governments off the revenue they need to operate properly: This means being able to have a robust progressive tax system; protect the populace against business conglomerates and monopoly power; protect civil rights and workers rights; protect the environment; have a sane and effective regulatory system to prevent fraud and abuse by business cartels.
Once this is done, then these forces move to impose their own system of government, which basically strips people of all kinds of rights, including constitutional rights, lowers their share of national income (with the difference going upstairs), de-funds the social safety net (which precipitates the demise of the poor, sick and infirm), and ultimately cements the power of this transnational ruling elite.
So in this light, a lot of the seemingly outrageous things we are seeing make sense. Extra-judicial assassinations by drones serve as a military industrial complex marketing tool (a very lethal at that) by ensuring a perpetual state of war for the U.S. Empire. If you kill 400 innocent children and thousands of civilians using missiles, you ensure eventual retaliation; that's a not brainer.
Stand-your-ground laws, coupled with other gun-related laws allowing people to carry conceal weapons anywhere, etc., and pushed by fascist business cartels like ALEC, the NRA, and the gun lobby, helps create a sort of shock troop army of "useful idiots" that will be used to intimidate social justice activists, progressives, liberals, and minorities once the Republican goal of destabilizing the government and gutting the social safety net is achieved. Something similar is happening now in Greece, where you have marauding gangs of Neo-Nazis harassing, persecuting, and killing minorities and social activists.
The problem I see is that the Left keeps reacting to the lunacy of what the right wing is trying to impose taking at face value the justification for their (fascist ALEC, Republicans, many Democrats) actions, instead of understanding the real agenda: Bring down the government.
These people, and these forces are what the Founding Fathers warned us about, especially when it comes down to the issue of the "enemy within," or the protection against "enemies, foreign and domestic." In this case, we have both: the transnational global cartel, and their disciples here within our borders.
I know, I know. This stuff makes the head spin, and when it gets this seemingly complicated, it's easier to call all this stuff a conspiracy theory. That's why I'm going to take time to expose this stuff one issue at a time, very carefully and methodically, using respected and reliable sources.
The sooner a large-enough segment of the population(s) in the U.S., and in Europe understand this larger picture, the sooner we the people will be able to unite, internationally, against this common enemy.