What follows is a grim interpretation of America's dismal economic prospects. A disquieting portrayal of the nation's instability. Indisputable economic realities verify America's prosperity is facing its demise. Our economy is undermined, in danger of collapse. Bluntly, America is bankrupt, its bounty squandered. What??? The richest nation in the world is bankrupt??? Yes. America is rich, but its people are experiencing a relentless reduction in their standard of living. The Middle-Class are captives chained to a treadmill. Feverishly working harder, but never advancing forward. Daily falling further behind, poised on the brink of bankruptcy. America is ensnared in a subtle economic and ethical crisis. If not addressed; it will inevitably trigger an abrupt precipitous national decline.
Grim Economic Reality Follows:
[1.] An intentional, but not malicious, de-industrialization of America has transpired. An imperceptible, insidious dismemberment [a self-cannibalization] and exportation of our wealth. Our manufacturing base is being rendered impotent. Our capacity to produce goods nullified. Together with the potential for future prosperity. The truism of economics is: without domestic capital investment in manufacturing, the annual production of a larger "ECONOMIC PIE" is unachievable. This essential life blood of investment is being sucked dry. Less manufacturing creates less growth; consequently, a perilous reduction in prosperity. Incredibly, not only domestic investment, but also: our vast manufacturing capacity; intact means of production; entire plants and factories; complete industries - have been carelessly exported. This took America over 200 years to create. Even US wealth in: technological knowledge and industrial trade secrets [research financed by US taxpayers] is rapidly vanishing. Similarly, component-parts industries vital to national security are dispatched abroad. All, thoughtlessly, shipped overseas. Most disheartening is the silence of elected officials and the media. The irresponsible, stubborn refusal to focus the limelight on this crucial issue. To elevate it, in public significance, to the level of scrutiny, deliberation and debate it warrants. For example, the appalling scarcity of legislative proposals to limit "irrational outsourcing" [of living-wage jobs] is a national scandal.
CALL FOR
A NATIONAL AUDIT OF
ALL FEDERAL CONTRACTS
AWARDED SINCE 2001
We must express our rising concern regarding current federal contract-awarding procedures; and/or lack of any reasonable oversight. "The more we research specifics," one accountant noted: "If I didn't know better, I would suspect someone or group is looting the national treasury."
MAGICALLY VANISHING
FEDERAL BILLIONS
The more we study where federal dollars vanish , the more concerned we become. For Instance, Billions upon Billions are spent on Katrina and Iraq. But we see no equivalent expected results. Bluntly, nothing happens. Federal billion magically vanish into the void - with no specific accounting for each dollar.
Similar to witnesses before congressional hearings asked vague, nebulous, ambiguous questions then responding by bloviating [best left to the O man]- OBFUSCATING - giving all present the psuedo-intellectual runaround. SAD. SHAMEFUL. DISHEARTENING.
All congressional witnesses must be sworn - under oath. Failure to answer a specific question with a specific answer should be Contempt OF CONGRESS. Subjecting that party to immediate arrest. Failure to provide specific information demanded or request by a congressman, must mandate immediate recess of the hearing, until the witness retrieves and provide it in open session. No more the pretense "Well. I don't know that . We'll have to get it for you later." But, later never comes. Change must be immediately initiated; otherwise, governance is mere pretense.
SUBSTANTIAL REASONS
FOR
FISCAL ALARM
BLUNTLY, AMERICA CANNOT
CONTINUE THIS PATH TO CATASTROPHE
SUBSTANTIAL REASONS FOR FISCAL ALARM
HEREIN RESIDES THE PROBLEM:
THERE EXISTS VIRTUALLY NON-EXISTENT FISCAL: RESPONSIBILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND OVERSIGHT. AMERICA FACES AN IMMINENT, POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC, FISCAL, FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC DISASTER. ACCORDING TO OUR RESEARCH [and we pray we are incorrect] unabated fiscal irresponsibility has progressed BEYOND MERE CONCERN STATUS. OUR RESEARCH NUMBERS - AFTER AD NAUSEAM REVIEWS -REPEATEDLY REMAIN THE SAME. Resulting in the same DISCONCERTING NEGATIVE FISCAL AND ECONOMIC CONCLUSIONS. Again, we pray we are incorrect. Presently, INDEPENDENT AUDITORS ARE REVIEWING OUR WORK.
THE FOLLOWING ARE FACTS
THE YOUNG LADY RECENTLY INSULTED, BY EXPERTS?, ON CSPAN WAS CORRECT:
1. OVER 30-40 YEARS AS MUCH AS $2 "T" TRILLION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EXPENDITURES ARE ESTIMATED TO BE UNACCOUNTED FOR . THE DEPARTMENT POSSESSES A MINIMUM OF 12 TO 20 UNSYNCHRONIZED ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS.
2. REGARDING THE $324 BILLION IRAQ FISCAL DEBACLE, OUR ESTIMATES EVIDENCE A MASSIVE $150 BILLION IS "UNACCOUNTED FOR." Note: Such DOD accounting may be on-going for subsequent release.
3. SOME REPORTS VIRTUALLY ACCUSE U.S. MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS OF ABUSING "Hiring Extremely Expense" - CIVILIAN SECURITY CONTRACTORS - to protect them. Meanwhile, THESE CORPORATIONS AND CONTRACTORS "RAPED BILLIONS FROM IRAQ! It is appropriate to assert: THESE BILLIONS WERE LEGALLY STOLEN, BY UNCONSCIONABLE NO-BID SINGLE-SOURCE COST PLUS CONTRACTS. WHICH COULD HAVE SAVED LIVES AND LIMBS.
ONE RAY OF HOPE
THANK GOD, TRUE, GENUINE, HONORABLE CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS HAVE AWAKENED TO THEIR: IDEALS, PRINCIPLES, THE RULE OF REASON, FACTS [AS THE BASIS FOR THE RULE OF LAW], INCLUDING "ENFORCEMENT OF ALL LAWS! Without these CONSERVATIVES, THE CONTINUITY OF THE REPUBLIC; AND, our REPUBLICAN-DEMOCRACY IS IN JEOPARDY.
David B. Grusky (Editor) Social Stratification: Class, Race, and Gender in Sociological Perspective (2000)
Alan C. Kerckhoff; Socialization and Social Class 1972, textbook
Jim Lardner, James Lardner, David A. Smith, editors, Inequality Matters: The Growing Economic Divide In America And Its Poisonous Consequences, WW Norton (January, 2006), hardcover, 224 pages, ISBN 1565849957
Rhonda F. Levine, ed. Social Class and Stratification (1998), anthology of classic articles
W. Lloyd Warner; Marchia Meeker and Kenneth Eells; Social Class in America: A Manual of Procedure for the Measurement of Social Status 1949
Erik Olin Wright. Classe (1997) - a detailed Marxian guide to define working class/middle class etc.
Michael Zweig, Working Class Majority: America's Best Kept Secret, Cornell University Press (2001), trade paperback, 198 pages, ISBN 0801487277
David Popenoe, Sociology, (ninth edition, Prentice Hall, 1993 ISBN 0138197989 ) pb. pp. 232-236,
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