Essentially, the housing crisis and recession have amounted to a bunch of rich people becoming richer and a whole bunch of poor people becoming much poorer. Overall, it was a successful bipartisan effort. While Republicans are more than happy to keep kicking while people are down, Democrats like to appear that they’re trying to soften the blows. The bottom line for both parties: capitalism is sacred. Oh, and democracy. And a proven strategy throughout the ages has been to link that sacredness with God.
Despite all the attempts to win the hearts and minds of peace-loving Muslims, there have been quite obvious religious overtones throughout the post-911 era wars. Essentially, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have amounted to a bunch of rich people becoming richer, a whole bunch of poor people becoming much poorer, and a whole bunch of poor people killing each other. Overall, this too has been a successful bipartisan effort, with Republicans and Democrats playing their same respective roles in mutual service to the bottom line. Sure, there are many variables and details to get wrapped up in, enough at least to keep people’s attention away from the essentials, but the bottom line always remains the same.
Back in the good ole days before democracy, the rich could pretty much openly steal everything from the poor, but there was still a need to periodically wage wars to steal from other people, rich and poor alike, while a bunch of poor people killed other poor people, usually in the name of any given side’s deity, respectively. Since then, we’ve learned to govern ourselves with democracy, and we’ve organized ourselves economically with capitalism. Back then, being rich and, more importantly, powerful was the bottom line; today we call the same thing capitalism, essentially the right of anyone to be filthy rich while masses of poor people go without basic needs.
Back then most wealth produced by poor people was taken by rich people by law and custom, backed by force; today most wealth produced by poor people is taken by rich people by law and custom, backed up by force. Essentially, the real difference between back then and now is the variables and details have increased and expanded in countless ways, and it takes a lot of variables and details to keep people’s attention away from the essentials, which was much less necessary before the invention of the middle-class buffer zone between the rich and poor.
Back then different royal houses and affluent property owners squabbled over the variables without any regard for poor people; today Republicans and Democrats quibble over the details with only token regard for poor people. Back then wars were openly promoted in the name of God, but getting rich by conquering an enemy, including looting by soldiers, was commonly understood to be the principal payout from waging war; today wars are promoted in the name of democracy, along with many prayers to God, but getting rich, including looting by multinational corporations, is commonly understood to be the principal payout from waging war.
