ECONOMIC CLIMATE CHANGE: NOW

Failing institutions, nations or empires are often run by people whose capacities reflect the deteriorating material conditions. The greater the crisis, the more likely that morally crippled, mentally challenged or psychologically disturbed leadership may assert command. But when disastrous conditions are systemic and transcend borders, the weapons handled by the incompetents are the most lethal in recorded history and the area blanketed in propaganda and ignorance extends from municipality to province to nation, far more than a local population is under assault.

As the international political economic crisis becomes more serious the reaction from capital takes on a more desperate nature. Growing evidence of environmental disaster under the popular marketing title of “climate change” combines with national struggles against the amassing of incredible minority profits while the burden of losses spreads to a greater majority than ever and leads to more vicious suppression and more angry reactions. As each new social rupture and ecological threat makes the situation more dangerous, at the same time previously silent masses are aroused into serious democratic activity that makes it more hopeful.

All over the world people are showing their disgust with establishment political rule and even if seemingly moving in all political directions at once, so much popular movement is itself a positive sign for humanity.

Many of those once doing reasonably well in the developed world, dubbed a middle class even in supposedly class free societies, are slipping into greater hardship and with good reason fear the future. The majority of humanity absorbing loss so that a relatively tiny minority can profit has grown in numbers and at the same time has access to communications tools that threaten minority power as never before. This positive change among budding democratic majorities is unfortunately more than balanced by that minority ruling class and its loyal employees still in control of enough wealth and weaponry to destroy everything and everyone if their regime continues.

Capital’s counter-attack has been perhaps more bloody than ever in places like the middle east where nations have been destroyed, hundreds of thousands murdered and refugees scattered as never before, and more political where it is not powerful enough to use military brute force and relies on money with which to buy governments, media and rely on mental rather than physical control.

An attempted military coupe in Venezuela when the charismatic Chavez was alive was quickly over turned by popular power. But now, even with a much less popular leader, capital can only work through its economic channels to make the economy “scream” - the policy of the USA that destroyed Chile’s attempt at liberation from imperial rule in the 1970s - rather than attempt a military takeover. Nevertheless, it is blatantly activating major steps within its rule of law – guaranteed to maintain minority control – to bring down a democratically elected government desperately trying to represent the previously disregarded. The same is true for Brazil, where an elected leader is threatened with impeachment by the minority power of financial wealth, both Brazilian and international, but with no military steps as yet taken.

After economic bludgeoning of these and other nations which attempt to govern on behalf of majorities instead of minorities, masses of people are manipulated into blaming the elected forces attempting to perform on their behalf despite national and global impediments, thereby hopefully softening them into acceptance of anti-democratic but not blatant military takeover as in the past. That situation can change in a moment as desperation grows and the mental crisis center atmosphere drives the homicidals among the ruling group to take more drastic action.

This is part of the growing weakness on the part of capital that makes it more susceptible to democratic movements for change and at the same time more threatening to take irrational actions that could be much worse than anything in the past. Those actions can be more viciously economic, as in Greece and now attempted in France, quietly but just as savagely carving up Africa into post colonial market enclaves assuring more poverty and suffering among that continents majority, or carefully and nervously watching events unfold at the diminished and weakening but still center of global capital in the USA.

There, contradictions can be seen in a presidential campaign in some ways as long and boring as usual, but in others more exciting a harbinger of change than at any time in recent history. Two populist candidates from what passes for a left and right are representative of the disgust with regular party politics, fear of what is happening to ordinary people and the economy, and real desire to remake and reshape the nation. Whether that desire ultimately brings America closer to achieving peace, social justice and environmental balance remains to be seen since that can only come through radical political economic change. While that is hardly being offered even by the left populist, its desire seems to be growing in popular consciousness as movements include not only old political activist groups but now newer and larger ones including some who have never had political experience before.

While major media and much of what passes for alternative voices continue the skepticism that helps make such change impossible, an uncommon out pouring of citizens seem to be making it inevitable, even if lacking a united majority at this moment. Rest assured, whatever and whomever the candidates of the major party may be, the social ferment will continue and demands for radical change will grow because they have to in order to assure a future for not only the majority, but really humanity.

The increased pressures on imperial control are leading to dangerous situations regarding newer capitalist states like China and especially Russia, where U.S. government and media portray a menace seemingly beyond the past fiction of communism. Hardly a day passes without the main establishment voices carrying items about Russian treachery, Putin’s maniacal lust for power, China’s arrogance and other fictional tales accepted by citizens with nowhere else to find news or analysis given that much of what passes for alternative media adopts the same party line.

Some previously sober sounding observers of the international scene invoke near panic over potential nuclear war and even if they over react, the situation warrants reasoned intervention by a democratic force before the irrationals destroy far more than their own personal fortunes. Fears of a future environmental breakdown to be experienced by our children and grandchildren miss the potential for political breakdown of a far more deadly and serious nature. This can come about much sooner than later if we allow control to remain in the hands of minority billionaires ruling over a private profit motivated scheme that worships market forces as a perverse deity threatening all of humanity. There needs to be a crisis intervention exercised by global forces of democracy that represent the interest of the overwhelming majority now paying the deadly price for a small group to live in obscene but temporary luxury that can bring about permanent, disastrous and final poverty for all of us if it isn’t stopped.