By Molly Rush
The timing was exquisite. Eastern Europe’s worst floods in a
century threaten Dresden and George W. Bush chooses that moment to chastise the
German Chancellor for refusing to support his Iraqi war plans. Imagine our
allies treating the United States this way on September 12th.
And with the economy reeling and a huge deficit at hand, Mr.
Bush doggedly insists on making his $4 trillion tax cut permanent. The biggest
bite goes to his corporate pals, the very same folks who took the money and ran
down the companies, leaving workers, pensioners and investors holding an empty
bag.
Finally, Saddam opponents take over the Iraqi embassy in
Germany, and Bush immediately protests, citing his firm "commitment to
international law." This is the man who walked away from formal treaty
obligations and agreements and longstanding U.S. support for the International
Criminal Court.
The big question for me is why he maintains a 60-plus percent
approval rating from the American public. Perhaps with CEO/corporation scandals
threatening jobs, pensions, and savings, the old boy charm may fade. Or as
foreign policies, based on the threat of preemptive first strikes and the use of
nuclear weapons highlight the threat to everyone on the planet, there may be a
few second thoughts.
The good news is how many are taking action, connecting the
dots between corporate rule and its military underpinnings, between job loss and
corporate crime. The task before us is enormous, but the reality is that the
truth eventually does emerge despite PR that proclaimed a "new economy" even
though it was based on very old forms of injustice.
"Privatization" turned out to bring not market efficiencies
but pay cuts for the workers and bankruptcies brought on by "modern" accounting
methods and practices.
While Pittsburgh reels from the USAir debacle, St. Francis
Hospital’s closing and Phar-Mor’s disappearance, to name a few, we’re expected
to cheer that it isn’t worse.
Now that the former head of the World Bank has written a book
deeply critical of the failure of the bank’s policies, Martha Stewart faces
questions about insider training and Enron officials seem headed for
prosecution, it may be that there will be some openings.
Action:
Citizens Budget Campaign members and New People readers are
invited to offer ideas on how best to challenge the military industrial complex
President Eisenhower warned about – before it comes crashing down on our heads.
Write me at the Merton Center or at
tmc.organizer@verizon.net. Or come to our next meeting for some interesting
discussion and strategizing. Call 412/361-3022 for date and time, or get on the
CBC e-mail alert list.
