This article was written by Matt

Fascism is described as, “having complete power, a right-wing nationalistic ideology and being fundamentally opposed to democracy and liberalism”. Our country is in the throes of an outright corporate fascism mostly in part due to the calculated dumbing-down and distraction of the American people. The debt crisis did not need to be what it had become, which was a media frenzied driven circus for the grandstanding of each political party in a beginning campaign race. The issues that needed to be discussed were how our national greed has spawned one of the most devastating financial scenarios this country has ever seen since the Great Depression.

The Corporate Grasp

Free enterprise is what made this country great. However, when certain companies (namely big pharma, big oil and big insurance) grew into powerful lobbying machines, our elected officials no longer represented us, they succumbed to financed manipulation. In the first three months of 2011, big oil reported a combined 38.1 billion first quarter profit. This report came in the face of struggling households trying to maintain their home and transportation needs. How could American citizens allow such brazen corporate gains especially after enormous military sacrifice and devastating environmental mishaps?

The Sleeping Giant

Isoroko Yamamoto was a Japanese admiral during the Pearl Harbor invasion that is quoted as saying, “I fear, all we have done, is to awaken a sleeping giant…” Americans do not have to take up arms against each other or their government but instead can use the power of their sleeping giant status to turn around the debt crisis. It can be done in the form of calculated anti-consumerism. Many of us have received emails over the years with the simple philosophy of banning together to refrain our gas purchase from one particular brand station. If this were achieved with gas or any product, it could easily bring down the price. Instead, we point our fingers at the Democrats or the Republicans when in part they are being manipulated by corporations that produce products that we continue to purchase that directs the decisions of our elected officials. It is that simple.

More Answers

The debt crisis raised our borrowing capability, downgraded our economic status and set up budget cuts to make us feel good. The only way out of raising the debt ceiling yet again is to:

• Bring our military back from every war and unnecessary detail.

• Impose tariffs on imports.

• Produce an export – We need to make something again, like green alternative energy and an infrastructure retro-fitting kit.

• Legalize marijuana – Don’t laugh, after fixing the banks, FDR legalized beer. According to Professor Jeffrey A. Miron’s book, Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition, America could save $7.7 billion per year in enforcement while gaining about $2.3 to $6.2 billion in tax revenue. Got smoke?

Organize peaceful anti-consumer strikes on gas, tolls, eggs, milk, you name it and the debt crisis will quickly be a lesson learned.

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