Social Inequeties And a Match

Last July there was to OWS, the signs of trouble were there but things were too quiet. I wrote the following article, which was posted on Useless Knowledge magazine on July 24

By Alexey Braguine
July 24, 2011

Some readers of this column found the last issue a bit farfetched. An understandable reaction as the image of the USA as the world´s largest economy and a bulwark of political stability is still strong. No sooner the article was posted, I read news from San Francisco: The county was shutting down 40% of its courts and laying off personnel. I asked myself is this a sign of collapse of the justice system in an iconic American city?
Elsewhere in the USA, local governments are laying off police and other essential services personnel.
As far as political stability the picture is more troubling. We all know that great social upheavals that topple governments are caused by extreme economic inequalities.
For the past thirty years the chasm between the very rich and the middle class has been growing at an alarming rate. Today, fewer people hold extraordinarily huge amounts of money while large numbers of middle class families are falling into poverty.
The gap between the middle class and those under the poverty line is also growing. Dramatic examples of these gaps are the Wall Street moguls versus salaried managers. Professionals versus burger flippers.
Let’s not forget the unemployed, once unemployment benefits and savings are gone, people enter the extreme poverty zone. There is no safety net for them unless they have a generous family member.
The trend toward concentrating and amassing wealth within a shrinking group of people who also amass political power thanks to their wealth is firmly established. The tragedy is, there is no end in sight for this trend.
In short this growing trend of increased inequality eventually will reach an explosive point. Riots, domestic terrorism, uprisings are on the horizon.
You might ask, if the situation is so dire, how come the country appears to be stable?
This appearance of stability is because we don´t see individual rage, We only see the silent signs of foreclosures, mute monuments to families hurt if not destroyed. There is lack of organization. among the victims. Private sector labor unions, the traditional defenders of workers’ welfare, are in decline. So far, we see little protest groups who act within the law.
Civil disorder is not new to the USA. Remember Watts in LA. The Chicago and Washington DC riots? Then, the problem was racial inequality that involved a minority. Today, the great majority is affected.
When conditions are right, it only takes a little match to set a forest on fire.

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About the author: Alexey Braguine spent four years in Vietnam and Laos during the American involvement there. He has also worked in the Middle East and has visited Pakistan-Afghan border areas. He is the author of Kingmaker, a geopolitical thriller.

Wall Street Protests

In the last twenty years the US has experienced profound changes, few of which have been for the better. The only bright spot was President Clinton’s surplus budget, which was quickly smashed following the 9/11 hysterical panic.

Misguided wars, economic and financial policies that resembled ponzi schemes brought about and economic train wreck. How could this have happened in an open, democratic society that prides itself for honesty and hard work?

Ten years ago it became evident that the circle of wealth was shrinking, more money was held in fewer hands. Huge profits increased at the expense of the middle class. Real estate prices skyrocketed and the US got its famous toxic bubble. Corruption, social injustice, excessive military spending grew out of control.

What I could not understand was, how come the US citizenry was tolerating the economic abuses. The situation in the US was beginning to look like that of some Latin American countries in the nineteen seventies, which brought out massive protests, terrorism and uprisings against the established oligarchies.

With the Arab Spring events in Algeria, Egypt and Syria, the question of the passivity of the American population intrigued me more and required some digging into American philosophy.

Unlike in Europe and Latin America where the population depends on the government for education and social services, in the US there is a culture of self reliance, one improves one´s situation by one’s own efforts. In other countries people blame their government, in the US people blame themselves for failure.

With Occupy Wall Street protests, the picture in the US is changing. The protests are growing but are weak. The protesters objectives are vague, but the protests should be taken seriously, not by arresting protesters but addressing the causes..

The problems are serious. The US is going through a grave economic crisis and political paralysis to solve it. Great inequalities have taken hold. The people are becoming aware that they have been swindled by oligarchs, lobbyists and their political and government minions.

If I was rich, I´d be worried. Very worried.

Alexey Braguine is the author of Kingmaker, a geopolitical thriller. Available through Amazon