======================================== Popular fury and the smash-and-grab hole ======================================== By Alexander Cockburn [In These Times, Oct. 17-23, 1990] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --> [Send the 1-line message GET POPULIST ECON-2 ACTIV-L to ] [LISTSERV@UMCVMB.BITNET for a copy of this file. ] --> [Send GET ACTIV-L ARCHIVE ACTIV-L to above address for a ] [listing with brief descriptions of other files available] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Amid the rubble of the failed budget deal, Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell declared Monday night, ``Tonight we reap the bitter harvest of ten years of national self-indulgence.'' Other accomplices in the package rejected by the House of Representatives redoubled their calls for the ``necessary sacrifice'' by the American people. "The people said hooey, and the people were right. There's been no national self-indulgence over the last ten years. There's been the self-indulgence of a class -- call it the rich, or, in the term of the old populists, ``the money power'' -- which launched a successful smash-and-grab raid on the treasury over a decade ago. The failed package required not national but selective sacrifice, from which the rich have been exempt. "[..]The majestic contours of the smash and grab are easy to get into sharp focus. Between 1977 and 1990 (no need to blame it all on Reagan, Bush and the Republicans) the income of the richest fifth of the population rose by 33.2 percent, and the top one percent by 95.1 percent, while the total income of the bottom 60 percent fell. "Between 1979 and 1989 capital income (from rents, dividends and interest) rose by 66.2 percent. Labor income, in the form of hourly wages, fell by more than 9 percent. Pensions, health insurance and paid time off dropped by 13.8 percent. "[..]One more set of figures from the finding of Mishel and Frankel's _State of Working America_, recently published by the Economic Policy Institute: the average American CEO earned a pre-tax $308,200 in 1979 and a pre-tax of $612,800 in 1989. The post-tax figure for 1979 was $153,900 and in 1989, $429,100. Such, in statistical form, is the political culture that in bipartisan conspiracy shaped the budget package finally rejected by legislators cowering under the abuse of their constituents. "Such are some of the ingredients of the popular fury that handed the neo-Nazi David Duke his surprisingly large though losing vote in Louisiana and, more significantly, the equally virulent racist John Silber his stunning victory in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Massachusetts. Angry people will strike out with such weapons as are available to them, and effective weapons are hard to come by in a country under one-party rule run in the interests of the rich and the corporate "[...]You can't make any substantive political change without a political movement and, in the end, without a political organization. In Canada the social-democratic New Democratic Party (NDP) is the alternative to the Liberals and Conservatives. At the start of September, angry voters in Ontario, Canada's largest industrial heartland, kicked out the ruling Liberals and, in a staggering upset, handed power to the NDP and its leader, Bob Rae, who campaigned with the forthright declaration that he was a socialist. There's no NDP here, but if people are not to turn in desperation to the hatemongers such as Silber or Duke, the '90s will have to see the forging of populist-radical grass-roots coalitions, without whose collective purpose and sanction the consequences of term limits will be nothing but bipartisan business as usual, as symbolised by the budget package in Washington[...]" ################################################################## In These Times 1300 W. Belmont Chicago, IL 60657 (312)472-5700 [Use the GET command (in the format at the top of this file) with PUBLCATN RESOURCE for a listing of alternative files. Under In These Times also has info on getting a free issue of ITT] ################################################################## ############################################################### # Harel Barzilai for Activists Mailing List (AML) # ################################################################ { For more info about ACTIV-L or PeaceNet's brochure send } { inquiries to harel@dartmouth.edu / mathrich@umcvmb.bitnet } To join AML, just send the 1-line message "SUB ACTIV-L " to: LISTSERV@UMCVMB.BITNET; you should receive a confirmation message within 2 days. Alternate address: LISTSERV@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU Qs/problems: Rich Winkel, MATHRICH@UMCVMB.["MISSOURI.EDU" or "BITNET"]