Benito Mussolini may or may not have said this: "Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power." It doesn't matter, because it is a useful quote. In America, now, corporate power is trumping democracy and our society is resembling Mussolini's Italy more and more.
Mussolini definitely believed in war and centralized state control of everything; he hated socialism and democracy.
America in 2000 elected Al Gore president and looked forward to a new century of prosperity coupled with human rights and world peace. How we survived the ensuing right-wing coup is a testament to the courage and intelligence of a great people.
Democratic Socialism has prevailed, and is poised for even greater success.
Those of us who believe in human rights and a unified human community work for causes labeled Socialist. Those who believe that people are not equal, that we exist as individuals separate from one another work for causes labeled Fascist.
Undereducated people are used by Fascists to prevent Socialist reforms - reforms that, ironically, would substantially help the undereducated people.
We will soon bring corporations under control again. Long ago, certain businesses were granted corporate charters by the government in order to spur productivity and job growth. Initially, it probably benefitted society. Central to corporate law in the early days was a concept called ultra vires. A corporation had to have a purpose that benefitted the public. If it stopped serving a beneficial purpose, its charter could be withdrawn.
Delaware repealed the ultra vires rule and every other state soon followed. Nowadays the only purpose for which a corporation may be chartered is to make money. Pure and simple.
Thus began SkyNet.
Corporations are machines that make money. A business plan is an engineering exercise wherein certain materials and costs are introduced into a system that excretes extra money. Sound unnatural, against nature? Of course it is - that surplus value must, by the laws of physics, come from some other source. The corporation is, by design, a shark that must keep eating or die.
But that's another post. For now, let's just notice that a money making machine has no inherent use for local, human employees. Outsourced work is more profitable. There go some jobs. Machines work cheaper and don't need health care. There go some more jobs. Ultimately computers will replace the "thinking" jobs too. It's not a stretch at that point for the machines to decide that humans are bad. We get in the way of profits. Damned taxes for human services, damned entitlements, damned defense costs, damned arts funding. Why should I have to pay for someone else's food, clothing, medicine or legal system? What good does it do me? Where's my free cheese? I, me, me MINE!
Alright, so I'm being a little too Terminator-y.
Let's just look at the working class - our parents worked hard to build everything, including the financial institutions and insurance companies that are now so firmly against us. Why aren't we "shareholders" in the American economy? Why are we still employees with no benefits? How many generations of Americans have to work their whole lives to make a better world for their kids before we demand in on the profits?
You hate entitlements! Let's take them away from the defense industry first! Let's take them away from corporate shareholders who have "limited liability" by law! Let's take entitlements away from those who evade taxes, form foundations, PACs, and trusts so they can hide from the courts, evade anti-corruption laws, skip out on pollution regulations, and cheat their way to eternal wealth!
Yeah, let's do away with patents and copyrights given to wealthy corporations so they have a monopoly on drugs, software, and industrial processes that we need to live.
Fascists say "entitlements" when they mean "free money for black people." They don't want their former slaves rising up and having equal rights with them. Because blacks, the poor irish, eastern europeans, asians, latinos, these are lesser people. They are poor because Our White Jesus made them poor. Do not question White Jesus, for he is always right.
The legal system has been described as two little guys getting together to beat up one bigger guy. Equalizing rights under a social contract.
Well the two little guys are getting the shit beat out of them again. The legal system has been under attack since reagan because it offers a means for the protection of the working class against the excesses of capitalism. "Tort reform" is a euphemism for "making it so those hippies and niggers can't sue us." It has nothing to do with medical malpractice. The courts are the friend of the poor. SkyNet will not have a legal system. Just a lot of guns. Mussolini will be its model.
