Looking for suggestions on books about declining America

[adigal]

I am very interested in this topic, which, it seems, most Americans are cheerfully ignoring. After hearing about the kids killed on Oklahoma because no one thought shelters in schools were a worthwhile idea or expense, and closing 50 Chicago public schools, I think the fabric of our society is truly tearing, and most of us are "Amusing Ourselves to Death," as Neil Postman analyzed.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!!

[Gregorian]

1. I just heard an interview with the author of Carbon Democracy.

It isn't really America per se, but I think it's too close to the heart of the issues that affected what happened to us.

It explains why things have declined. Simply put, the people have no power to stop the greedy owners.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Foreign Policy had an article on it a year or so ago

Foreign Affais has as well

The Cable (it's a blog connected to Foreign Policy) has had them too.

Then there are articles in foreign press, such as Der Spiegel

And yes, we are not aware, but I agree with you, we are in the midst of decline and it's accelerating

[FSogol]

3. "Generation of Vipers" by Philip Wylie. (Does it matter whether it was written in 1942?) n/t

[HughBeaumont]

4. Reading one now called "The Rich Don't Always Win" by Sam Pizzigati . . .

. . .. I'd call this a "must read" in the vein of Jacob Hacker's The Great Risk Shift and David Cay Johnston's Perfectly Legal & Free Lunch. An excellent synopsis of the time period from 1900-1970, where labor fought and made great strides against the Plutocrats and politicians from both parties feared the backlash of unions and the people.

Then came the mid-1970s conservative think tanks, which led to the glacial but highly effective arch-conservative purchase of U.S.A., Inc., starting with their inside puppet St. Ronnie. The End.

[adigal]

5. Thank you very much!! I am off to do some research!

The last one makes me rethink what I have been pondering for a while, that with Bobby Kennedy's death, we losts our biggest hope to wrestle power back to the people. Anyone else ever think this? Too many coincidences in the loss of all the Kennedys. And then the handsome, popular son dies, also. I don't buy it.

[HughBeaumont]

9. I wrote something to that effect in 2009 . . .

The Criminal Illuminati Agency wasn't letting ANY highly popular Democratic family become a political dynasty.

Giving JFK (who stood up to Steel bosses and the nuclear-war-happy MIC) two terms would have been counterproductive to the Republican/MIC/Corptocracy's long term plans.

An RFK win would have seriously swayed America to, you know, NOT be the "USA USA USA"-chanting, jingo-drugged, fearful, completely-corporate-dependent, easily swayed, accepting of lower and lower standards, obedient nation that it is today.

Conspiratorial? Think about it.

When did American wages start getting suppressed? 1973.
When did energy start becoming an overwhelming concern? the early 70s.
What happened in the 60s that you would never see happen today? People protested against the Republican/MIC folly wars and it got televised. Protests are no more than a belch, a blip on today's entertainment-based "news".
When did the Republican party team up with corporations to institute this permanent plague of power and wealth transfer from the poor to the rich (reciprocated with risk, cost of living and tax burden transfer to the poor)? The 1970s
When did this grand plan get permanently nailed? REAGAN.

Since 1968, there have only been THREE Democratic presidents. And no offense to Carter, but it's not like any of them can really be considered truly "Democratic" in a liberal sense, especially not the last two. Being fully on board with Republican "Trickle Down" & Deregulation bullshitnomics isn't Democratic, it's caving to the needs of the ruling class. These were always "approved" Democrats . . . never even the slightest bit liberal, always moderate to Eisenhower Republican at best.

It's no accident that we're likely never going to have a progressive President.

The only dynasty in this country is, and will always be, BUSH. Whether we like it or not.

We're not meant to ask "what could have been". We're only plagued with accepting "how it's going to be from now on". The Kennedys were never meant to thrive. They had ideas, brains, plans and vision that would have swayed America to become an organized working ideal that government and corporations feared.

Instead, the U.S. since the late 60s set the trend in arch-conservative corporate-based "governance" with a glacial but ubiquitous power-grab and continues stridently to make life as miserable and as "stay-put" to it's obedient, timid and completely dependent wage slaves as possible.

Of course, it doesn't really help matters much that the timid, obedient wage-slaves are also fearful and hateful as well, learning absolutely nothing at all from the Reagan, and subsequently, the Bush lootings. That was also part of the plan - make them all into "battered spouses" by making them hate and completely distrust anything "European", "Democratic", "Union", "Taxes", "liberal", even making the word "liberal" akin to "dogshit". That's media purchasing, and that was "The Great Communicator" at work.

I just don't think this is ever going to get better until the Conservative bootstraps groupthink goes the way of the dodo.

[librechik]

6. Chalmers Johnson

read anything by him, including "Blowback," "The Sorrows of Empire," and "Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic."

"A nation can be one or the other, a democracy or an imperialist, but it can’t be both. If it sticks to imperialism, it will, like the old Roman Republic, on which so much of our system was modeled, like the old Roman Republic, it will lose its democracy to a domestic dictatorship."[4]

He died in 2010, he is essential.

There is also 'The Great Unraveling" by Paul Krugman, which looks at it from the economics.

And, of course, The Best Democracy Money can Buy,"
by Greg Palast, not just a book, but a talk you can watch here:

Same title is used by some academics on C-Span, that is available on video too.

[adigal]

7. I love Krugman and Palast

although I didn't read the Krugman book. Thank you for the suggestion.

I will go look up Chalmers now. Thanks!!!

[hatrack]

8. Pretty much anything by Morris Berman

"Twilight Of American Culture", "Why America Failed", more.

[marmar]

10. "Empire of Illusion" by Chris Hedges

[Celldweller]

11. Assuming we all don't die in the coming Ice Age

This nation won't be recognizable in 50 years. I will be dust by then of course...or at least in a state of advanced decay so I won't be forced to see it.

[moondust]

12. "The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America"

by George Packer, who was interviewed on The Daily Show on May 16.

Blurb from TDS website:

(The Unwinding) interweaves narratives of a small number of Americans to help readers understand the ways in which the United States has declined over the past thirty years.

I haven't read it but it looks interesting. Sounds a lot like Studs Terkel.