achieving a leninist strategy

[snowbird42]

http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj3n2/cj3n2-11.pdf

This is a must read document.
Boxer will enter this next week in Social Security discussion.
Written in 1983 this is the Bush plan for Social Security

[Bridget Burke]

1. Why don't you summarize it for us?

Add a couple of excerpts so we'll know why it's important. I know too much about the Cato Foundation to go to all that trouble myself.

And, yes, we do know that the Republicans always hated FDR & want to destroy his work. I remember a cartoon from an old New Yorker anthology: Well dressed, middle-aged businessmen & their dowdy wives knock at a friend's door, saying “Come along. We're going to the Trans-Lux to hiss Roosevelt.”

As a kid, I didn't understand it; I much preferred the Charles Addams cartoons. Now I do.

[snowbird42]

2. Sorry

Boxer in her interview showed where Bush used this document to set out his strategy for destroying SS.

It says to single out the older people and promise them that SS will be Ok for them and then go after the rest of the system.

[snowbird42]

5. Leninist strategy

http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj3n2/cj3n2-11.pdf

Individual Accounts
To emphasize how unfavorably Social Security compares with the
private alternative, the Social Security Administration should be
required to establish an individual account fbr each person participating
in the program. Furthermore, each person should be provided
with an annual statement showing how much he has paid into the
system and what benefits he can expect to receive. Individuals could
then compare their returns from private investment with their returns
under Social Security. Such a scheme would illustrate in cold numbersjust
what the program means for different individuals, and would
help reveal the inter- and intragenerational distribution that occurs
under the current system. The retired population might then come
to realize that they have not purchased an earned annuity but instead
are receiving a tremendous welfare subsidy. Younger workers, on
the other hand, would see just how much ofa loss they are taking by
participating in the program. This mechanism fbr demonstrating the
individual gains and losses that occur under Social Security is a key
step in weakening public support for the present system.

page 8

Sorry Im not so good at working with PDFs

Read on from here

[Luminous Animal]

4. Here is an excerpt...

It is just the beginning of an excellent and disturbing 15 page read on the machinations employed to fuck us over:

ACHIEVING A “LENINIST” STRATEGY
Stuart Butler and Peter Germanis
Introduction

Marx believed that capitalism was doomed by its inherent contra-dictions, and that it would inevitably collapse—to he replaced by the next stage on the ladder leading to the socialist Utopia.

Lenin also believed that capitalism was doomed by its inherent contradictions, and would inevitably collapse. But just to be on the safe side, he sought to mobilize the working class, in alliance with other key elements in political society, both to hasten the collapse and to ensure that the result conformed with his interpretation of the proletarian state. Unlike many other socialists at the time, Lenin recognized that fundamental change is contingent both upon a movement’s ability to create a focused political coalition and upon its success in isolating and weakening its opponents.

As we contemplate basic reform of the Social Security system, we would do well to draw a few lessons from the Leninist strategy. Many critics of the present system believe, as Marx and Lenin did of capitalism, that the system’s days are numbered because of its contradictory objectives of attempting to provide both welfare and insurance.

All that really needs to be done, they contend, is to point out these inherent flaws to the taxpayers and to show them that Social Security would be vastly improved if it were restructured into a predominantly private system. Convinced by the undeniable facts and logic, individuals supposedly would then rise up and demand that their representatives make the appropriate reforms.

While this may indeed happen, the public’s reaction last year against politicians who simply noted the deep problems of the system, and the absence of even a recognition of the underlying problems during this spring’s Social Security “reform,” suggest that it will be a long time before citizen indignation will cause radical change to take place. Therefore, if we are to achieve basic changes in the system, we must first prepare the political ground so that the fiasco of the last 18 months is not repeated.

[housewolf]

7. Thanks for the excerpt...

How do you get the cool blue box to contain it?

Thanks

[Luminous Animal]

8. RE: the cool blue box...

When replying to a post, click on the "HTML lookup
table" link.  One of the options for formating creates
"a styled, indented blockquote (useful for posting
excerpts from articles)" 

[div class="excerpt"]Text[/div] 

Where it says "text", insert your own text and you
will get a nice block quote.

[welshTerrier2]

3. all we are saying

is give peas a chance ...

[Just Me]

6. All these "conservative" think tanks focus on the propaganda angle.

Have you noticed that?

Moreover, their orientation ALWAYS seems to be around the government controlling our people rather than protecting them.

I have incredible difficulty getting into these kind of minds because much of their basic philosophies are just too repugnant to me.

[Trish1168]

9. Fabian society

My computer is having trouble, so I can't open another browser and double check my facts. But, if you google some stuff on the Fabian society, you'll find it interesting how the left wing and right wing meet to make a complete circle.

The Fabian society believes in creating a permanent revolution into a new world wide socialist state. There are some on the net who've asserted that Bush and friends seek to create this very revolution. The ultimate result would be a world dictatorship controlled by a society comprised of two groups, the proletariate (who would enjoy a free market economic system) and the masses would be in a perpetual welfare/socialist state. The Fabian society was started in the 1880's (but you should check), and they were not big on the communist mechanism of revolution, when this happened. They instead preferred a slow and steady manipulation through the undermining of capitalism (by exploiting greed).

The London School of economics (where both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair studied, I think, but again, double check) is a major force behind this world view.

People believe this Fabian society stuff, largely because it seems apparent to many that this administration (with complicity in congress) is trying to bankrupt our country and is even intentionally driving down the dollar. We are teetering on the edge of a currency collapse for the worlds reserve currency. And W acts like everything is fine. He acknowledges the need to cut the budget, but then deceives us by omitting the expensive parts. I am surprised we're still afloat, but I think the central banks are taking a wait and see approach and will try to negotiate with W to get him to change his ways.

Google for yourselves and decide for yourselves. I believe that IF this is their intent, it will not work and will backfire. Too many people love this country for what it once was and could be again. Police states don't work in the long run, but I am truly scared by what I see going on the world today.

The good news is that the world recognizes what is going on, and will not go along with any type of Fabian revolution. Benevolent hegemony will simply not work. Although, these guys seem delusional enough to keep trying...so we'll still help Isreal to attack Iran so we can control the middle east.