The Free-Market Al-Qaeda: Neoliberal Think Tanks and the Har

Written By: 4Canada
Date: 2006-02-26 11:30:06
<a href="/article/153006441-the-freemarket-alqaeda-neoliberal-think-tanks-and-the-harm-they-do">Article Link</a>

Known today as “neoliberalism,” it is now global in its reach, assaulting in like manner societies around the world. We have on our hands a worldly, Free-Market Al-Qaeda, indulging in violence that is neither physical nor as spectacular as that of its fanatically religious counterpart, but it may be far more consequential.

Dating at least to the publication of Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom in 1962, a messianic conviction has taken hold in some quarters that governments suppress individual freedom and markets maximize it. The idea dates from the late 1800s, and that’s why the movement to advance it is known as neoliberalism—but the referent word here is “liberty” (as in “libertarian”). Neoliberalism has nothing to do with progressive political thinking: it is archconservative to the core.

The conviction is held so strongly by 12 right-wing philanthropic foundations that they set out in the 1960’s and in concert to overturn a century’s accumulation of progressive public policy. Convinced the nation was drifting into socialism, they sought wherever possible to replace government mechanisms of “command and control” with “market solutions.”

<a href="http://pertinent.mentabolism.org/Corporatocracy/The_Free-Market_Al-Qaeda.html">http://pertinent.mentabolism.org/Corporatocracy/The_Free-Market_Al-Qaeda.html</a>

Welcome to Ferenginar.

*anyone who has ever seen ST:TNG will get it.

From the Wikipedia article on the Ferengi

Ferengi culture is based entirely on commerce, and the 285 Rules of Acquisition comprise the sacred code on which all of Ferengi society is based. They were first written down by Gint, the first Grand Nagus, who leads the Ferengi Alliance. The title "Rules of Acquisition" was chosen as a clever marketing ploy (since the rules are merely guidelines) and Gint numbered his first rule as #162, in order to create a demand for the other 161 Rules that had not yet been created. Ferengi culture is so devoted to unregulated capitalism that concepts such as labor unions, sick leave, vacations, or paid overtime for workers are considered abhorrent, because they would interfere with exploitation of workers.

Thanks 4Canada! I should have thought of that myself but may have been too engrossed in the January elections. I'm glad you did though. BTW, my new blog is up and running <a href="http://thecylinder.wordpress.com/">here</a>. Do feel free to visit. Beginning is a bit slow but there are already a couple of interesting texts there (not mine though). Anytime that I blog about issues that I think may interest Vive readers, I shall cross-post here for sure. Like this Free-Market Al-Qaeda post, for example.

The above article, also the ones on the IMF and World Bank are solid proofs of my laws that:

" Wealth can not be created only taken".

"Costs can not be cut, only transferred on other sectors, the environment, or the future".

I developed these 21 years ago,copyrighted them in 91 to establish the date, and am quite pleased that more people are beginning to wake up to the facts of life.

I was on a WB economic forum some years ago, when Stiglitz was still their Chief Economist and wrote some of my outrageous contentions that, surprisingly, didn't shake anybody, but I received a lot of thank you notes from all over the world.

Among them, there was a congratulatory note from the Office of the Chief Economist, without any signature. It could have come from the office boy, but Stiglitz was already on his way out and I often wondered if he wrote it ?

Ed Deak.