Over the past several years, as the U.S. economy has transitioned more and more into a corrupt oligarchy, we’ve seen an increase in statements by certain members of the so called “elite” class, in which they condescendingly lecture the average American. The message is always a variant of, “you need to work harder,” or “prepare for tough times ahead.” Of course, there’s never any reference to the fact that the entire U.S. economy has morphed into little more than a rigged fraud, intentionally set up to result in the current neo-feudal environment we see before us.

I first picked up upon this trend after witnessing a disgustingly ignorant appearance by real estate mogul Sam Zell on CNBC. It prompted me to compose a lengthy post titled, An Open Letter to Sam Zell: Why Your Statements are Delusional and Dangerous. Here’s an excerpt:

Your misdiagnosis of the root cause of the current dissent in America is a result of your obliviousness to the actual concerns of the 99%. A group about which you speak with such certainty, yet certainly know almost nothing about. In fact, my website is dedicated to highlighting all of the destructive trends happening in this nation today. From record high food stamp participation, to declining real wages and the reality that young people need to take on so much debt they become indentured serfs from the moment they enter the workforce. From a loss of 4th Amendment rights due to illegal NSA spying, to the militarization of the police force. From oligarch immunity from serious financial crimes that average citizens would be thrown in jail for life for, to trillion dollar bailouts with zero strings attached for the financial community. From the over-prosecution of some of our bravest citizens such as Aaron Swartz, Barrett Brown and Private Manning to a fraudulent two-party sham political system entirely controlled by your socio-economic class.

Then, earlier this year, billionaire investor Charlie Munger chimed in by telling Americans they need to “prepare for a harder world.” Here’s some of what I had to say about that in the post, Another Oligarch Preaches to the Peasants – Charlie Munger Says “Prepare for Harder World”:

There’s a staggering amount of offensiveness in such few words. First off, he says that: “We should all be prepared for adjusting to a world that is harder.” Who is included in the word “all” here. Certainly not his fellow oligarchs, who already bailed themselves out in incredible fashion and have been spending the years since protecting themselves from the horrible future they’ve created. No, he is speaking to the masses, the plebs, the serfs, the peasants, the ruled. He is telling them tough luck, just try to avoid cannibalism in the future. Meanwhile, if you get close to my castle I’ll have you shot down like a dog.

It’s one thing for a few disconnected billionaires to run their mouths off. It’s quite another when a U.S. Presidential candidate does it, particularly when he is the brother of a former President and the son of another. That’s exactly what Jeb Bush did the other day in New Hampshire.

He said that the way to grow the U.S. economy is for Americans to work more. He didn’t say anything about the parasitic oligarchy controlling Congress. Nor did he mention the devastating economic impact from the destruction of the rule of law (see: New Report – The United States’ Sharp Drop in Economic Freedom Since 2000 Driven by “Decline in Rule of Law”). Not a soundbite about crony capitalism (which he engaged in with great enthusiasm while governor of Florida), or the rampant white collar theft all around us. No, he simply said you need to work harder. This is his worldview, and the pervasive worldview of the status quo in general, throughout D.C. and elsewhere. They will never admit that they are the problem. The problem is always you. It’s always the public who’s to blame, never them or their idiotic, reckless policies.

From ABC:

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said Wednesday that in order to grow the economy “people should work longer hours” — a comment that the Bush campaign argues was a reference to underemployed part-time workers but which Democrats are already using to attack him. During an interview that was live-streamed on the app Periscope, Bush told New Hampshire’s The Union Leader that to grow the economy, “people should work longer hours.” He was answering a question about his plans for tax reform and responded: “My aspiration for the country and I believe we can achieve it, is 4 percent growth as far as the eye can see. Which means we have to be a lot more productive, workforce participation has to rise from its all-time modern lows. It means that people need to work longer hours” and, through their productivity, gain more income for their families. That’s the only way we’re going to get out of this rut that we’re in.” In a statement, a Bush aide clarified that he was referring to the underemployed and part-time workers: “Under President Obama, we have the lowest workforce participation rate since 1977, and too many Americans are falling behind. Only Washington Democrats could be out-of-touch enough to criticize giving more Americans the ability to work, earn a paycheck, and make ends meet.”

While I don’t trust Ted Cruz for a moment, he is a very good politician. He actually hit the nail on the head with the following:

“The problem is not that Americans aren’t working hard enough. It is that the Washington cartel of career politicians, special interests and lobbyists have rigged the game against them.”

Moving along, the most interesting thing about Bush’s comments is that while I agree a growing percentage of part-time jobs in the U.S. economy is problematic, this is a symptom of the governing class’ cronyism and corruption, it is not the root cause of our woes. Moreover, as Vox shows, “working more hours” doesn’t necessarily lead to a strong or a weak economy. For example, check out these charts:

If hours worked per worker was a key variable, then Mexico should be the economic juggernaut, and Germany a third world country. He also failed to mention wages. Real wages in the U.S. haven’t increased in decades, while oligarch income has gone through the roof, but of course, you won’t hear a peep from Bush about that.

Furthermore, it appears that hours worked per week is basically back up to pre crisis levels. See chart below:

Naturally, the only person in America capable to giving Jeb a run for his money when it comes to cronyism and disconnected elitism, Hillary Clinton, was the first to come on the attack. Proving yet again what a pathetic nepotistic, money fueled fraud U.S. Presidential elections have become.

For related articles, see:

Another Tale from the Oligarch Recovery – How a $1,500 Sofa Costs $4,150 When You’re Poor

Just Another Tale from the Oligarch Recovery – $100 Million Homes Being Built on Spec

The Face of the Oligarch Recovery – Luxury Skyscrapers Stay Empty as NYC Homeless Population Hits Record High

Use of Alternative Financial Services, Such as Payday Loans, Continues to Increase Despite the “Recovery”

Portrait of the American Oligarchy – The Very Troubling Income and Wealth Trends Since 1989



In Liberty,

Michael Krieger



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