From the Gipper to BushCo: Social Contract and the New American Depression

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By Charles Degelman (about the author) Page 2 of 2 page(s)

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“A Thousand Points of Light” personified Bush’s contempt for the social contract. “You’re on your own,” he announced, “but if you serve your community, you’ll get a big pat on the back.” Civic participation and community service were relegated to unsupported chump chores that allowed King Bush I to separate the quid from the pro quo.

The Clinton Administration also indulged in social-contract bashing. In 1996 it abolished the wefare system and, although it provided some recompense with a strong welfare-to-work program, the trauma to Americans living in poverty, particularly children was -- and is -- dire and incalculable.

The Bush II Dynasty, really a corporate oligarchy (let’s call it “BushCo”), has overshadowed both King Bush I and the Reagan regime in its efforts to destabilize the social contract.

BushCo has drained government agencies from the inside out, commandeered tax dollars through war and privatization, and dissolved hard-won controls on energy, telecommunications, and financial services.

The result? As journalist Naomi Klein so succinctly put it, when the next administration takes over the White House, they’ll find it empty. Agencies that might have dealt with the blowback from two pre-emptive wars and the current economic crisis are no longer functional.

BushCo has no cogent economic plan for recovery. Instead, it relies on corporate instinct to set its priorities. The results? A panicky outlay of tax-supported corporate welfare to rescue imploded investment firms and no plans to bail out the American people.

From the Gipper to BushCo, the dissolution of our social contract has transformed the United States from an imperfect union to a ruined corporation. Its engineers will not relinquish the power – or the money – they have taken from us.

In the looming shadow of the New American Depression, we must take it back. It’s our half of the social contract. It’s a matter of life and death.

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http://www.charlesdegelman.org

Charles Degelman is a writer and editor living in Los Angeles. Published titles include books, periodicals, and Internet resources on U.S. and world history and on contemporary issues including the environment, the war in Iraq, healthcare, the (more...)

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