A series of articles and consistent logic from the examination of the public record of 16 institutions that clearly demonstrate that, while citizens are ruled by Government, Government is not ruled by its citizens. Government by and for the people is a sham. National elections are meaningless. The U.S. is under-developing to a third world status. National sovereignty is eroding. There is a plan and your are not a part of it.

::::::::

This concludes the 5 part article.  Part 1, click here , warned of the danger that would accrue if powerful banking and industrial forces ran amok.  Part 2, click here, provided insights into American Round Table, the Federal Reserve System, the American Liberty League, the League of Nations, and introduced the Council on Foreign Relations.  Part 3, click here , explored two particularly odorous knots, the conclusion of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Liberty League.   Part 4, click here , relates to the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference, The United Nations, Central Intelligence Agency, the Bilderberg Group and the Chicago School.

In part 5 the Trilateral Commission, NAFTA, the World Trade Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Chamber of Commerce are reviewed.  Each contributes to the diminution of citizens' influence and, in the case of the Trilateral Commission, NAFTA, and the World Trade Organization to the diminution of national sovereignty.  

Trilateral Commission (TC):   Other than David Rockefeller, no one is more responsible for the TC than is Zbigniew Brzezinski.  The two were associated through both the CFR and the BG.  Rockefeller was interested in expanding the "Atlantacism" of the BG to include Japan.    While Brzezinski believed in a one world government, he added that the aim to abolish national governments should be done subtly and quietly over the course of gradual regionalization, so as not to provoke adverse reactions from "the masses".  In his 1970 Book Between the Ages, he wrote, "people, governments and economies of all nations must serve the needs of multinational banks and corporations. (The Constitution is) inadequate ... the old framework of international politics, with their sphere of influence -- the fiction of sovereignty is clearly no longer compatible with reality".

On this thesis, Rockefeller and Brzezinski cofounded the TC to coordinate the economic and other interests of the U.S., Western Europe and Japan.  Other founding members included Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker.  Jimmy Carter was an early, but not a founding, member.  Funding was provided by David Rockefeller, the Charles F. Kettering and Ford Foundations.  A group of prominent political and business leaders from the three geographic areas initiated the TC in Tokyo in 1973 for the purpose of strengthening relations among the three most industrially advanced regions of the capitalist world.  Since, membership has been greatly increased to include many more countries in both in both Europe and Asia.  The TC meetings were scheduled biannually.

A TC task force report in 1975 includes the words, "managing the world's economy".  Another report states, "The overriding goal is to make the world safe for interdependence by protecting the benefits which it provides for each country against external and internal threats which will constantly emerge from those willing to pay a price for more national autonomy.  This may sometimes require slowing the pace at which interdependence proceeds, and checking some aspects of it. More frequently however, it will call for checking the intrusion of national government into the international exchange of both economic and non-economic goods."

Senator Barry Goldwater wrote in his book With No Apologies: "In my view, the Trilateral Commission represents a skillful, coordinated effort to seize control and consolidate the four centers of power: political, monetary, intellectual, and ecclesiastical.  All this is to be done in the interest of creating a more peaceful, more productive world community.  What the Trilateralists truly intend is the creation of a worldwide economic power superior to the political governments of the nation-states involved."

Holly Sklar, in her book, Trilateralism, wrote, "Powerful figures in America, Europe, and East Asia let 'the rich' safeguard the interests of Western capitalism in an explosive world - probably by discouraging protectionism, nationalism, or any response that would pit the elites of one against the elites of another, in their common quest for global dominance".

Both Rockefeller and Brzezinski assisted Jimmy Carter win both the Democrat nomination and presidential election. The Carter Administration contained at least 40 TC and 250 CFR members.

North American Trade Association (NAFTA):   The European Common Market, officially the European Economic Community was established by the Treaty of Rome in 1957.  It is the closest parallel existing to NAFTA.

Trilateral trade negotiations between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, dating back to 1986, were concluded in late 1992.  President Bush-41, Mexican President Salinas, and Canadian Prime Minister Mulroney signed the NAFTA agreement in San Antonio, TX.  President Clinton favored NAFTA, obtained ratification from Congress, and signed it into law effective January 1, 1994.  

While the future "trilateral cooperation" between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico remains unknown, the European Union (EU) which came into existence by way of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993 required member nations to dilute their national sovereignty.   Intergovernmental decisions are negotiated within supranational independent institutions of the EU.

While the future does remain unknown, the CFR published an Independent Task Force report, which it sponsored, entitled Building a North American Community in 2005. In it, the Community would have boundaries "defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter within which the movement of people, products, and capital will be legal, orderly and safe. Its goal will be to guarantee a free, secure, just, and prosperous North America".  

The CFR, of course, establishes plausible deniability of endorsement with its standard disclaimer, "THE COUNCIL TAKES NO INSTITUTIONAL POSITION ON POLICY ISSUES AND HAS NO AFFILIATION WITH THE U.S.GOVERNMENT.  ALL STATEMENTS OF FACT AND EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION CONTAINED IN ITS PUBLICATIONS ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AUTHOR OR AUTHORS", which the reader may choose or not choose to accept as truthful.            

World Trade Organization (WTO):   The WTO was established in 1995 superseding GATT which was established at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944.  It acts as an international court to resolve trade disputes amongst its more than 150 member nations doing more than 95% of the world's international trade.  It is the first instance where the U.S. has ceded a sovereign right.

Supreme Court of the United States:   The Supreme Court is mentioned because of its 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London and its 2010 decision in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.   In the former, Government's right of eminent domain was expanded from "for the public good" to include "for proposed economic enhancement", meaning much of your property no longer enjoys the protection it enjoyed for almost 200 year.

The decision rendered in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission equates money to free speech allowing corporations to finance political activities through donations.  Thus, corporate influence in political affairs, already overly strong, is now absolutely beyond control by citizens.  Public Citizens documented the decisions impact on the 2010 national elections. Their report 12 Months After: The Effects of Citizens United on Elections and the Integrity of the Legislative Process, reveals the following:

  "Spending by outside groups jumped to $294.2 million in the 2010 election cycle from just $68.9 million in the 2006 cycle;

 Nearly half of the money spent ($138.5 million, or 47.1 percent) came from only 10 groups;

 Groups that did not provide any information about their sources of money collectively spent $135.6 million - 46.1 percent of the total spent by outside groups during the election cycle;

 Two 'Crossroads' groups formed by Republican strategist Karl Rove combined to spend $38.2 million, more than any single group. Next was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at $31.2 million;

 Of 75 congressional contests in which partisan power changed hands, spending by outside groups favored the winning candidate in 60 contests."

Chamber of Commerce:   The Chamber of Commerce masquerades as a champion of Main Street representing downtown merchants and small business when, based upon the fact that more than 80% of last year's revenue was provided from donors who contributed $100,000 or more, Wall Street is closer to the mark.  It is mentioned here for the same reason the Supreme Court is mentioned.  As with Congress and the Administration, both institutions are growing closer to corporate interests and further away from the public interests of its citizens.

This concludes the discussion of the 16 stops along the yellow brick road, the knots in the thread that point to "who rules America".   America is ruled by a small group of plutocrats through their control and influences on the Federal Reserve System, the Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. factions of the Bilderberg Group and the Trilateral Commission many of whose members overlap.  Each is financed by succeeding generations of much of the same group that met in secret at the Rockefeller vacation home on Jekyll Island.  They pre-approve presidential and congressional candidates before the majority of Americans are even aware of their intent to run for high office.  They largely direct the financing of the candidates' campaign for votes.  The probability of nominating candidates for the Fed or the Supreme Court whom they would not approve is nil.  They are ever increasingly internationalists as opposed to nationalists, more dependent upon the world than the nation, more interested in the themselves in the world than themselves in the nation.  

Presidents are surrounded by people they recommend; advisors, cabinet and subcabinet members, and regulatory heads and agency members.  Congress is owned by the major corporations representing finance, insurance, pharmaceutical, oil, chemical, agricultural, entertainment, media, and military interests, the majority ownership of which is in relatively few hands. This majority ownership by the few is evident from "investment assets" work by Edward N. Wolff, New York University who reported, in round numbers:   

39% of all business equity is owned by the many, the bottom 99%.   The top 1% own 61%.

38% of all financial securities are owned by the many, the by the bottom 99%.  The top 1% own 62%.

While 61% of all trusts are owned by the many, the bottom 99%.   The top 1% own 39% which, it may be conjectured, is more heavily invested in stocks.

Likewise 61% of stocks and mutual funds are owned by the many, the bottom 99% which, it may be conjectured, is tied up in retirement planning.  The top 1% own 39% most assuredly invested to obtain the highest yield.

72% of non-home real estate is owned by the many, the bottom 99%.   The top 1% own 38%.  This is "Donald Trump Country" most assuredly not that of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, nor George Soros who, it would seem, know better.

The net result for total investment assets is this, an even split.  The many, the bottom 99% own 50% as do the few, the top 1%.

Unlike most citizens these few, of course, do not work for a living, they exploit.  Again, Edward N. Wolff, "But it's important to note for the rich, most of that income does not come from 'working': in 2008, only 19% of the income reported by the 13,480 individuals or families making over $10 million came from wages and salaries".  The 'working income' amongst the rich is believed to be primarily that of CEO's and hedge fund managers.

More wealth is today concentrated in fewer hands than at any time in American history.  Never has wealth inequality been higher.  Ours is a plutocracy ruled by dominant plutocrats and their plutocrat friends and families; no more than 50 to repeat Joseph Kennedy's assertion.  

Our political system is based on the accumulation and protection of property, particularly that of the rich.  Our political system is so tightly rigged the only way it might ever change is through its eventual failure; and all systems fail.

Credit creates money.  The desire for money is insatiable.  So too, therefore, is the growth of credit, the flip side of which is debt.  Our political system will fail, as many others have failed before, by over extension of empire and inability to pay off debt except by hyperinflation or repudiation.

This thinking portends only one thing.  As the previously stated the "unendorsed" CFR sponsored position paper, Building a North American Community envisioned, taking the FTA out of NAFTA and adding a U to establish the North American Union (NAU), a parallel to the European Union.  The addition of Canadian natural resources and Mexican human resources to our own, combined with a new currency, may prove to be an acceptable alternative to the chaos resulting from the loss of homes, jobs, savings, educational opportunities, pensions, social security, and health care of scores of millions of U.S. citizens resulting from a complete economic meltdown.

An alternative to, or perhaps a predecessor to the NAU, could be a Fascist State, a Corporate controlled military dictatorship resulting from the chaos associated with a complete economic collapse of the United States, a not unlikely condition.  Mussolini provided a model which the ALL in this country sought, but failed, unlike Hitler, to emulate.  The extension of free market capitalism and empire cannot be sustained by continued increases in debt.  Our plutocrats will continue to take rather than give.  

Another possible alternative could be the formation of a political union of Canada, the U.S. and Great Britain.  The inclusion of Australia and New Zealand cannot be ruled out thus moving the new world order one step closer to the dream of H. G. Wells and the Rhodes-Milner Roundtable, the discussion of which initiated this series of articles.

Mixed in with all of this is the real potential for resource theft by war in an attempt to save the American Empire.  Iraq may have been a practice event albeit a failed practice event.  Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of the chief geostrategic thinkers of the CFR, the TC, and the BG wrote of America's imperial project for the 21st century in his book The Grand Chessboard; "It is imperative that no Eurasian challenger emerges, capable of dominating Eurasia and thus of also challenging America."  

He went on to bluntly state, the Central Asian nations are more important to America "as a potential economic prize" than are the  "security and historical ambitions to at least three of their most immediate and more powerful neighbors, namely Russia, Turkey and Iran, with China also signaling an increasing political interest in the region".  Brzezinski emphasizes "that America's primary interest is to help ensure that no single power comes to control this geopolitical space" except, of course, it be us.

To conclude, this series of articles was intended to demonstrate a consistent logic from the examination of the public record of 16 institutions that clearly demonstrate that, while citizens are ruled by Government, Government is not ruled by its citizens.  Government by and for the people is a sham. National elections are meaningless. The U.S. is an under-developing nation.  National sovereignty is eroding.    

As wealth flows ever upward, as the U.S. under-develops to a third world country, and prior to its disappearance as a nation state, for the vast majority of U.S. citizens, the "American Dream" is dead except, as George Carlin says, "when you're asleep".   

One way or another, the death of the "American Dream" is only a precursor to the death of the United States of America not only as we have known it, but as a nation state as well.   There is a plan and you are not part of it.  

Get used to it.

Authors Bio:
A retired MBA, I am a former corporate ideologue, former 3rd party advocate and current curmudgeon. While a continued supporter of a 3rd party, I have concluded their efficacy cannot be demonstrated until our form of Government is changed to facilitate proportional representation. This will require an Amendment to the Constitution which Congress will not support.

I am skeptical of our democratic republic's turn to plutocracy as its form of governance. As a member of Convention USA, I support an Article V States Convention for the purpose of Amendment considerations beyond the influence of Congress.

My interests include ending our Government's policies of war and empire, restoration of monetary, fiscal, and trade policy sanity, reversing the income inequality trend, and improving social justice, the seven major defects of modern day America.

On these concerns and others, I am an open book; reference OpEdNews - Articles - Author's Page for Harold Hellickson