Skepticism Of Policies That Harm The Wealthy Elites But Acceptance Of Policies That Further Enrich Them

...globalization is more of a boon to the members of the global elite than it is to the average Jose ~ Dani Rodrik (dob 8/14/1957) Professor of International Political Economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government; a quote from his book The Globalization Paradox, which argues "that when the social arrangements of democracies inevitably clash with the international demands of globalization, national priorities should take precedence".

A global climate change denier once quoted science fiction writer Michael Crichton, who said, "the greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with consensus". In other words, the very fact that 90 percent of climate change scientists agree that global warming could cause us some major problems in the future is evidence that these "warmists" are probably wrong. Because those who break with consensus are, more often than not, the ones who end up being right (and that is the case with global climate change. It is mostly "alarmism").

Except when those critical thinkers in the minority are breaking with a "consensus" that benefits the wealthy elites, apparently. Then they are wrong. I'm referring to economists who disagree that "removing trade restrictions invariably helps some firms and people and hurts others but with a positive net benefit for the country as a whole". Willis Hart agrees wholeheartedly with the free traders, even though they are in the majority.

When I presented Mr. William H. Hart with the names (and words) of a few economists who break with consensus and say free trade is problematic, he said, "90% of economists support free trade, wd. It's you who have the minority position on this one".

OK, I get it... when he has the minority opinion (regarding global warming), he's right, because the thinkers he cites "are great precisely because they broke with consensus", but when I'm the one with the minority opinion it proves how wrong I am! That works out quite nicely for Mr. Hart. Also, notice how both these positions (global warming: no big deal and free trade: awesome) benefit the wealthy elites?

BTW, for anyone who might point out that the reverse is true... that I say I'm right on global warming (because the majority of climate scientists agree with me) and right on free trade because I'm with those who are breaking with consensus... I have to point out that I'm only making the first argument and not the later one. The great thinkers who broke with consensus and were right are in the minority. Most often scientific progress is made by researchers who build on the accomplishments of those who came before them. Also, protectionism is what made the US a manufacturing powerhouse. Since we broke with (what used to be the) consensus we've lost millions of manufacturing jobs.

When Mr. Hart breaks with consensus and takes the position that those concerned about the possible negative effects of global warming are "alarmists" and we shouldn't do anything to address the problem because it is actually not a big deal... his position protects the profits of polluters and Big Oil. And when he adheres to the consensus that says free trade is a net positive... his position protects the profits of large corporations who profit by offshoring American jobs to low wage countries. Do you think this is just a coincidence?

I say it is not a coincidence that in each instance Mr. Hart takes the position that best serves the wealthy elites, just as the Conservatives that Mr. Hart insists he is not one of do. Mr. Hart asserts he is a "Moderate" yet he always comes down on the side of the plutocrats and in opposition to policies that would benefit working people. His May 12 post, "Top Five Favorite Newport Mansions, being is just another example of how this individual exhibits behavior typical of a Conservative... behavior that could be called "wealthy worship".

If you have mega-bucks Mr. Hart assumes you worked hard and busted your ass to earn that dough... and the government should keep it's "stealing" (aka taxing) of what's yours to an absolute minimum. If you're a poor shlub, on the other hand, you probably have only yourself to blame for your lot in life. You should have worked harder, not had kids at an early age, not smoked, or some other issue that's entirely your problem and not due in any manner to greedy "job creators" taking advantage of you. This is what is known as "blaming the victim", and is a tactic Conservatives have perfected. It is also a tactic Mr. Hart frequently employs.

The bottom line is that we can do something about global climate change (such as promoting a green jobs economy that will actually be a boon for our economy)... and we can do something about the job-destroying free trade policies being pushed by the corporatists (in both parties, but mostly in the "R" party) who don't want to pay American workers fair wages (by using tariffs and our tax code to encourage corporations to bring jobs back to the US)... but in both instances it will mean slightly less profit for the wealthy elites. Apparently people like Willis Hart find this prospect to horrible to contemplate. That, or he's buying into the spin put out by the plutocrats that we'll all benefit if we do it their way.

Also, the Hartster despises green energy and has written dozens of posts on how terrible it is. Maybe this explains why Mr. Hart hates the former Green Jobs "czar" almost a lot less than dmarks (although he still dislikes him, he just falls short of believing Mr. Jones smiles when he thinks of getting into government and starting a genocide. probably). Regarding Van Jones (an individual I greatly admire) the Hart guy says, "he's a real shit, crony capitalist, 9/11 Truther". Although none of that is even remotely true.

In summary what he have here is a deluded individual who believes... global climate change: BFD, green energy: Lucifer-endorsed, free trade: manna from heaven for American consumers, and the wealthy: job creators we should all worship er admire. Wow, huh? Could one person possibly be any more "Moderate"? What say you me-buck?

SWTD #151, wDel #25.