Just don't expect that we'll give a shit about them. We here in the United States are all about individuality. If you can't get into college or get a good job or if you can't afford health insurance, even if you're a child, it's your fault and your own damn problem. We cater here in the U.S. to those who make something of themselves and get rich. That's what we value. That's what's important. And quite frankly, that's what makes me sick. Aside from the fact that we have the most powerful and destructive military in the world and can bomb and kill whoever we want; what makes us so great again?
There's ALWAYS money for war, bombers, jets, guns, tanks, bullets, and missiles. "The war is costing $720 million a day or $500,000 a minute" here. And that's ok. But an extra $30 billion to give health insurance to children because it could "be a move toward socialized medicine" is just insane. The potential of giving everyone health care is worse than war. How sick have we become?
As capitalism reaches its dynamic climax, it can be seen that all of those values such as democracy, human and civil rights, and liberty aren't really as important as making money. Of course it's couched in terms of keeping our lifestyles "normal," which means that we have access to all the energy we need; no matter how much we over-consume and pollute.
The Mayanmar/Burma protests highlight this point yet again. Amy Goodman talks about it here. And published in Newsweek, an article by Melinda Liu talks about why the sanctions won't work.
The title says it all: It's the Oil and Gas, Stupid.
"Burma’s economic picture would be depressing enough without the involvement of Big Oil. One of the key reasons why sanctions against the regime are unlikely to work is because the junta's foreign partners hope to maintain business as usual. Foreign firms have been scrambling for a piece of Burma's oil and gas industry since the regime liberalized investment rules in 1988.
"These are not obscure players or small-time plays. Burmese natural gas, worth $2.8 billion, generates one fifth of Thailand’s electricity. China wants to build pipelines and roads through Burma that would allow its oil imports to bypass vulnerable chokepoints in the Malacca Straits, which could be blocked by the U.S. Navy in the event of Sino-U.S. tensions."
There's ALWAYS money for war, bombers, jets, guns, tanks, bullets, and missiles. "The war is costing $720 million a day or $500,000 a minute" here. And that's ok. But an extra $30 billion to give health insurance to children because it could "be a move toward socialized medicine" is just insane. The potential of giving everyone health care is worse than war. How sick have we become?
As capitalism reaches its dynamic climax, it can be seen that all of those values such as democracy, human and civil rights, and liberty aren't really as important as making money. Of course it's couched in terms of keeping our lifestyles "normal," which means that we have access to all the energy we need; no matter how much we over-consume and pollute.
The Mayanmar/Burma protests highlight this point yet again. Amy Goodman talks about it here. And published in Newsweek, an article by Melinda Liu talks about why the sanctions won't work.
The title says it all: It's the Oil and Gas, Stupid.
"Burma’s economic picture would be depressing enough without the involvement of Big Oil. One of the key reasons why sanctions against the regime are unlikely to work is because the junta's foreign partners hope to maintain business as usual. Foreign firms have been scrambling for a piece of Burma's oil and gas industry since the regime liberalized investment rules in 1988.
"These are not obscure players or small-time plays. Burmese natural gas, worth $2.8 billion, generates one fifth of Thailand’s electricity. China wants to build pipelines and roads through Burma that would allow its oil imports to bypass vulnerable chokepoints in the Malacca Straits, which could be blocked by the U.S. Navy in the event of Sino-U.S. tensions."
